AMESVILLE, Ohio — The Federal Hocking Local Board of Education issued a verbal warning to Superintendent Jason Spencer for using the district’s Facebook account to comment on a post by the Democratic Socialists of America about teacher pay.
Immediately after opening the meeting, the board went into executive session briefly. Upon returning to open session, board President Kerry Sheridan-Boyd made a motion to issue Spencer a verbal warning “related to his use of district technology.”
All but one member voted in favor of the rebuke. Jenny Leigh’s “no” vote drew a whoop from a member of the audience.
“I don’t feel [the warning] adequately represents the feelings of the community,” Leigh told the Independent after the meeting.
After the vote, board member Aaron Tate read a joint statement from the board about “a Facebook page and website that has been critical of our school district’s superintendent and other aspects.”
The statement apparently referred to the satirical, “Bridgerton”-inspired blog, “The Lady Whistleblower’s FedHock Society Papers,” which frequently criticizes district leadership — particularly Spencer and board President Kerry Sheridan-Boyd.
The statement was an oblique warning to staff members who provide information to the blogger, share the blog on social media or comment on others’ posts.
“While we recognize and respect the First Amendment rights of individuals to express their opinions, those rights are not unlimited,” the statement reads.
It then cites the district’s staff conduct policy, which states that staff are expected to “conduct themselves in a manner that not only reflects credit to the District but also presents a model worthy of emulation by students.”
“For our employees with licenses and permits, the Licensure Code of Professional Conduct requires our staff to exhibit the highest ethical standards and to refrain from disparaging colleagues and school staff members,” the statement continues.
The statement alleges that “there have been many posts and other comments by several employees that fall below these standards.”
“We urge our staff, students, and community members to refocus their energy on the work that truly matters: supporting our students, fostering a positive learning environment, and continuing the progress that makes Federal Hocking a place of excellence,” the statement concludes.
Board member Sara Brumfield told the meeting attendees that only two people — EMIS Coordinator Gracie McCune and Systems Engineer Jason Richard — now have direct access to the district’s Facebook page. Everyone else must use Thrillshare, a social media management app for schools.
“That will eliminate that chance of trying to post on your own social media and accidentally posting as the district,” she said.
In a March 3 letter to the Federal Hocking community, Spencer said that he thought he was using his own Facebook account to comment on the DSA post.
The district is considering a new social media policy, Brumfield said, and invited public input on that.
She then quoted former Amesville Elementary music teacher Mr. W. “Years ago, I heard him saying to my kid, ‘Are your words helpful?’” she said.
“If you see something on the internet that makes our district look ugly, maybe don’t share it,” she said. “Just fanning the flames and making it snowball doesn’t help.”
An earlier version of this story misattributed Sara Brumfield’s quotation of a former Amesville Elementary teacher. We regret the error.
