Top

blog

Stories

 

LAUSD Can Now Spy on Teachers' Online Activity, Punish Them for Facebook Comments

Categories: Social Media

nikki tsugranes teacher facebook.jpg
The Nikki Tsugranes effect.
A new policy bulletin out of Los Angeles Unified School District headquarters tells teachers -- and any other adult associated with the district -- that they'd better keep their social-media persona in check.

Actually, the new policy was put in place almost two months ago. But until the news wire mentioned it in an article today on LAUSD's hot new social-media director, it seems to have passed quietly under the radar.

Anyway -- it's about time. The need for a new social-media policy became apparent last April, when El Sereno Middle School teacher Nicole Tsugranes called a student "fat" in a typo-riddled Facebook post (ouch), and added "STOP raising lazy ass freaking kids!" as an aside to parents.

Employers have launched a war on employees' Facebook privacy the nation over. And LAUSD's new social-media guidelines, too, fall definitely on the harsher end of online policing.

A couple of the more alarming bits:

  • Users should have no expectation of privacy regarding their use of District property, network and/or Internet access to files, including email. The District reserves the right to monitor users' online activities and to access, review, copy, and store or delete any electronic communication or files and/or disclose them to others as it deems necessary.
  • Posting inappropriate threatening, harassing, racist, biased, derogatory, disparaging or bullying comments toward or about any student, employee, or associated person on any website is prohibited and may be subject to discipline.

In the bulletin, the district warns personnel about how confusing it can be to maintain one's privacy settings (LOL), and says that "postings of a serious nature" can be subject to the same punishment as "violence, bullying and threats" in the workplace.

Aka, "removal from the premises, disciplinary action and/or criminal penalties."

Damn. United Teachers Los Angeles, the local teachers union, posted a memo in response to the new policy. "Educators are held to higher standards than the rest of the working world," it says, somewhat passive-aggressively. Also: "UTLA professional staff and legal counsel are reviewing the memo."

(Today, a UTLA spokeswoman tells the Weekly that the union "does not have any comment about LAUSD's new social media policy.")

Ever since Superintendent John Deasy took over, the school district has been waging a long-overdue war on UTLA. In the aftermath of the massive Miramonte sex scandal, he has blamed the union for protecting teachers with a possible past of abusing children.

These social-media restrictions are clearly another step in Deasy's admirable quest to hold teachers responsible for misconduct. But do they go too far?

The strict new regs don't merely apply to teachers. They can also crack down on...

"... parents, parent-elected leaders of school committees, representatives and volunteers, consultants, contracted employees, walk-on coaches, child care/enrichment program providers, vendors and after-school youth services providers."

Now if only the Los Angeles Police Department would update its own policy on Tweeting photos of dead bodies and the like.

[@simone_electra / swilson@laweekly.com / @LAWeeklyNews]

My Voice Nation Help
23 comments
ibuprofen
ibuprofen

Wow, op ed much? What a heavy-handed unbalanced article. Even the slippery slope is missing.  What will happen if teachers are allowed to say mean things about their students? But more importantly, exactly why is this "overdue"? Or, why is Deasy's war on teachers admirable?  Is there some distinction that should be made between protected speech that falls outside of LAUSD policy and unprotected speech? 

I especially love how the article pretends to ask, "does it go too far"?

Michael G.  Teacher
Michael G. Teacher

Anyone who has worked for the district as a teacher has seen what UTLA actually does in terms of protecting teachers...they attempt to protect good teachers from poor or politically motivated principals and other administrators.  I have worked at three schools, with over 175 teachers.  A total of 2 of the teachers were poor, both of whom were not protected by UTLA, but by the apathy and inaction of principals.  The other 173 teachers have been hard-working and dedicated, working far more hours that they are paid for.  There is no quality control over the actions of principals and administrators in general.  I have watched UTLA attempt to protect a large number of highly professional teachers, often failing.  That a reporter is still falling for the idea that the union and teachers are to blame for the failures in our system is a reflection of the poor quality reporting now taking place in our country.  Investigate and get some rperspective as to who is really being protected and WHY the protection is necessary.

