The next step in the dismantling of Sen. Jane Cunningham's Facebook Law took place today when the Senate Education Committee voted overwhelmingly to repeal the social networking section of SB 54, the Amy Hestir Student Protection Act.
The bill now will go before the full Senate and if it is approved there will go to the House.
In the accompanying video, Mrs. Cunningham admits that she did not know that many schools across Missouri already have limitations on communications between students and teachers.
Of course, that brings up the question how many other things did Mrs. Cunningham not know and why was she not able to find out these things during the four years she has been pushing this bill as vital for the safety of Missouri children?
In his weekly report, which I posted earlier tonight, Sen. Bill Stouffer questions why no one ever expressed any concerns about this portion of the bill before.
Please check through the statements that have been made by Mrs. Cunningham. Nearly all of them center on the "passing the trash" aspect of the bill. It is hard to find any statements about the Facebook portion before it became news after the Joplin tornado.
The bill was steamrolled through committee and Mrs. Cunningham's witnesses were Amy Hestir Davis, who was abused long before social media existed, and a police officer who offered testimony on "passing the trash." From those two cases and from an Associated Press study of five years ago, Mrs. Cunningham was able to conjure an epidemic of teachers preying on students that simply does not exist.
Yes, there are isolated incidents, but that is exactly what they are. Had Mrs. Cunningham done her job and done some actual research instead of indulging in her favorite game of teacher scapegoating, today's vote and the upcoming votes on this issue would never have been necessary.
So Cunningham found out that the majority of school districts already had policies concerning Internet communication between teachers and students. So what difference does it make for the general assembly to codify these policies into a law that says as much?
ReplyDeleteCunningham is honest in her work for the students. Turner is not. There might be a backlash from the teachers and unions against this law, but I think that there will be a counter-backlash and this law will end up standing after the language is tightened up a bit. Senator Cunningham realizes this. Turner does not.
So what difference does it make for the general assembly to codify these policies...
ReplyDeleteBecause the existing policies aren't written so poorly that they impede education and normal human development?
@10:48, Very obvious points, well stated.
ReplyDeleteSo what difference does it make for the general assembly to codify these policies...
ReplyDeleteBecause other polices address the nature of communication rather than overly restricting the use of technology. Blaming technology for age-old problems such as sexual predators is a knee-jerk reaction which also limits potentially positive uses of technology.