This policy applies to the personnel of the Cedar Rapids Community Schools Foundation (hereafter referred to as “Foundation”), including its paid staff, members of its board of trustees and to any other persons, such as committee members, who may possess confidential or proprietary information about the Foundation (hereafter referred to as “Foundation personnel.”)
In order to communicate freely and openly with donors, grantees, and members of the public, the Foundation maintains a social media presence. The Foundation continually seeks out new and improved methods of communication and will add different forms of social media as it deems appropriate. Accordingly, the Foundation has given authority to certain Foundation personnel to maintain its social media presence and may invite others to submit postings. This policy does not cover these activities.
The Foundation takes no position on anyone’s decision to start or maintain a blog or participate in other social media or social networking (collectively referred to as “Social Media”) activities. However, it is the rights and duty of the Foundation to protect itself from unauthorized disclosure of confidential and/or proprietary information and from having Foundation personnel indicate that they are speaking on behalf of the Foundation when they are not authorized to do so.
Social Media includes, but is not limited to, personal blogs; sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter; video or wiki postings chat rooms; personal websites; or similar forms of online journals, diaries, or personal newsletters not affiliated with the Foundation.
Personal Use of Social Media – What is Prohibited?
The Foundation respects the right of its personnel to write blogs and use social media and social networking sites. The Foundation does not want to discourage its personnel from self-publishing and self-expression, and the Foundation takes a neutral position toward its personnel who use Social Media in connection with personal interests and affiliations, or for other lawful purposes. However, Foundation personnel are expected to follow the guidelines and policies set forth to make clear that their comments and posts are made by them as individuals, not as employees, agents, or representatives of the Foundation.
Unless specifically authorized in writing by the Foundation, Foundation personnel are not authorized to, and therefore restricted from, speaking on behalf of the Foundation through Social Media.
Foundation personnel must adhere to the Foundation’s Policy on Confidentiality in their use of Social Media. This means they may not discuss any confidential and/or proprietary work-related matters or information through Social Media. Likewise, personnel may not post through Social Media confidential and/or proprietary donor, grantee or Foundation-related documents, or post any information that would violate the Foundation’s Policy on Confidentiality and/or Conflict of Interest.
Foundation personnel are personally responsible for their commentary and posts through Social Media, and can be held personally liable for commentary that is considered defamatory, threatening, intimidating, harassing, obscene, proprietary or libelous.
As with all personal use of the Foundation’s information technology resources, use of the Foundation’s/District’s IT resources to conduct personal Social Media activities should be kept to a minimum and not disrupt work activities. Excessive or inappropriate personal use of the Foundation’s IT resources for Social Media purposes will be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination.
When using Social Media, Foundation personnel must use their personal e-mail address and may not use their Foundation e-mail address as their means of identification and communication, except in the case of the Foundation’s Executive Director as directed and appropriate.
Everyone who chooses to identify themselves as Foundation employees, board members, or volunteers through Social Media, must understand that some readers may view them as a spokesperson for the Foundation. Because of this possibility, we ask that when using Social Media, Foundation personnel state clearly that they are speaking on behalf of themselves, that their comments, posts, and views are their own, and that they are not authorized to speak on behalf of the Foundation.
Monitoring
Foundation personnel are cautioned that they should have no expectation of privacy while using Social Media, and that their postings can be reviewed by anyone, including the Foundation. The Foundation will monitor comments, posts, blogs, forums, and discussions about the Foundation, its personnel, its donors, its grantees and community foundations generally that are posted on the Internet or otherwise publicly available.
Reporting Violations
The Foundation requests that anyone who discovers material they believe to be in violation of this policy contact the Executive Director and/or Board Chair. When possible, please take a phot or print out the page(s) containing the material believed to be in violation so that the Foundation may understand the context of the information.
Discipline for Violations
In the case of the Foundation staff, violation of the Foundation’s Social Media policy will result in disciplinary action, up to and including termination, depending on the nature and severity of the violation. The Foundation reserves the right to take legal action against personnel who engage in prohibited or unlawful conduct. Violations by members of the board and other volunteers may lead to dismissal from the board or committee on which the volunteer serves.
Adopted by the Cedar Rapids Community Schools Foundation Board of Trustees: October 24, 2019