Teacher Benched on Facebook Page Dispute

(Cass County, Michigan) A 27-year-old teacher's aide at Frank Squires Elementary School, Kimberly Hester, has been disciplined by Superintendent Robert Colby for not showing her Facebook page to him.

A letter from the Lewis Cass Intermediate School District said, "…in the absence of you voluntarily granting Lewis Cass ISD administration access to you[r] Facebook page, we will assume the worst and act accordingly."

At issue is a photo Hester obtained from a coworker and posted on her Facebook page. It was deemed to be unprofessional and offensive by a parent, a family friend, who had access to the page. The parent complained to the superintendent.

Hester said she and her coworker pictured in the photo were put on seven weeks of paid administrative leave, and they were eventually suspended for ten days. She said the coworker, who was up for tenure, was forced to resign.

Bill Young, an attorney representing Hester through the Michigan Education Association, said Hester's case will go before a private arbiter under the collective bargaining agreement in late May. Young said the coworker has taken another job.

The photo is arguably suggestive at most. It's neither pornographic nor obscene.

This story has garnered attention since it involves an employer demanding to see an employee's personal Facebook page. The question of Facebook privacy is unresolved.