Facebook/Social Media, optional: The PTA should clarify when a social media platform is administered by the PTA or is a separate, independent parent-run platform. If the PTA runs the social media platform, the VP Comm and/or Social Media Moderator will moderate posts to ensure all posts meet PTA Guidelines.

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FACEBOOK RECOMMENDED GUIDELINES from GUNN PTA – feel free to adopt and adapt for your purposes.

PARENT FACEBOOK COMMUNITIES

The Facebook Community is a group for parents, caregivers, and educators of students currently attending XXX School in Palo Alto, CA. 

Our goal is to foster connection and communication among parents and the school community by sharing information and tips, updating the community on events and programs, and showcasing the achievements of students, teachers, parents, and other community members.

In addition, we strive to constructively raise issues for discussion that promote collaboration and engagement of families and educators, and share ideas for PTA activities or goals. We provide this forum for parents to exchange useful, trusted information and resources. Posts must be respectful, truthful, discreet, responsible, noncommercial, nonsectarian, and nonpartisan. 

Community Do’s:

• Use language appropriate for a caring and respectful community.
• Ask questions, respond and share information.
• Highlight our community’s accomplishments and supporters.
• Post articles about education and our community.
• Post information about opportunities for students.
• Constructively raise issues for discussion that promote collaboration and engagement of families and educators, and share ideas for PTA activities or goals.
• Keep discussions positive and focused on our school community.
• Remember that your posts are visible to all members of the group, which may also include teachers and staff. [The group is private, however, so no Facebook users outside the group can see posts by group members.] 

Community Don’ts:

• Do not engage in cyberbullying of any kind, including insulting, targeting, or excluding any individuals, including but not limited to school board officials, school administrators, teachers, PTA members, students, parents, or other individuals affiliated with or connected to the school.
• Do not put down individuals or other organizations.
• Do not discriminate in any way.
• Do not post about concerns, problems, or conflicts with individual teachers, administrators, students, or parents.
• Do not make any inflammatory statements or allegations against individuals or organizations. Threats of physical or verbal abuse will be reported to the authorities, and the offender may be removed or blocked from the group.
• Do not post confidential information, such as student grades, disciplinary proceedings, health conditions*, personal, family, or staff/administration matters, or anything else that would generally be considered personal or private.
• Do not post school location information that could pose a risk to students.
• Do not advertise goods or services**, though you may thank partners and contributors.
• Do not publish content as your own that has been created by others.
• Do not post pictures that other parents have taken without their express permission.

*For post about mental health, we follow the guidelines of the Suicide Awareness Voices of Education (SAVE).

**While we will not approve standalone posts that promote or publicize goods or services such as tutors, counselors, after-school and summer opportunities, we will permit community members to REPLY to REQUESTS for these resources.

The PTA Board and PTA Facebook Moderators reserve the right to delete comments and remove or block users who do not follow the guidelines stated above. The determination of objectionable content is at the sole discretion of the PTA Board and the PTA Facebook Moderators.

We encourage parents to use platforms other than Facebook as follows:

• For discussions about sensitive or controversial topics, we encourage parents to set up face-to-face meetings.
• For concerns about your teacher, contact your teacher or your teacher’s instructional supervisor.
• For concerns about PAUSD policy, contact the superintendent through Let’s Talk PAUSD, or the Palo Alto School Board.

As a reminder, the overall purpose of PTA Communications, according to the CA PTA,  is to:

• Connect families and schools.
• Encourage parent participation.
• Market the value and accomplishments of PTSA.
• Promote joining PTSA.