No rules have yet to be established about texting or social media between students and teachers. The lack of clarity on this issue has led to confusion concerning communication.
Students and teachers alike differ on what is appropriate communication. Many faculty advisors give their clubs or teams their phone number for simple, fast communication. However, in the first faculty meeting of the academic year, teachers are strongly discouraged from communicating with students personally.
The first time a student receives a text message from a teacher, they are likely to question if they are allowed to respond or if the teacher was permitted to contact them. The ability to text enables students to quickly converse with teachers and coaches whether it be concerning game times, extra-curricular meetings, or even studying help.
On the other hand, some teachers are only reachable by email and in-person contact and enjoy their privacy. Some teachers and students would argue that it is inappropriate to share each other’s personal lives, which includes phone numbers and social media.
The Scholium Staff agrees that texting a teacher about school-related topics is, in fact, appropriate and should be permitted by Episcopal. However, social media contact for unrelated topics should not be allowed.
Overall, Episcopal needs to create a set of rules or guidelines for outside of school teacher and student communication.