Other Contact: Social Networking, Electronic Communication

SOCIAL NETWORKING, ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION & OTHER CONTACT

POLICY

TOPP KIDS educators must NOT contact anyone who is under the age of 18 that they meet through their interactions with TOPP KIDS through social media, text message, email, telephone, written message, blogs, chat rooms, or any other personal manner without parental authorization. Any communication that is required must be made directly through the parent or legal guardian of a child. Under no circumstances should a staff encourage private communication or visitation between the employee and a child.

PROCEDURE

• TOPP KIDS educators must NOT be in communication with TOPP KIDS programs participants through means of electronic or social media without parental authorization.
• TOPP KIDS educators must NOT take, send, or receive photos, videos, audios, text messages, or engage in communication with children via cell phones, handheld devices, computers, etc.
• Educators who are associated with TOPP KIDS’s programs, or who regularly interact with children, with the exception of official TOPP KIDS sites, must not post pictures or content on the internet (through social media or otherwise) that could be visible to a child with whom the employee interacts. Anything that is visible to the public is visible to a child, and anything inappropriate should be removed;
• Supervisors may monitor educator online activities (i.e., perform unscheduled ‘spot checks’ on social networking pages)
• and reinforce this policy with all staff members and volunteers.