Joplin legislator: Unfortunate that teachers were upset with Facebook Law

Sen. Jane Cunningham's Facebook Law, which is scheduled to be sent to Gov. Jay Nixon Monday, was atrocious from the beginning but that's not the way Rep. BilL Lant, R-Joplin sees it.

In ihs most recent capital report, Lant seems irritated that teachers didn't just mind their own business and do what the legislature wanted them to do.

"One bill that was passed is known as "The Facebook Fix." We passed a bill during regular session that was dssigned to protect students from inappropriate conduct by unscrupulous teachers.

"One point of the bill was to make certain that communications through social media such as Facebook and Twitter are viewable by parents at all times. Unfortunately, concerns were voiced by coaches and teachers that they would be limited in communicating school-related matters with their students.

"While all the school board and teacher organizations were fully behind the roiginal bill, pressure by some groups made this "fix" a priority. The new provision puts the responsibility of setting social communication policy squarely on the back of school boards and administrators in the local school districts."

This pressure by "some groups" that Lant is talking about came from actual teachers, including some in the district Lant represents. Sorry, Bill, but sometimes real people don't just accept poor legislation to nake it more convenient for you.