Rules, ethics, and Texas Teaching Standards are really difficult for some of yall, and it shows. It is improper for a student to call a coach that is not their own. Full stop. It is against the rules. And I understand that in small town America, especially in the six-man community, coaches are mentors and wear many different hats. The catch is, following the rules and not putting yourself in a position that you will be forced to defend your self. In Texas, the burden of proof falls on the accused. Teachers are held to that standard. Anyone can make a claim, and it is up to the accused to prove their innocence.
Technically, teachers and coaches are not supposed to have any contact with their students outside of approved, district-monitored means. Including social media. Are you supposed to accept a friend request on Facebook from one of you students? The answer is no. Are you supposed to engage with them in a messaging app for group conversations? The answer is no, unless it is used by the district and can be monitored. The reason is so that everything is out in the open so that you can assert nothing improper happened and administrators have access to the communications.
"Electronic communication" means any communication facilitated by the use of any electronic device, including a telephone, cellular telephone, computer, computer network, personal data assistant, or pager. The term includes emails, text messages, instant messages, and any communications made through a website, including a social media website or a social networking website.
Most school districts adopt a written policy concerning electronic communications between a school employee and a student enrolled in the district.
The policy adopted under this section must:
Include provisions designed to prevent improper electronic communications between a school employee and a student;
- Allow a school employee to elect to not disclose to students the employee's personal telephone number or email address; and
- Include provisions instructing a school employee about the proper method for notifying appropriate local administrators about an incident in - which a student engages in improper communications with the school employee.
These are based on:
Standard 3.8.
The educator shall maintain appropriate professional educator-student relationships and boundaries based on a reasonably prudent educator standard.
Standard 3.9.
The educator shall refrain from inappropriate communication with a student or minor, including, but not limited to, electronic communication such as cell phone, text messaging, email, instant messaging, blogging, or other social network communication. Factors that may be considered in assessing whether the communication is inappropriate include, but are not limited to:
the nature, purpose, timing, and amount of the communication;
the subject matter of the communication;
whether the communication was made openly or the educator attempted to conceal the communication;
whether the communication could be reasonably interpreted as soliciting sexual contact or a romantic relationship;
whether the communication was sexually explicit; and
whether the communication involved discussion(s) of the physical or sexual attractiveness or the sexual history, activities, preferences, or fantasies of either the educator or the student.
The UIL... bases its policies on a blend of teaching standards and general rules for sports and activities that have been voted on and agreed to. Why would the UIL have a different communication policy? That makes no sense.
You can be a great coach. You can be a great human being and still fall when you don't adhere to the policies, standards, and rules. People slamming the UIL are ignorant of their purpose, and their duty but they are also forgetting that JB had clear operating procedures that he failed to abide by. It can happen to anyone and it is a good reminder for everyone not to get complacent.