Burio2sch
Burio2sch

From Roque Burio Jr. one of the lemons who can dance but can also sing. Here is my song for the lawyers who are talking out of their ignorance or lack of knowledge on how teachers become tenured at least in LAUSD. Teachers are evaluated by their principals for at least three years or more consecutive years and under the very rigorous observations of administrators. If after those three years or more they come out satisfactory, then they become tenured or permanent. The tenure status of teachers is never automatic as these lawyers are trying to mislead the public.   Also all those tenured teachers must have professional Clear Credential issued by the State of California. My email is burio2sch@yahoo.com if you need more information lawyers.

Burio2sch
Burio2sch

From Roque Burio Jr. one of the lemons who can dance but can also sing. Here is my song for the lawyers who are talking out of their ignorance or lack of knowledge on how teachers become tenured at least in LAUSD. Teachers are evaluated by their principals for at least three years or more consecutive years and under the very rigorous observations of administrators. If after those three years or more they come out satisfactory, then they become tenured or permanent. The tenure status of teachers is never automatic as these lawyers are trying to mislead the public.   Also all those tenured teachers must have professional Clear Credential issued by the State of California. My email is burio2sch@yahoo.com if you need more information lawyers.

EZ Harry
EZ Harry

Everyone needs to stick together and support education in the most encouraging way! Children are our future ..therefore lets assist and be a part of the solution rather than the problem.. 

roq
roq

From Roque Burio Jr., here is a song for LAUSD on continually making false accusations and false charges and fraudulent publicity against several hundreds of innocent teachers. In spite of the innumerable allegations of this dismayingly failing school district against its teachers, it has never criminally charged nor found guilty anyone of these poor teachers who suffer from trial of publicity and are condemned guilty without the benefit of independent court trial or even of the administrative Court.    No teachers --not even one -- in the history of LAUSD has been found guilty in any Court in relations to any complaints made by this failing school district-- although it has spent several millions of dollars in falsely persecuting its teachers., It is all about money and greed.   The secret joint project of LAUSD and UTLA against us teachers was calculated to cover up the financial and academic failures of this school district and to   use us teachers as escape goats of its failures.   The LAUSD has always made it appear in the public that many of the teachers are bad to obtain additional funding without explaining how it has been spending its past funding, and to pass the additional taxes to the people without explaining its failure to deliver the proper education to the students. Its other goal in this secret project is to obtain an educational reform that are more anti-teachers so as to gag them from criticizing how this district spent its budget and how it fails to administer and manage its schools for the success of its students. In shorter words, this dismayingly failing school district is trying to inculcate fears among the teachers and like a tyrant dictator it is nothing but a paper monster. Long live democracy, long live teachers, long live students and parents, and down with that paper monster.    Workers, teachers, students, and parents unite for the successful education.

Burio2sch
Burio2sch

From Roque Burio Jr. the lemon who can dance but can also sing. Here is my song on hunger strike: Oh boy, oh boy, hunger strike is a wrong tactic for enlightened students like you. Instead of killing yourself, you must rise up, walk, organize people, and enlighten them of your social concerns. Do not waste yourselves to play like foolish heroes. What are your social uses if you are already dead? Get up fools.

Burio2sch
Burio2sch

   From Roque Burio the lemon who can dance but can also sing. Here is my song on the Faculty strike of California State University. Strike is the most powerful and the only recognizable tool of the unions or any mass movements. It is synonymous with people power which could crumble even the worst governments of heartless dictators. Long live the workers, long live democracy.    Hopefully the UTLA will adopt this inexpensive tactic and get rid of its very expensive hiring of high priced lawyers for the teachers. Long live teachers, students, and parents. Down with LAUSD, down with the Paper Monster.

roq
roq

From Roque burio Jr., the lemon who can dance but can also sing. Here is my song to justify the teachers never to be laid off. The teachers during the hearings must also sing that the LAUSD must stop its unjustified purchases of equipments delivered or undelivered, and the unjustified renovations or constructions of its school buildings, and most of all LAUSD must reduce its unjustified administrative and managerial positions and which should be in proportions to the number of teachers still in the work force—and I assure you the LAUSD will stop laying off teachers—especially if your arguments are published in the media. Sing and sing on its wasteful purchases and its wasteful and duplicated managerial p[positions and of course its unjustified renovations and constructions of infrastructures which all seem to be the causes of its perennial financial bankruptcy. Good luck teachers.

