The proper way to use social media is a hot topic in the Santa Maria Joint Union School District after the events of Nov. 21, when rumors about potential violence at Ernest Righetti High School caused enough of a distraction that administrators sent students home early for the Thanksgiving break.
On Nov. 26, the district sent out a press release saying that it had launched an Intervention Plan that will continue throughout the remainder of the school year. Its purpose is to educate teachers, students, and family about the proper use of social media, especially Twitter. The release said many students had already been spoken to about their use of Twitter on Nov. 21, and were asked not to tweet or post anything during class or the school day.
District spokesperson Kenny Klein told the Sun that a news reporter reached out to students via Twitter during class that day to try to find out what was happening at the school.
“They’re there to learn, not answer solicitations from the media while they’re in class,” he said. “Information gets shot out so fast, there’s just no way to keep up with it. Stuff gets shot out there and it’s inaccurate. … But it’s already out there.”
The rumors on Nov. 21 came at the end of three days of an unusual amount of chaos at Righetti High School, which went on lockdown on Nov. 19 due to student fights and altercations with law enforcement officers.
Klein said the main goal of the Intervention Plan is to teach students that putting information out via media such as Twitter is a responsibility they need to be careful with.
“We are confident that our intervention plan is helping students and parents understand that unsubstantiated rumor promulgated through the irresponsible use of social media interferes with the education process,” district Superintendent Mark Richardson said in the press release.
The Nov. 21 rumors caused parents to try to pick their students up from school before lunchtime. Parents received the correct information that day through recorded phone calls from Righetti’s principal, Karen Rotondi.
This article appears in Dec 4-11, 2014.
