ERIC Number: EJ777117
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2007-Oct
Pages: 3
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0036-6439
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Personnel Pitfalls in Cyberworld
Wheeler, Thomas E., III
School Administrator, v64 n9 p22-24 Oct 2007
In May 2006 administrators in the Austin, Texas, Independent School District learned that Tamara Hoover, an art teacher at Austin High School, was the subject of several explicit photographs that had been posted on Flickr, a public photograph-sharing website. Purportedly these photographs were posted on Flickr by the teacher's partner without her knowledge or permission. Last August she agreed to resign in exchange for a payment of $14,850. The case garnered national attention and generated a heated debate about the privacy rights of educators and the role of the Internet in the employment process. This article reports on the Hoover case which demonstrates the personnel pitfalls that arise in cyberspace. As the Internet becomes ubiquitous, situations involving school personnel like Hoover will surely multiply. Unfortunately, much like students, school district employees sometimes demonstrate lapses in judgment that force administrators to regulate Internet conduct. Complicating the matter is the fact that these situations are not limited to current employees. It is becoming a fairly common practice for human resources professionals to conduct "Google" searches on job candidates to determine whether anything in cyberspace might shed light on an individual's fitness for employment.
Descriptors: Photography, Teacher Behavior, Privacy, Teacher Rights, Internet, Teacher Selection, Employment Qualifications, Web Sites, Freedom of Speech, Discipline, Job Applicants, Legal Responsibility
American Association of School Administrators. 801 North Quincy Street Suite 700, Arlington, VA 22203-1730. Tel: 703-528-0700; Fax: 703-841-1543; e-mail: info@aasa.org; Web site: http://www.aasa.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A