This year, a new legislative policy regarding communication between students and teachers will begin in Oklahoma schools. House Bill 3958 effective as of July 1 requires school employees to include a student’s parent or guardian when communicating digitally.
“There have been absolutely too many reports of inappropriate digital communications shared between educators and students,” said House of Representatives Rep. Sherrie Conley.
Failure to follow this will result in administrative leave and possible termination. This raises concerns among staff members who have nieces, nephews and grandchildren in the district. Educators personally messaging their own family members could lead to legal investigation and possible termination.
Conley feels like the bill has been misconstrued as it was only intended to “cut down on predatory communication” and not limit family members from messaging. Further review of the law will take place this fall.
The Fiscal Impact Report states “Senate amendments to HB 3958 clarify that school staff are not required to include parents on academic communications with students through school-approved platforms.” This includes the usual platforms such as Canvas and Gmail.
“It’s our desire that teachers and coaches be able to share homework assignments or team communications freely with their students, but including a parent or guardian protects the students and the educators from any potential impropriety.” Conley said. “This also keeps parents fully engaged in their child’s education.”
