ST. LOUIS -- The state of Missouri is about to start policing the social networking of its teachers.
It's just one facet of a new state law aimed at preventing the sexual abuse of students by their teachers.
The Amy Hestir Student Protection Act, which takes effect on Aug. 28, sets strict rules on what's considered appropriate behavior when it comes to text messages and the use of sites like Facebook.
In a nutshell, the law appears to prohibit private communication between a teacher and a student. And it may very well make it illegal for teachers to have students as friends on Facebook.
"That gets into the gray area of the law," said Jason Rooks, a senior programmer and tech guru for the Parkway Central School District.
The district already discourages such relationships between students and teachers. Parkway is taking the position that, under the new law, Facebook friendships will soon be illegal.
But not everyone agrees with that interpretation, reflecting the uncertainty created by a law attempting to deal with the rapidly changing world of electronic communication. While districts have several months to develop their official policies, they are scrambling to provide answers and guidance to teachers heading into the school year.
"I've been fielding calls all day. There's a lot of confusion," said Susan Goldammer, an attorney who deals with employment and labor relations for the Missouri School Boards' Association.
Among other things, school officials and teachers are wondering just how broad the new law is. Does it cover email? Twitter? Can teachers answer a student's text message about a homework assignment. Are coaches allowed to use text messages to alert their teams about changes in practice times?
"If you have to communicate in very short order with a group of 17-year-olds, that's a very effective way to do it," said Chris Tennill, a spokesman for the Clayton School District.
The law was designed to prevent teachers and students from developing the sort of private relationships that can lead to incidents of sexual abuse, said Sen. Jane Cunningham, R-Chesterfield, who authored the legislation.
Any exchanges between the student and teacher, she said, should be viewable both by parents and school officials. The law also applies to former students under the age of 19, unless they have graduated.
"If you are a teacher that's not doing anything wrong, you'll want parents to see that communication," Cunningham said.
The law takes its name from a woman who said she was sexually abused, at age 12, by a teacher who fostered a relationship with her. She did not identify the teacher but said he is still working in the state.
The law says school districts will be held liable if they fail to report accusations of sexual abuse by teachers or employees. And if a sexually abusive employee seeks a job elsewhere, districts are required, in their references, to inform potential employers of the abuses.
But it is the portion of the legislation that deals with social networking that's attracting national attention, with coverage in a wide range of tech-related publications and websites. Several have suggested that Missouri is the first state to enact such a law.
School districts have until Jan. 1, 2012, to develop their own policies regarding social networks and electronic communication. For some districts, the law provides a basis for policies or suggested behaviors already in place. Most teachers already shy away from that type of contact with students, said Susan Dielmann, a spokeswoman for the Ladue School District.
"It's kind of frowned upon as an unprofessional way of behaving," Dielmann said. "But it's no longer a matter of opinion. It's a matter of law."
(Elisa Crouch of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.)
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