Council Bluffs Community School District
Guidelines for Facebook™ as a Parent Communication Tool
The Council Bluffs Community School District recognizes that Facebook™ is a potential communication
tool to connect Schools, Teachers, and Classrooms to Parents.
It is the requirement of the School District that teachers, who choose to use this tool, follow the
recommendations outlined below:
It is NOT recommended that teachers use Facebook™ as a tool for teacher / student communication
Practical Applications
Teachers will be able to determine the exact nature of how they implement Facebook™ into
the classroom, but there are some built in pieces and features which make using the
technology a nice partner in instruction and curriculum.
• Authentic writing - Writing and publishing status updates offer students an authentic
writing opportunity. Lucy Calkins, author and renowned writing specialist, says the key to
providing authentic writing opportunities is making the effort to find an audience for student
work to give the students a sense that the writing was not just a canned exercise that will
go no further than the teacher's desk. Offering students not only an audience, but a purpose
for writing engages them in the process and adds some incentive to create their best work.
Writing and publishing status updates on Facebook™ also allows for instant feedback from
"Friends" of the page, which may include parents, grandparents, family members, teachers,
principals and others.
When writing and publishing the status updates, students are synthesizing the most
important pieces of the learning which took place. This is important for students as teachers
try and move the learning into analyzing, synthesizing and evaluating.
• Parent Contact - Communication between schools and parents is integral in ensuring
that one consistent message is being conveyed to students. It is also important to keep an
open line of communication and dialogue going between teachers and parents. Through the
notes application in Facebook™, a teacher can easily get information to every parent, or can
send a personal message to an individual parent. Examples of such notes include: reminder
of parent/teacher conferences, a need for a certain supply for class, disciplinary information,
positive comments about a child's behavior, reminder of a class trip/permission slips, etc.
• Event Invitations - Through Facebook™ teachers can also create an event invitation,
which will provide important information about an upcoming event. This will provide parents
with detailed information about the event (ie. title, date, location, other information) and it
will also serve as a reminder for the event. Parents are also able to RSVP to the event by
saying the 'Will Be Attending', 'May Be Attending', 'Will Not Be Attending.' The parent may
also attach a note to the RSVP to explain a special circumstance, or to ask a question.
• Showcasing Exemplary Work - Teachers will be able to post images of excellent
work, so that family members, community members (who are friends) and other district
employees (who are friends) can view the work, even if they are never able to visit the
classroom. People who view the work can also make comments about the image, offering
instant feedback to the student. This is another example of the authentic purpose
Setting up a Facebook™ Profile
To sign up for a Facebook™ account, go to www.Facebook.com
1. You will need to enter your email address and personal information (the teacher's
personal information will need to be used, email address, birthday, etc.). Only one
Facebook™ profile page is allowed per email address. If you have a personal Facebook™
page linked to an email account, you will need to use a different email account for your
class page. Your profile name will be the first and last name you list when you sign up for an
account. Facebook™ may reject names that they do not recognize as legitimate names (i.e.
it will not accept "First Grade" as a profile name).
2. After your personal information has been accepted, it will ask you the following
questions:
 Are your friends already on Facebook™. Click skip
 Profile information: what schools you attended, year you graduated, etc. Click skip
 Set profile picture. You may add a profile picture at this time or click skip
3. Next you will be able to view and edit your profile. This is where you can enter in
personal information about your class that only your friends will be able to see. Fill out as
much of this profile information as you wish and click "save changes".
Privacy settings: Privacy settings must be set the SAME DAY that the account is
set up.
 Click on "settings" on the upper right side of your screen. Then click on "account
settings", "manage", "profile". Make sure that "only friends" is selected for
everything. Save your changes.
 Privacy Search: Go back to "settings", "account settings", "privacy", and then click
"search". For search visibility select "everyone" (this will allow people to find you
when they search for your profile. Next select "profile picture" and deselect
everything else. This will allow people who are looking for your class to view the
profile name and picture and nothing else.
 Applications: Go back to "settings", "account settings", "privacy", and then go to
"applications". Then select "Do not share any information about me through
Facebook™ API.
 Make sure to save all changes.
• Additional notes:
 Be sure to select "only friends" (can view photos) EVERY TIME you upload
new photos to Facebook™.
