The controversy over the Missouri Facebook bill began almost immediately after it was signed a month ago and finally, the Missouri chapter of the National Education Association (MNEA) is indicating it plans to get involved.
In a letter to Cameron Carlson, a 2011 high school graduate who started a Facebook page opposing the new bill, MNEA President Chris Guinther indicated the organization has concerns about the bill.
The news follows the earlier information that the state's other teacher organization, Missouri State Teachers Association (MSTA) is planning on tacking the Facebook provision of Sen. Jane Cunningham's Amy Hestir Student Protection Act.
While I am happy that the two teacher organizations are representing the teachers as they should on this issue, it would have been far better had they done something before the bill was passed and signed into law.
I am not sure about MSTA, but there was no mention of the Facebook provision in any of MNEA's legislative messages to members. On the contrary, each report indicated that problems with the bill had been taken care of and that MNEA was not opposing it.
Oh well, better late than never.
Thanks for the reporting.
ReplyDeleteIt really isn't better late than never. The passage of this law not only sets a dangerous legal precendent, but it also shows how few teeth organizations representing teachers really have now.
Keep up the good work.
Thank you. I still cannot understand how neither MSTA nor MNEA could drop their opposition to this unnecessary bill and did not even mention a word to their members about the Facebook provision.
ReplyDeleteI think the MSTA and the MNEA's taciturn tardiness on this matter is their endorsement of the key point in this good law.
ReplyDeleteIn other words, given the statistical rise in public school teacher sexual predation against children, there is simple no good reason for ANY government employee to have private communication with a child.
It is a road fraught with danger.
And I simply cannot fathom why anyone would advocate for private communications between a government employee and a child.
The MSTA and the MNEA recognize that this good law will not solve all the problems, but it definitely takes away another avenue of assault from the small percentage of perverts who stalk the halls of our schools.