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Rules to Limit How Teachers and Students Interact Online

December 17, 2011 by Leave a Comment

The policies come as educators deal with a wide range of new problems. Some teachers have set poor examples by posting lurid comments or photographs involving sex or alcohol on social media sites. Some have had inappropriate contact with students that blur the teacher-student boundary. In extreme cases, teachers and coaches have been jailed on sexual abuse and assault charges after having relationships with students that, law enforcement officials say, began with electronic communication.

But the stricter guidelines are meeting resistance from some teachers because of the increasing importance of technology as a teaching tool and of using social media to engage with students. In Missouri, the state teachers union, citing free speech, persuaded a judge that a new law imposing a statewide ban on electronic communication between teachers and students was unconstitutional. Lawmakers revamped the bill this fall, dropping the ban but directing school boards to develop their own social media policies by March 1.

School administrators acknowledge that the vast majority of teachers use social media appropriately. But they also say they are increasingly finding compelling reasons to limit teacher-student contact. School boards in California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and Virginia have updated or are revising their social media policies this fall.

“My concern is that it makes it very easy for teachers to form intimate and boundary-crossing relationships with students,” said Charol Shakeshaft, chairwoman of the Department of Educational Leadership at Virginia Commonwealth University, who has studied sexual misconduct by teachers for 15 years. “I am all for using this technology. Some school districts have tried to ban it entirely. I am against that. But I think there’s a middle ground that would allow teachers to take advantage of the electronic technology and keep kids safe.”

Lewis Holloway, the superintendent of schools in Statesboro, Ga., imposed a new policy this fall prohibiting private electronic communications after learning that Facebook and text messages had helped fuel a relationship between an eighth grade English teacher and her 14-year-old male pupil. The teacher was arrested this summer on charges of aggravated child molestation and statutory rape, and remains in jail awaiting trial.

“It can start out innocent and get more and more in depth quickly,” said Mr. Holloway, a school administrator for 38 years. “Our students are vulnerable through new means, and we’ve got to find new ways to protect them.”

Mr. Holloway said he learned of other sexual misconduct cases when consulting with school administrators around the nation about social media policies. While there is no national public database of sexual misconduct by teachers, dozens of cases have made local headlines around the country this year.

In Illinois, a 56-year-old former language-arts teacher was found guilty in September on sexual abuse and assault charges involving a 17-year-old female student with whom he had exchanged more than 700 text messages. In Sacramento, a 37-year-old high school band director pleaded guilty to sexual misconduct stemming from his relationship with a 16-year-old female student; her Facebook page had more than 1,200 private messages from him, some about massages. In Pennsylvania, a 39-year-old male high school athletic director pleaded guilty in November to charges of attempted corruption of a minor; he was arrested after offering a former male student gifts in exchange for sex.

School administrators are also concerned about teachers’ revealing too much information about their private lives. As part of a policy adopted last month in Muskegon, Mich., public school employees were warned they could face disciplinary charges for posting on social media sites photos of themselves using alcohol or drugs. “We wanted to have a policy that encourages interaction between our students and parents and teachers,” said Jon Felske, superintendent for Muskegon’s public schools. “That is how children learn today and interact. But we want to do it with the caveat: keep work work — and keep private your personal life.”

New York City, the nation’s largest school district, has been at work on a social media policy for months, and expects to have one in place by spring. In the meantime, controversies over social media erupt regularly, like one earlier this month over a Bronx principal whose Facebook page included a risqué picture that was then posted in the hallways of her school.

Richard J. Condon, special commissioner of investigation for New York City schools, said there had been a steady increase in the number of complaints of inappropriate communications involving Facebook alone in recent years — 85 complaints from October 2010 through September 2011, compared with only eight from September 2008 through October 2009.

What worries some educators is that overly restrictive policies will remove an effective way of engaging students who regularly use social media platforms to communicate.

“I think the reason why I use social media is the same reason everyone else uses it: it works,” said Jennifer Pust, head of the English department at Santa Monica High School, where a nonfraternization policy governs both online and offline relationships with students. “I am glad that it is not more restrictive. I understand we need to keep kids safe. I think that we would do more good keeping kids safe by teaching them how to use these tools and navigate this online world rather than locking it down and pretending that it is not in our realm.”

