Online Abuse

To protect students in school settings, do not allow  staff members, faculty, coaches, or volunteers to communicate one-on-one with youth via their personal apps, messaging apps, chat rooms, text messages, IM, phone calls, or email. All communication should be done according to school-approved policies and channels.

Perpetrators use digital communication methods to establish trust and confidence. About 82% of offenders communicated digitally with victims before an in-person meeting.¹

About Social Media

Schools should consider developing guidance and training regarding social media. Decide which staff members are allowed to post from the school’s social media sites. Consider the following:

• Can employees share official school posts or post about their students on their personal social media sites?
• Will you allow employees to follow or connect with a student or student’s family on social media that they don’t already have a relationship with outside of school?

Train employees so that they understand the dangers of taking and storing photos of students using their personal devices or sharing photos of minor students on their personal social media.

1 Organization for Social Media Safety. https://www.socialmediasafety.org/blog/from-the-director-feb-2019/ Accessed 29 March 2023.