In: Operations Management
You are a middle school principal in a working-class conservative community in the Midwest. One of your tenured teachers placed a series of very negative comments about you and the school on her Facebook page. These comments were made over the weekend. A number of your students informed you that they read the teacher’s comments. In fact, you heard a group of students chatting and laughing about the comments. Additionally, you receive phone calls from a number of parents who conveyed how negative and unprofessional the teacher’s comments were.
Discussion Questions
How would you react to parents and students?
How do you approach the teacher who is allegedly responsible for the negative comments?
If evidence reveals that the teacher is responsible for these comments, what action would you take?
What options are available to you in addressing this situation?
What precautions must be taken to ensure that the teacher’s rights are protected?
How do you balance the rights of the teacher against the need to protect the integrity of the school?
Please discuss the probable consequences of each option you identified.
What is your final decision? Provide a rationale for your decision.
How would you react to parents and students?
I would tell them that I am not aware of any such comments and I would put out a statement once I am fully aware of the situation. This would help me in buying more time to gather information about the post.
How do you approach the teacher who is allegedly responsible for the negative comments?
After viewing the post, I would call the teacher and ask whether she still stands by the comment made on her post. This will help me in understanding the point of view, the reasoning behind the post as well as help me in determining if the teacher regrets posting the comment. Also, sometimes, social media accounts get hacked. Someone else might have posted the comments to malign the school. I would clear the situation and find out the real reason behind the post directly from the teacher.
If evidence reveals that the teacher is responsible for these comments, what action would you take?
I would ask her to delete the post, take back the comments, and issue a formal apology to the school, parents, and teachers regarding the comment. It is one thing to express opinions or criticize and another to hurl unprofessional comments on social media platforms.
What options are available to you in addressing this situation?
If the teacher refuses to take back her comments or issue an apology to all the concerned parties, I can issue an apology on behalf of the school to control the damage. Also, I would assess the situation with senior team members regarding whether the teacher can be or should be allowed to continue based on the policies and regulations of the school and considering the employment terms of the teacher with the school.