Final approval of the Warren County School District budget and a new policy for the district’s social media administration are on the agenda for tonight’s Warren County School District Board of Education meeting.

The Warren County District will hold its Committee of the Whole meeting tonight at 6 p.m. at the Central Office Building in RussellA final budget report with a 0 Mill increase for the 2026-2027 fiscal year will be presented for the approval 2026-2027 Annual Tax Levy and Resolution with a 0 Mill increase along with the Homestead Farmstead Resolution to be adopted.

The agenda includes policy revisions that include telephone services, security of computerized personal information and breach notification, and, technology and internet safety. The first reading of two new policies will be presented on employee use of electronic devices and one on social media.

The social media policy states school district social media accounts must remain professional, and consistent with the educational mission of the school district at all times. The operators of school district social media accounts are accountable for the content on the social media accounts that they manage. The superintendent or designated district employees would be given the authority at any time to direct additions, alterations or deletions of content on school district social media accounts operated by a school district employee. The school board as a body will have the authority at any open meeting, subject to the Pennsylvania Sunshine Act, to direct additions, alterations, or deletions of content on school district social media accounts operated by a school board member.

The district’s social media accounts are owned by the district and operated by school district employees or school board members on behalf of the district. The district’s technology director would be required to maintain a list of all social media accounts operated by the district, along with a list of credentials to access the accounts.

The policy allows district social media account operators to post photographs, videos, and livestreams of students engaged in the educational process or at school-related events unless the student’s parents have opted the student out of FERPA’s directory information sharing, or if parents have declined to sign the district’s media release form. The operators of district social media accounts are responsible for complying.

The policy also sets guidelines for comments on the district’s social media pages. All social media accounts would be operated as either a non-public forum where the public may not comment on the district’s posts, or as a limited public forum, where the public may comment publicly on the district’s posts – subject to certain guidelines. Whether a social media account is operated as a non-public forum or limited public forum would be determined by the account operator.

Any of the district’s social media accounts that operate as a limited public forum are to include a prominent link to the district’s comment guidelines that are to be posted on the district’s website. Those guidelines include:

– comments must be related to the original school district post.

– comments may not threaten any illegal action against a person or property.

– comments may not include lewd, vulgar or obscene content.

– comments may not include any content that constitutes bullying, discrimination, or harassment as defined by existing district policies.

– comments may not incite violence or promote illegal conduct.

– comments may not include links to external websites.

Students posting comments to a school district social media account are subject to the Student Code of Conduct and District disciplinary policy for the content posted.

Individual comments or posts that violate the guidelines may be deleted (if possible, given the social media platform) without further notice. Posts may not be deleted simply because they are critical of the school district, or because they promote an unpopular opinion if the post otherwise complies with the guidelines.

School district social media account operators may not block users from accessing the school district’s social media posts. The district technology director will refer any user who repeatedly violates the above guidelines to the superintendent for further investigation and potential legal remedies, including blocking the violator’s ability to post further comments on any school district social media accounts.

The school district may delete certain of its social media posts, in their entirety and including all comments, at the discretion of the district’s administration. The district has no obligation to maintain its social media posts in perpetuity, and their temporary presence on the internet is not a warranty of their future presence. When required by law, regulation, or policy, the district shall preserve a copy of social media posts and comments that it removes from the social media account.

School district social media account operators may tag the social media accounts of educational applications, products and services, so long as the district and its employees do not receive financial or other tangible compensation for the tag.

Social media account operators will not tag individual students using their social media usernames or handles but may tag other adult members of the school district community.

School district social media accounts shall not be used to communicate directly with students. One-to-one communication with a student shall be limited to electronic resources provided by the District such as email or classroom management applications.