Roque Burio Jr
Roque Burio Jr

From Roque Burio Jr, here is my song on the hearing of teachers receiving the notice of RIF or pink slip. The Reduction in Force (RIF) may be a justified as unilateral action of the agency or LAUSD provided it is based on economic crises or difficulties of this school district. It is therefore cannot be avoided for the continued survival of the school district, and the hearing of teachers instigated by UTLA is never necessary and a real waste of financial resources of this “union”. Therefrom, the UTLA is misleading the teachers on this choice for hearings.    If the UTLA is really sincere in helping the teachers then it must counter claim that the LAUSD is mismanaging the budget such as in corruptions, kickbacks, or misallocations. But nowhere and never that the UTLA has ever raised any question on the ways of expenses of its mother LAUSD.   The teacher’s disadvantage on this hearing is that it gives opportunities for the LAUSD to send notices of dismissal to teachers based on false allegations of misconducts that may or may not have happened thus stalling the prescription periods.   Wake up teachers. Reorganize, group together and find ways for your real and honest representation of UTLA. If you want honest education reform in your favor, reform first your “union”. Education Reform is fast coming soon to your disadvantage. It will be more anti teachers and will violate more of your civil rights.

Roque Burio Jr.
Roque Burio Jr.

   From Roque Burio Jr. Here is my song on the latest dance steps of UTLA and its partner LAUSD:    Amazing, Amazing, the UTLA has now replaced its role in the defense of the teachers. It is now relying more on hiring high priced lawyers before the Administrative court instead on the collective powers to balance the increasing institutional dictatorship of its mother company LAUSD.    Similarly the LAUSD will now have all the reasons to rely and hire also high priced lawyers.    What an amazing tango that will cause the tax payers millions of taxes to be shifted to the payments of favorite lawyers instead of spending such taxes to the education of students and the hiring good teachers.    Because the UTLA will employ lawyers it will now abandon it most powerful weapon in its arsenal and replace it with most expensive one against the powerful LAUSD. UTLA will now abandon the teachers’ collective powers like sit down strike, mass absences in a few days,  and instead the UTLA will make the teachers sit in the Court the whole days.    Indeed, the UTLA is seemingly becoming less than a Union and becoming more like an agency for soliciting for teacher those high priced law offices. By the way, what is the Deal in this tango?   Wake up teachers wake up taxpayers and good luck.

Roque Burio Jr.
Roque Burio Jr.

   From Roque Burio Jr. Here is my song on the latest dance steps of UTLA and its partner LAUSD:    Amazing, Amazing, the UTLA has now replaced its role in the defense of the teachers. It is now relying more on hiring high priced lawyers before the Administrative court instead on the collective powers to balance the increasing institutional dictatorship of its mother company LAUSD.    Similarly the LAUSD will now have all the reasons to rely and hire also high priced lawyers.    What an amazing tango that will cause the tax payers millions of taxes to be shifted to the payments of favorite lawyers instead of spending such taxes to the education of students and the hiring good teachers.    Because the UTLA will employ lawyers it will now abandon it most powerful weapon in its arsenal and replace it with most expensive one against the powerful LAUSD. UTLA will now abandon the teachers’ collective powers like sit down strike, mass absences in a few days,  and instead the UTLA will make the teachers sit in the Court the whole days.    Indeed, the UTLA is seemingly becoming less than a Union and becoming more like an agency for soliciting for teacher those high priced law offices. By the way, what is the Deal in this tango?   Wake up teachers wake up taxpayers and good luck.

Georgebuzzetti
Georgebuzzetti

All you falsly charged teachers out there go to the California State Auditors website and get the Oct. 1997, 96121 audit on teachers being falsly charged with child abuse for whistleblowing.  This is a legal tool for you to use against UTLA and the district.  They have broken their legal agreement with the State of California for 14 years.  Give it to your lawyer.

Roque Burio Jr.
Roque Burio Jr.

From Roque burio Jr.Thank you nGeorge, but I was never accussed of child abuse. The LAUSD and UTLA had a joint secret project, to cover up the LAUSD financial and acadmic failures. and I was just a victim of false accusations and charges in that project.