Nicholas Provenzano, 32, who has been teaching English for 10 years at Grosse Point High School in Michigan, acknowledged that “all of us using social media in a positive way with kids have to take 15 steps back whenever there is an incident.” But he said the benefits were many and that he communicated regularly with his students in an open forum, mostly through Twitter, responding to their questions about assignments. He has even shared a photo of his 6-month-old son. On occasion, he said, he will exchange private messages about an assignment or school-related task. He said that in addition to modeling best practices on social media use, he has been able to engage some students on Twitter who would not raise their hand in class.

He also said social media networks allowed him to collaborate on projects in other parts of the country. Facebook offers guidance for teachers and recommends they communicate on a public page.

Some teachers, however, favor a sharply defined barrier. In Dayton, Ohio, where the school board imposed a social media policy this fall, limiting teachers to public exchanges on school-run networks, the leader of the teachers union welcomed the rules. “I see it as protecting teachers,” said David A. Romick, president of the Dayton Education Association. “For a relationship to start with friending or texting seems to be heading down the wrong path professionally.”

Article source: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/18/business/media/rules-to-limit-how-teachers-and-students-interact-online.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Filed Under: Global Business Tagged With: , ,

Trichet Urges Creation of Euro Oversight Panel

June 3, 2011 by Leave a Comment

The creation of such an entity would require a change in the European Union treaty, and there would certainly be a lengthy debate.

But Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany said on Thursday in Singapore that members of the euro area needed to work together more closely, perhaps indicating an openness to the idea.

As the debt crisis has strained European relations over the last couple of years, many economists have suggested that Europe must move beyond its unusual structure or else the union could risk being torn apart. The current structure, allowing each country a great deal of fiscal autonomy, will lead to future crises like the one now enveloping Greece, Ireland and Portugal, they contend.

Mr. Trichet has also been urging European political leaders to make a “quantum leap” in the way that the euro area is governed and expressed disappointment that they have not gone further. On Thursday, he was more specific.

“Would it be too bold, in the economic field, with a single market, a single currency and a single central bank, to envisage a ministry of finance of the union?” Mr. Trichet asked in Aachen, Germany, where he accepted a prize named for Charlemagne, who united much of Continental Europe.

A European finance ministry would not necessarily oversee a large budget, he said, but would be responsible for monitoring national finances and intervening in extreme cases. The ministry would also monitor whether countries were pursuing the right policies to be competitive, and oversee the European financial sector.

Mr. Trichet’s proposal may reflect frustration that the central bank has often had to take the lead in coping with Greece’s problems, including buying Greek government debt on the open market and becoming the country’s biggest creditor. With a central finance ministry, the European Union could step into a bigger role in the future.

Officials are now wrestling over terms of a second aid package for Greece. Greek government officials and visiting representatives from the European Central Bank, European Union and International Monetary Fund are considering additional austerity measures that would include a faster sale of state assets, tax increases and cuts to public-sector spending.

So far, Mr. Trichet has refused to consider allowing Greece to restructure its debt, but other members of the central bank’s governing council seemed to entertain the possibility on Thursday that owners of Greek bonds might someday contribute to a solution.

“We have never refused every form of private-sector involvement in Greece,” Vitor Constâncio, the vice president of the European Central Bank, said in Aachen, according to Reuters.

As he enters the final months of his term as central bank president, Mr. Trichet is stepping up the pressure for permanent changes to the way the union operates.

In a speech that quoted thinkers like Kant and William Penn, Mr. Trichet said that countries in trouble should first receive financial support and help getting back on their feet.

“It is appropriate to give countries an opportunity to put the situation right themselves and to restore stability,” he said, according to a text of his remarks.

“But if a country is still not delivering,” he added, “I think all would agree that the second stage has to be different.”

In that case, European Union leaders should have more authority over the actions of other members, he said. For example, they might be given veto power over spending by a troubled country or its economic policies.

Late Wednesday, the Greek Finance Ministry expressed irritation at the timing of a decision by Moody’s to downgrade Greek debt, yet again, while the talks continued over an additional 60 billion euros in aid.

“Moody’s decision to downgrade Greece comes as representatives of the E.U., E.C.B. and I.M.F. are in Greece to evaluate the country’s economic program,” the ministry said. The three organizations, known locally as the troika, last year pledged 110 billion euros, or $159 billion, in loans to save the country from default.

A review by inspectors, to be completed within days, is to determine whether Greece will receive the fifth installment of the original loan package, valued at 12 billion euros.

The review will be the focus of talks Friday in Luxembourg between the Greek prime minister, George A. Papandreou, and Jean-Claude Juncker, chairman of the Eurogroup, a forum for the 17 members of the euro area.

