SAUGUS — The School Committee will entertain a proposed policy that would restrict what members can write on social media.
Linda Gaieski, chairwoman of the policy subcommittee, drafted a policy to be presented to the full School Committee that states that members “shall exercise caution when communicating between and among themselves” through e-mail, social media, and internet web forums.
The policy reinforces that the Open Meeting Law should not be violated on social media and that a quorum could be arrived at using electronic messaging.
A set of guidelines will be reviewed by legal counsel and, if they fit with state law, by the committee for approval. It was approved unanimously by the policy subcommittee Tuesday afternoon.
Under the guidelines, members would need to clarify that they are communicating as an individual member and not as a spokesperson for the district when making comments.
“You have rights, but there are consequences to those rights,” said Gaieski.
The issue arose when committee member Marc Magliozzi requested the policy subcommittee look into the restriction two months ago.
“With everything that’s been going on in town lately — whether it’s teachers, whether it’s football, whether it’s getting let out of school early because it’s hot, or staying in school all day because it’s hot — can we have the policy subcommittee look at something with our social media presence as elected officials?” Magliozzi asked.
The officials are representing the district in a time when social media has become part of everyday life, which is a challenge, said Magliozzi.
“I think we’re in a different world now,” he said. “Social media is something that we live with, but as parents and as elected officials, we wear two different hats, many times at the same time.”
“I know I may find myself at some points wanting to say things (on social media) that may be from the heart, but (it) might not be beneficial for all the people we represent,” he said.
He believes elected officials across town should consider such a policy, but said he can only speak for the School Committee.
School Committee chairwoman Jeannie Meredith said she agreed that elected officials should think twice about what they post on social media, but initially said she needed to do more research before supporting a recommendation to the full committee. She feared a policy could violate First Amendment rights.
“There’s a lot of backlash with other community members with what they’re saying on social media,” said Meredith. “I do agree that we should be held to a higher standard.”
She said Tuesday that she would like legal counsel to review the proposed policy before it goes before the committee.
“What we’re seeing on social media is a ton of ethics violations,” she said.
The guidelines also state that members should avoid deliberating school district business with a quorum of the board, direct complaints or concerns presented online to the superintendent, avoid posting content that indicates that they have already formed an opinion on pending matters, post only content that the district has already released to the public, and conduct themselves in a manner that reflects well on the district. They would be asked to avoid posting information that has not been verified and made public by the district and not to post anonymously about school business.
When trying to restate what happened at a previous board meeting, members should clarify that their statement is not an official record of the meeting, according to the guidelines.
Policy subcommittee members, including Judy Worthley, questioned not being able to ask a committee member what happened at a meeting she may have missed.
Once the proposed policy is reviewed by legal counsel, it will be presented to the full committee to be adopted.