Roque Burio Jr.
Roque Burio Jr.

   From Roque Burio Jr. the lemon who can dance but can also sing. Here is my song on the latest move of LAUSD to continue the false accusations and false charges they brought against me in that secret joint project of LAUSD and UTLA against us old and veteran teachers where the LAUSD spent about thirty five million dollars against the seven  of us old and veteran teachers. The LAUSD was claiming at that time that it lacked sufficient money for students and teachers—that it had financial difficulties, and yet it spent half a million (500,000 dollars to force me to resign through duress, intimidations and innumerable false accusations and false charges.    The LAUSD has sent me the said letter on or about March 31, 2012 informing that it is forwarding the relevant information to the California Teachers Credentialing Commission that I resigned or was separated from the said district on March 2, 2009.    Oh boy, the LAUSD including Cortines, Deasy, and most of all Holmquist took more than three years to finally inform the commission—they really kept so tightly their secret of falsely persecuting me and those other teachers; Or perhaps, Holmquist, has terribly lost his self respect as he will always remember our phone conversation and  his gentleman’s challenge against me that he really wanted to see me with his bunch of lawyers in the court of Law to prove once and for all that the his mother LAUSD was right and correct in all of its accusations, charges and procedures against me.   This is my response to you Holmquist: I am not scared of you and of your bunch of lawyers. Although I do not have the money or good car to travel to Sacramento, I will see you there alone without any lawyers. Bring all of your lawyers including that very attractive, smart, young and beautiful private lawyer of the best law firm in LA whom you hired to scare me while someone added street drug into my soda and food.    I assure you that I will be very careful with my food and soda, so you can enjoy and appreciate how I will demolish each and every one of your false accusations and false charges against me. I sincerely appreciate if you would ask the Commission for the early schedule of the hearing, immediately after the rainy days. See you there Holmquist, and do your homework so I can also appreciate your argument.

Roque Burio Jr.
Roque Burio Jr.

