Social media, schools often aren't a good mix

That apparently was the case in late January when four Highland Middle School got into a scuffle during lunch. Anderson police said it stemmed from comments made in a Facebook post.

Four students were arrested on charges ranging from disorderly conduct, to resisting arrest and battery. Three of the girls involved were released to guardians; a fourth was sent to the Madison County Youth Center. Their ages ranged from 13 to 15.

While the event cast Highland in a negative light, educators in other Madison County school districts said it just as easily could have been their school.

"If I could get rid of social media I would," said Highland Principal David Tijerina. "I would say it's the number one cause of all the problems that we have here at Highland."

One part of the problem is that comments made on enormously popular social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or SnapChat are instantly broadcast to a wide audience, said Tijerina and other educators.

"Things that happen outside are brought into school," Tijerina added. "I think social media blows everything up to a larger proportion."

Which is not to say he's against social media or the Internet. Like most districts, Anderson Community Schools has embraced technology and the use of social media; Highland has its own Facebook page and Twitter account, and they are terrific tools, Tijerina said.

But middle school students simply don't yet have the maturity to handle social media responsibly, he and other educators say.

"I think kids are able to say more and do more today because they can hide behind a screen," said David Retherford, principal of Elwood Jr./Sr. High School. 

"It's close to a daily problem," at Elwood, one that requires staff time to address. "Fortunately it hasn't led to a significant number of fights," Retherford said.

Greg Granger and Thomas Johns, the principals at Frankton Jr./Sr. High and Alexandria-Monroe Jr./Sr. High schools, respectively, said they also spend time diffusing disagreements among students that began with comments on social media.

"We typically find out what's going on before things escalate," Granger said. "Kids here don't want to be in trouble."

All three educators said instead of imposing disciplinary measures — although that is done if necessary — they gather the students together in a face-to-face meeting and work through the problem.

While those encounters are frequently awkward and uncomfortable, particularly for the student who posted a mean or inappropriate comment, they usually improve communication, Granger said.

One goal is teaching kids to be "good digital citizens." And "pause before you post" is part of the lexicon educators use. The idea is to have kids think for a moment and consider what they've written.

"Social media has definitely not helped out in terms of people getting along together," Johns said, "and it's definitely made our job harder as administrators."

"There's no good reason for a middle school student to have access to social media," he added.

All four educators are realists who know social media is now woven into the fabric of society, and their task is to educate students on its proper use.

"It's part of who we are now, there's no way around it," Granger said.