By Alexandra Nicolas
news@joplinglobe.com
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Joplin High School business teacher Mandy Witt-Aubert relies on Facebook to keep track of her students.
Thousands of pupils and teachers use networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace to communicate, but if state Rep. Jane Cunningham, R-Chesterfield, and state Sen. Victor Callahan, D-Independence, have their way, teachers would be banned from having accounts on networking sites available to their pupils.
Representatives passed House Bill 1314, also known as the Amy Hestir Davis Law; the companion piece, Senate Bill 1212, is still in discussion.
The bill is named for a pupil who was sexually abused by her middle-school teacher.
“I stood in our shower till the water was cold. I grew up with a family of six and we had a big water heater and that took a while. I got dressed and I sat at supper again with my family as if nothing had ever happened to me. And that’s how I proceeded to live the next several years of my life. As if nothing had ever happened to me,” Davis testified. “I support this bill 100 percent and I am not afraid to tell my story even though it brought so much shame on me for so long.”
HB 1314 and SB 1212 include a number of other provisions designed to protect pupils from sexual misconduct by teachers, including annual background checks for teachers and the banning of “non-work related Internet sites.”
“We are under a strong directive to do that because The Associated Press and their national investigation ranked Missouri the 11th worst state in the nation for educator sexual misconduct,” Cunningham said.
A study by the AP revealed 87 cases of sexual misconduct by a teacher from 2001 to 2005.
“We are serious about creating a system here in Missouri that will keep sexual offenders out of our classrooms,” added state Rep. Steve Hunter, R-Joplin.
Other provisions in the bill aim to cut down on the concept popularly known as “pass the trash,” where a teacher can leave one district after an incident and go to work in another. HB 1314 and SB 1212 would require mandatory background checks for all employees.
Keeping sexual predators out of schools has universal support but restrictions caused by making student/teacher contact via networking sites illegal has created controversy.
A number of area high-school and middle-school teachers employ Facebook and MySpace as a primary way to get a hold of pupils.
Facebook groups and mass messaging also have become popular ways to reach pupils involved in extracurricular activities where a pupil might not see his or her teacher on a regular basis.
“Facebook became a valuable venue for our clubs,” said Witt-Aubert. “Joplin High School is so big, announcements do not get around. I don’t see my National Honor Society or FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America) students on an everyday basis. If a new community service opportunity comes open, I can send out a message or create an event and have information out to all members in a matter of minutes.”
Pupils also use online networking sites to keep in contact with former teachers. While pupils would not be allowed to interact with teachers via networking sites, the ban is lifted when students turn 18.
“I think banning student-teacher interaction on a social networking site like Facebook is absurd,” Witt-Aubert said. “Sadly, if a teacher were to ‘prey’ on a student, it would happen whether they were on a site like Facebook or not.”
