Communication Protocols

ACS encourages the use of social media for the purpose of learning, engaging, connecting, collaborating and teaching. With the evolving nature of social media, it is important that the school community is given guidelines based on the key principles underlying the use of social media, which will allow us to jointly protect children in all aspects of our work, and also to uphold ACS’s reputation, and that of staff members, students and parents.

The items mentioned should be applied to all social media platforms, including but not limited to Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, TikTok,  personal and professional blogs, Whatsapp and other instant messaging tools.

Parents should facilitate this process by working with their children at age-appropriate times delineated by each social media platform.

Responsible Behaviors

• ACS expects all members of the school community to uphold the reputation of the school and safeguard the privacy of individuals in the school community by treating colleagues, students, and parents with professionalism and respect. 

• ACS expects all members of the school community to exercise good judgment when posting on social media. Any school-related posts, including comments, should be positive and constructive, and care should be taken to ensure they cannot be interpreted as derogatory, defamatory, discriminatory, racist, rude, threatening or inappropriate.

• Be mindful that things such as status updates will be visible and public for a long time.  By posting comments, having online conversations, etc. on social media sites you are broadcasting to the world. Be aware that even with the strictest privacy settings, what you ‘say’ online should be within the bounds of professional discretion. Comments expressed via social networking pages under the impression of a ‘private conversation’ may still end up being shared into a more public domain, even with privacy settings on maximum.

• Any student groups wishing to set up school-affiliated social media groups or accounts must be approved by the teacher(s) in charge, who will then register the groups or accounts with the ACS Communications Team. 

• The ACS Communications Team oversees ACS’s official social media accounts and presence with the aim of promoting events, success stories and important aspects of Life at ACS. If staff or members of the school community have any concerns or queries about appropriate social media use, they should consult the ACS Communications Team.

Confidentiality

• Students’ last names must not be disclosed when posting work or achievements on social media. This is to protect ACS students from being easily identifiable by a third party.

• No confidential or business-sensitive information, nor information that could compromise the security of the school in future locations of off-site events or trips, should be disclosed on social media.

The purpose of Parent-Initiated WhatsApp groups is to foster a positive relationship between parents by allowing parents to keep each other up-to-date with information about school or class activities and community events, with the understanding that ACS does not monitor these groups, nor use this as an official communication channel. The following guidelines are recommended for all Parent-Initiated WhatsApp groups*. Any concerns regarding these guidelines should be shared with the divisional offices. 

• To protect the privacy of parents, students, and staff, only ACS community members should be added to any social group, and numbers within the group should not be shared without permission. 

• Refrain from any comments about individuals within our community (students, parents, staff, service providers, and faculty) that may be considered personal, disrespectful, inflammatory, or defamatory.

• Parent pages should be clearly identified as parent-run pages. It is helpful for parents to understand that these pages are not official ACS pages so they understand the level of messaging they can expect. In the group/page description, group administrators will be requested to note the page is not an official ACS platform using the following text: This is an ACS Parent-Initiated WhatsApp/FB Group and not an official ACS group. 

• Please continue to share any school concerns or grievances directly with the relevant person at the school. For details of phone numbers/email addresses please click here. If in doubt, bring any concerns directly to the appropriate Principal. 

• ACS discourages parents from using WhatsApp as a platform to air views/grievances regarding a member of the faculty/ staff, child, or parent in the class or school. To find a resolution in a productive manner, parents are encouraged to direct their communications with that person or the school administration. 

• Please be respectful and take into consideration the diversity of the cultures represented at ACS. 

• We do not recommend that the group to be used to post private or confidential messages or express personal opinions or gossip. Any opinions expressed are the opinions of individual members and may not be representative of the whole group, or ACS. 

• Please remember that whatever you say on social media may be forwarded to someone else, and in a matter of minutes could spread well beyond your intended audience. 

• When a question is asked to the group, and a personal response is required, please send that person a private message to reduce the amount of text traffic on other people’s phones. 

The information shared through these groups is entirely parent-generated and is not monitored by the school for accuracy, nor is the school responsible for the content.

Click here to view the Parent Guide to Emergency Procedures.