Public opposition in Greece to the government’s austerity drive has been increasing over the last week. Daily protests in front of Parliament have been relatively small but are growing.

The rallies, in Athens and other major cities, have been modeled on a Spanish campaign that brought thousands of mainly young protesters to city squares and have been organized through social networking sites without the involvement of labor unions, which usually lead Greek demonstrations.

Separately, Spain sold 4 billion euros of bonds on Thursday, meeting the maximum target the Treasury set for the sale, Bloomberg News reported.

Jack Ewing reported from Frankfurt and Niki Kitsantonis from Athens.

Article source: http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=1f46fb74b59480d246002680dc57b861

Filed Under: Economy News Tagged With: , ,

Steps to Prevent Identity Theft, and What to Do if It Happens

April 2, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Identity theft, according to the Federal Trade Commission, “occurs when someone uses your personally identifying information, like your name, Social Security number or credit card number, without your permission, to commit fraud or other crimes.”

How your information is stolen, and how it is used, varies greatly. With stolen Social Security numbers, thieves are filing false medical claims, applying for mortgages and opening lines of credit for fictitious businesses. By adding fake fronts onto A.T.M.’s or gas pumps, they are collecting credit card numbers and PINs.

But while the trade commission estimates that nine million Americans are victims of some sort of identity theft each year, these extreme cases of identity fraud remain rare, luckily.

You may find that you will need only to close a compromised account or freeze your credit if errors appear. But recovering from the effects of an extreme case of identity theft can be incredibly messy and time-consuming. You could be denied a mortgage, for example, or refused new lines of credit. It can take months or even years to repair your credit history, and this type of crime is hard to prosecute.

While financial institutions, health care companies and other organizations have taken steps to improve security measures in recent years, do not rely on them to protect you. Taking some common-sense steps now can help prevent major headaches later.

PREVENTION Your first step should be to review monthly statements from your checking and other financial accounts. The earlier you catch an error, the easier it is to resolve it. Yes, balancing your checkbook may seem a monotonous chore, but understanding where your money goes will help you spot any irregular withdrawals or charges. Reviewing your credit card bill each month is critical as well, especially if you charge a lot of your daily purchases. If you have not already, this may be a great time to sign up for online accounts. It’s easier and faster to review accounts online, on a computer you trust.

Next, order and review your credit reports. The three credit agencies, TransUnion, Equifax and Experian, are each required by law to provide you one free credit report a year. AnnualCreditReport.com has links to all three, and it is the only place to get them free. (Other sites may try to charge you or get you to sign up for monthly services of some sort.) Stagger your requests, and you can monitor your credit history every four months. While you are at it, make sure your name, address and other information are correct. If you find old or inaccurate information, have it removed.

While companies like your health care provider are no longer printing Social Security numbers on member identification cards, a lot of personal information is still out there. Be sure to shred old bank statements, applications for new credit cards and other documents that have personal information.

Secure your personal information online and offline. Do not carry your Social Security card in your wallet. Keep it at home with your other important documents. Be careful about online passwords as well and change them often. And be vigilant about sharing personal information when opening new accounts online. If online advertisements or offers seem too good to be true, they probably are.

ACTION The steps you will need to take to recover from identity theft depend on the type of fraud you believe has occurred. If you are going through your monthly statements and see an error on an existing credit card, monthly bill or financial account, first call the company to report it.

By federal law, credit card companies have strong consumer protections in place, and they have large departments to investigate fraud. For that reason, you may want to consider using a credit card to pay for online and major purchases. That will give you more protection than if you use a debit card, because the money comes directly out of your bank account when you use a debit card. Making purchases with a credit card provides a layer of protection.

Once you have reported the error and determined there is reason to believe a fraud has occurred, the Federal Trade Commission recommends that you place an initial fraud alert with one of the three major credit reporting agencies. (They are required by law to report the fraud alert to the other two agencies.) The alert, which remains on your credit report for 90 days, automatically entitles you to a free copy of your report. Review this for any accounts you did not open or activity you did not conduct, and confirm that the report has your correct name, address and Social Security number.

Once you have determined that a fraud has occurred, you should also file both a complaint form with the trade commission and an identity theft report with your local police department. And you should file these complaints if you see any new accounts on your credit reports that you did not personally open.

Article source: http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=040cd97c169287ac6d44c08fb87454c6

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