 When your friends post things they will show up on your news feed. As soon
as someone else's information shows up on your news feed, click to the right
of the posting and you will be given the option to "hide" that friend (your
friends will still be able to view your page and comment on your page, but
your students will not be able to see the personal things they post on their
wall).
 Advertisements will appear on the right hand side of your page. You are able
to immediately remove any ad from your page by clicking to the right of the
advertisement. You will be asked why you are not interested in that
advertisement. If it is inappropriate for students, click "offensive".
Facebook™ will use this information to profile certain ads to you and the
inappropriate ads will stop.
Facebook™ Features/Terms
There are many features a Facebook™ user has at his or her disposal. Many of these
features have direct applications to education. Here is a look at some of the features that
are available and how they can be used.
• Status Updates - Status updates, or micro blogs, allow the user to post items that are
viewable by the 'Friends' of the page. These status updates can offer any information,
including thoughts, links, pictures, and more. More importantly, in the classroom they can
be used by students to convey what they have done in class, and to synthesize information
in an authentic writing exercise.
• Notes - The notes feature allows for extended, more detailed information to be shared
with those who are 'Friends' of the site. This feature could be used for notes home, as a
class blog, information about projects the class will be doing and more. This feature will be
one that is most often used by the teacher.
• Private Messages - The private messages feature works a lot like email. While the
status updates and the notes are viewable to all 'Friends' of the site, private messages are
sent to specific 'Friends.' These messages will be sent to the private inbox of each person
'tagged' in the message. This is a great feature to relay information, positive or disciplinary
in nature, concerning a specific student to a parent.
• Event Invitations - Users can create an event for 'Friends' of the profile to view.
Information included in the invitation includes a short description of the event, a title,
location, and the date and time. This event invitation asks the recipients to RSVP so that the
user knows exactly which 'Friends' are coming, and those who are not. This is ideal for
setting up classroom activities, conferences, field trips, and more.
• The Wall - The Wall is a place on every Facebook™ profile/fan page where all of the
status updates and notes are visible for all 'Friends' of the site. It is also a place for 'Friends'
of the site can post their comments. The Wall is where the dialogue will occur between the
students and the 'Friends' of the site.
• Photos - One of the most used features of Facebook™ is the photos feature. This
feature allows the user to post pictures within albums. Unlike many other sites, including
Flickr and Photobucket, Facebook™ does not impose any limits on the number of pictures a
user uploads. This feature is a great way for teachers to post pictures of what they are
doing in class and also to post examples of exemplary work.
• Friends - Only persons accepted as Friends of the page will be able to view the profile.
Friends of the page will be limited to parents, family members, district employees and
possibly other people who are deemed to have a well-defined relationship with a student in
the class.
• Privacy Settings - One of the great features of Facebook™ is that the user can
personalize the privacy settings to meet very specific needs. When using Facebook™ in the
classroom teachers must be diligent about ensuring the privacy of the students involved in
the project, as well as the 'Friends' of the class Facebook™. Teachers using Facebook™ in
the classroom need to make sure that privacy settings are set to keep all the posts of
'Friends" hidden.
Frequently Asked Questions
• Who is monitoring what is posted?
The teacher administering the Facebook™ page is responsible for monitoring student posts.
The teacher also has the ability to delete posts that he/she determines are inappropriate.
• Consequences for inappropriate usage?
Both students and their parents must sign a contract before the student is granted access to
Facebook™ in the classroom. The teacher in conjunction with the District’s Code of Conduct
will determine the consequence for inappropriate use depending on the severity of the
offense, not excluding complete termination of one's rights to utilize Facebook™.
• Will pictures/names be posted?
Parents/guardians will sign a release form indicating the extent to which they want their
child to be involved with the project. Each parent/guardian will be able to decide if they
want their child's picture/name posted.
• Who will be allowed as friends?
Only people who have some sort of connection to a member of the class will be allowed
friends (i.e. immediate family members of students, teachers and administrators, NOT the
students themselves).
• What content are you allowed to share?
Teachers will use different aspects of Facebook™, depending on their purpose. Possible
content shared includes: pictures, videos, student work, links to other websites and writing
(i.e., status updates, notes)
• What can be done about commercial ads on Facebook™ that may not be
appropriate for students?
