Missouri law bans teachers, students from being Facebook pals

In what could be a legal precedent, students and teachers living in Missouri in the United States may be barred from being friends on Facebook, Google+, or any social networking sites. Senate Bill 54, which goes into effect on August 28, seeks to “more clearly define teacher-student boundaries," tech site Mashable reported over the weekend. But the report said teachers are allowed to create Facebook Pages where students have direct access to the teacher in a more public setting. However, Mashable said questions may arise on how the policy will be enforced. "Will the state be allowed access to Facebook accounts, personal computers or Internet service provider records to see who’s befriending teachers or students? Inappropriate relationships will be hard to detect, especially since teachers and students engaged in such relationships would probably be concealing their communications, electronic or otherwise," it said. "The question now is, will this new law pass a constitutional test? And who would step forward to challenge it?" it added. The report said Senate Bill 54 aims to protect children from sexual misconduct by teachers, compelling school districts to adopt written policies between teachers and students on electronic media, social networking and other forms of communication. On the other hand, Nixa School District spokesperson Zac Rantz said the bill, signed by Missouri Governor Jay Nixon, "does leave a few gray areas." "It says current and former students, that's what the bill reads. Does that mean students you've had in the classroom, the school district? What if you've changed school districts?" Rantz said in an interview with KSPR. — LBG, GMA News