     From Roque burio Jr. the lemon who can dance but can also sing and the ugly duckling, here is my song for LAUSD Mr. Deasy and UTLA Mr. Warren on your latest and bold move against the established definition Justice. Mr. Deasy with the support of Mr. Warren and Holmquist has now definitely changed the rule. For them the teachers who are sexually accused are already guilty until proven otherwise. They would rather incarcerate thousands of innocent accused than to let go a single guilty one. This is the reversal of the well settled rule that the Independent Court of law would rather let a hundred guilty accused than to incarcerate a single innocent one.    Hooray Mr. Deasy, Warren and Holmquist, the three of you have made a landmark rule in the history of education and justice. But wait… is this not one of the goals of the secret project that you launched against us innocent old veteran teachers who were falsely accused and used as escape goats for the dismaying failures of LAUSD. Hmmm, the third goal will come soon or in the elections when you will request your ally politicians    for more funding by increasing the taxes or by simply selling bonds to the public.    But the public should never forget the ultimate evil goal is to establish institutional (like school district) dictatorship. America will never accept or tolerate one man dictatorship –hence the evil recourse is to establish the institutional dictatorships.From Roque burio Jr. the lemon who can dance but can also sing and the ugly duckling, here is my song for LAUSD Mr. Deasy and UTLA Mr. Warren on your latest and bold move against the established definition Justice. Mr. Deasy with the support of Mr. Warren and Holmquist has now definitely changed the rule. For them the teachers who are sexually accused are already guilty until proven otherwise. They would rather incarcerate thousands of innocent accused than to let go a single guilty one. This is the reversal of the well settled rule that the Independent Court of law would rather let a hundred guilty accused than to incarcerate a single innocent one.    Hooray Mr. Deasy, Warren and Holmquist, the three of you have made a landmark rule in the history of education and justice. But wait… is this not one of the goals of the secret project that you launched against us innocent old veteran teachers who were falsely accused and used as escape goats for the dismaying failures of LAUSD. Hmmm, the third goal will come soon or in the elections when you will request your ally politicians    for more funding by increasing the taxes or by simply selling bonds to the public.    But the public should never forget the ultimate evil goal is to establish institutional (like school district) dictatorship. America will never accept or tolerate one man dictatorship –hence the evil recourse is to establish the institutional dictatorships.    From Roque burio Jr. the lemon who can dance but can also sing and the ugly duckling, here is my song for LAUSD Mr. Deasy and UTLA Mr. Warren on your latest and bold move against the established definition Justice. Mr. Deasy with the support of Mr. Warren and Holmquist has now definitely changed the rule. For them the teachers who are sexually accused are already guilty until proven otherwise. They would rather incarcerate thousands of innocent accused than to let go a single guilty one. This is the reversal of the well settled rule that the Independent Court of law would rather let a hundred guilty accused than to incarcerate a single innocent one.    Hooray Mr. Deasy, Warren and Holmquist, the three of you have made a landmark rule in the history of education and justice. But wait… is this not one of the goals of the secret project that you launched against us innocent old veteran teachers who were falsely accused and used as escape goats for the dismaying failures of LAUSD. Hmmm, the third goal will come soon or in the elections when you will request your ally politicians    for more funding by increasing the taxes or by simply selling bonds to the public.    But the public should never forget the ultimate evil goal is to establish institutional (like school district) dictatorship. America will never accept or tolerate one man dictatorship –hence the evil recourse is to establish the institutional dictatorships.From Roque burio Jr. the lemon who can dance but can also sing and the ugly duckling, here is my song for LAUSD Mr. Deasy and UTLA Mr. Warren on your latest and bold move against the established definition Justice. Mr. Deasy with the support of Mr. Warren and Holmquist has now definitely changed the rule. For them the teachers who are sexually accused are already guilty until proven otherwise. They would rather incarcerate thousands of innocent accused than to let go a single guilty one. This is the reversal of the well settled rule that the Independent Court of law would rather let a hundred guilty accused than to incarcerate a single innocent one.    Hooray Mr. Deasy, Warren and Holmquist, the three of you have made a landmark rule in the history of education and justice. But wait… is this not one of the goals of the secret project that you launched against us innocent old veteran teachers who were falsely accused and used as escape goats for the dismaying failures of LAUSD. Hmmm, the third goal will come soon or in the elections when you will request your ally politicians    for more funding by increasing the taxes or by simply selling bonds to the public.    But the public should never forget the ultimate evil goal is to establish institutional (like school district) dictatorship. America will never accept or tolerate one man dictatorship –hence the evil recourse is to establish the institutional dictatorships.

Burio2sch
Burio2sch

From Roque Burio Jr, the lemon who can dance but can also sing. Here is my song on the latest prohibition  of LAUSD aginst teachers on their media activities:One of the most remarkable attribute of dictatorship is to silence its constituency by all means.

Pamelamills2
Pamelamills2

I totally agree with you on everything. My attorney is going to take Deasys Deposition. I was so falsely accused of NOTHING! Many more details to come. I just wanted you to know that I love what you wrote. So true.

Burio2sch
Burio2sch

I wish that I had a lawyer like yours so I could also take the deposition of Deasy on the false cases of LAUSD against me.

Shaun Klaseus
Shaun Klaseus

That's funny, because when a student sent me a facebook message saying "hey f@gg0t, I hope you get f@#$ in the ass" they said the student could not receive any consequence because it did not happen on campus...... But, LAUSD, never was interested in protecting teachers.

Sure Thing
Sure Thing

And people wonder why LAUSD has trouble recruiting and retaining good teachers???

Well, not only is student behavior ridiculous, but now supervision is repressive. Paranoia will destroy ya.

George Orwell Jr.
George Orwell Jr.

That's the way to teach about "Free Speech" and personal freedom LAUSD. Hire on and become a controlled clone. Monitoring criminal activity is one thing, but what is this fly trap actually built to catch?

Now Trending

From the Vault

 

General

©2013 LA Weekly, LP, All rights reserved.
Browse Voice Nation
  • Voice Places Los Angeles

    Voice Places

    Find everything you're looking for in your city

  • Happy Hour App

    Happy Hour App

    Find the best happy hour deals in your city

  • Daily Deals

    Daily Deals

    Get today's exclusive deals at savings of anywhere from 50-90%

  • Best Of

    Best Of...

    Check out the hottest list of places and things to do around your city