The teacher is able to report any add to Facebook™. After reporting an advertisement, the
advertisement immediately disappears. The person reporting the advertisement can choose
one of the following reasons for not wanting the advertisement to appear on their page:
misleading, offensive, uninteresting, irrelevant or repetitive. Facebook™ uses feedback
information to tailor advertising messages to the individual user.
• If I am a friend of the class, will my Facebook™ posts appear on the class wall?
The teacher will be able to "hide" all of the friends so their posts will not appear on the class
wall.
• Will students have access to the Facebook™ account at home?
The teacher will be the only person with the password for the class page, ensuring that
students cannot access the account from home.
• Is spending time on Facebook™ a valuable use of my child's time at school?
The use of Facebook™ in the classroom is a tool to aid in curriculum instruction; it is not a
curriculum itself. Communicating with others via Facebook™ is highly motivating for
students and gives an audience and a purpose for writing.
Council Bluffs Community School District
Facebook™ for Classroom Communication
Approval Checklist
Teachers who wish use Facebook™ as a tool for classroom communication are required to complete the
following implementation checklist before accepting friend requests for a Facebook™ classroom page.
It is the responsibility of the teacher to monitor the Facebook™ page.
1. Notify the building Administrator of your intention to use Facebook™.
Administrator Signature ______________________________________ Date: ______________________
2. Read and Understand the Guidelines for Facebook™ as a Parent Communication Tool document.
Teacher Name
______________________________________
Teacher Signature
______________________________________ Date: ______________________
3. Set up the Classroom Facebook™ page per the directions in the Guidelines for Facebook™.
4. Ask another staff member to review the Classroom Facebook™ site for compliance with the
guidelines.
Reviewed By
______________________________________ Date: ______________________
5. Use sample letter and permission slip to communicate the purpose and role of Facebook™ in your
classroom.
6. Collect permission slips
7. Begin using Facebook™
SAMPLE LETTER
Dear Families,
Welcome to what is sure to be a wonderful school year! I can’t wait to get to know both you and your
child better. I firmly believe that communication between the home and school is key in order for your
child to have the most successful school experience that he/she possibly can.
So…what is more important than the things I want you to know about what’s going on in our class? It’s
what your child is thinking/feeling about school, of course! The students in our class will have the
opportunity to let you know exactly what we are doing EVERYDAY! We will be using Facebook™ as a
tool for the students to “blog” about what we are doing every day. It will take lots of modeling to get
there; but eventually, I would like my helper of the day to write several “status updates” on Facebook
throughout the school day. The status updates might look something like this:
“We graphed how we got to school in math today.”
“We created maps of our neighborhood in social studies.”
“I hope P.E. is outside today!”
“Friends” of our Facebook page will be able to view our status updates throughout the day and will
know about all of the wonderful things we are doing at school before the school day is even over! Only
people who have a Facebook account who have been approved as one of our friends will be able to view
our Facebook page. This page IS NOT open to the public and CANNOT be viewed by just anyone!
Facebook is your child’s way to tell you about the things at school that they think are most important.
We will also be using Facebook™ to post pictures/videos of our class.
If you would like to create a Facebook account go to http://www.Facebook™ .com. Our class profile is
[Enter Name Here] you should be able to find us by searching this phrase on Facebook.
The extent in which your child is involved in this technology is completely up to you. Please review and
sign the attached consent form regarding your child’s involvement in the blog/Facebook™.
Please contact me in person, by phone or email with any questions or concerns!
Sincerely,
[Enter Teacher Name]
[Enter School Phone Number]
[Enter Teacher Email Address
SAMPLE FACEBOOK™ Permission Slip
Child’s Name: ________________________________________________________________________
(Please check one of the following)
_____I give my permission to use my child’s first name and pictures/videos on the class Facebook page.
_____You may use my child’s pictures/videos on Facebook; but please do not use his/her name.
_____I do not want my child’s name or pictures/videos of my child to appear on the class Facebook™
page.
Check Yes or No:
Would you like your child to update the status of the Facebook™ page at school while under teacher
supervision?
____________ Yes
_____________ No
Please list any considerations you have regarding your child and our class Facebook™ page.
_________________________________________
_______________________________________
Parent/Guardian Name (Printed)
Signature