Schools

Patch Asks: Should Schools Monitor Students Online?

Do the schools have the right and/or responsibility to watch over what their students post via social media?

Whether schools—or school districts—should monitor what students tweet or share on Facebook, Vine, Instagram, YouTube and other forms of social media, isn't just a theoretical question. 

A local Southern California school district, Glendale Unified, has hired a company—to the tune of $40,500—to monitor social media posts of about 13,000 students from eight high school and middle schools, according to a report by the Huffington Post.

Superintendent Richard Sheehan told CBS Los Angeles the purpose of watching over students' posts was safety, watching to see whether students were considering harming themselves or others.

The Hermosa Beach company Geo Listening will collect information from students' public posts and provide a daily report that lists how frequently posts are made and how they relate to cyber bullying, harm, hate, despair, substance abuse, vandalism and truancy, reports the Glendale News Press.

Patch asks: Is this appropriate action on the part of a school district? Should it be left to parents to monitor their children's social media use? Is the school district saving students or invading their privacy? Is this an appropriate use of district money? Let us know what you think in the comment section.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from Highland Park-Mount Washington