Likes and Liability panel members Wyatt Hermansen, Geri Jennings, and Kelli Nielsen.

Likes and Liability

October 24th, 2025

In the digital age, the distinction between a person’s private and professional lives is not always black and white, and educators can find themselves wondering how to navigate the gray area more often than most. A recent STEM-ACT Community of Practice event, “Likes and Liability: Navigating Social Media as a Teaching Professional,” invited two educators and a school committee member to participate in a panel discussion that was attended by teacher candidates and faculty members at Westfield State University (Westfield, MA).

Panel members Kelli Nielsen (Middle School Math Teacher), Wyatt Hermansen (Professor of English), and Geri Jennings (School Committee Member) offered their unique perspectives on how they navigate the complex landscape of social media while maintaining professional boundaries. Educators on the panel shared their own experiences using social media and how that has affected what they post online, whereas Geri Jennings provided insight into how school committees develop policies related to the use of social media by district employees and how schools choose to implement those policies.

Although some of the strategies that were discussed could be considered common-sense approaches to the use of social media, the opportunity for the panel and audience to share their own experiences and perspectives helped share new ways to think about social media post histories and reduce the likelihood of regrettable posts or responses becoming part of the permanent internet record.

More than just a discussion about what teachers should or shouldn’t post online, the panel members guided the conversation through developing strategies for promoting proper lines of communication with parents and teachers, how to frame their social media engagement to limit liability, and how to leverage social media to build positive relationships and find resources to enhance their teaching.

The panel discussion was vibrant and covered a broad range of topics related to social media and its use by educators. Aidan Robert, a teacher candidate and STEM-ACT Scholar, commented in respect to the event and use of social media that the discussion “... quelled some of the woes and reinforced some of them. Really good information.”

If you are interested in learning more about STEM-ACT or the eligibility details for up to $24,000 in scholarship funding for WSU students, please visit the STEM-ACT website. 

Jessica Stephens organized the event “Likes and Liability: Navigating Social Media as a Teaching"
Arne Christensen authored the post.
STEM-ACT is supported by an NSF Noyce Track 1 grant [ Award Number 2344950 ]