In the December 2014 issue of School Business Affairs, this column (Russo 2014) addressed a case from Pennsylvania, Munroe v. Central Bucks School District (2014), that explored the free speech rights of public school teachers who blog on the Internet.
In Munroe, a school board in Pennsylvania dismissed a tenured high school teacher who posted controversial, derogatory remarks about her students and others on her personal blog. The Third Circuit subsequently affirmed that insofar as the blog entries were disruptive to school operations, the teacher’s dismissal did not violate the First Amendment (Munroe 2015).
Munroe highlights the need for school business officials (SBOs) and other education leaders to be vigilant about teachers’ use of social media. Using Munroe as a departure point, this column first reviews the facts and judicial rationale in Munroe, because it provides food for thought for education leaders, and then offers updated recommendations for SBOs, their boards, and other education leaders to consider in developing policies to regulate teacher blogs.
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This article originally appeared in the February 2016 School Business Affairs magazine and is reprinted with permission of the Association of School Business Officials International (ASBO). The text herein does not necessarily represent the views or policies of ASBO International, and use of this imprint does not imply any endorsement or recognition by ASBO International and its officers or affiliates. Any additional re-purposing or reprint of this article in this or any other medium is restricted without prior written consent.
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