SAUGUS — School Committee members could soon be told to bite their tongues — or hold their fingers — when it comes to sharing on social media.
Two members of the school committee, chairwoman Jeannie Meredith and committeewoman Linda Gaieski, will look into a social media policy for school committee members in their capacity as the policy subcommittee for the board. Committeeman Marc Magliozzi requested the policy at a meeting in September.
“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.
Meredith said she agreed that elected officials should think twice about what they post on social media, but said she still needs to do some research before she and Gaieski can make a recommendation to the full committee. They plan to discuss a potential policy at their Oct. 30 meeting, she said.
“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. We will research it, research the legality of it and so forth, and look at what other districts are doing to make sure that we’re not violating anybody’s First Amendment rights.”
