CAS Legal Mailbag – 10/3/24

Originally appeared in the CAS Weekly Newsletter

Dear Legal Mailbag:

I am looking for some free legal advice regarding staff use of social media and its implications for the district, and I know just where to turn.

I would like to understand what stance the district can take when staff members use social media as a separate business. I have even heard of situations in which a teacher or a principal has a significant online following that could number in the hundreds of thousands.

I know that we can exercise control over employee use of social media. But what regulations or guidelines should staff be aware of in this context?

What Can I Do?

Dear What:

As a threshold matter, Legal Mailbag pauses to clarify your statement that you "can exercise control over employee use of social media." To be sure, public employers can exercise control over employee use of social media, but only when they are using social media to fulfill their job responsibilities. In