Frequently Asked Questions

From the FAQ page:
Also, check out MNEA's position on school employees using district email accounts. >>>> see below

According to the MNEA Legal Service Director,

Regarding the personal use by staff of school email:

All employees need to be aware that a school district owns and retains all rights to access any and all employee use of school email.  The expressed intent of any employer when providing an email address to the employee is only to provide a means to communicate with other employees or colleagues for professional and employer business reasons.  Employees should refrain from using school district email for any personal use.  The employee’s best guideline is to consider every email they send as being viewable by every employee in the district.  So if you are thinking about sending something that you wouldn’t want the superintendent to see, don’t send it!  Often employees are asked to sign an “Appropriate Use” statement that pertains to any use of District owned computers.  The employee signs the document and forgets all about it and it very likely contains a prohibition on personal use of email.

 

School District board policy can very widely on employee use of district email.  Not having any clear guidance from the district does not mean employees have permission to use the district email for personal business. Sometimes a district’s policy manual is totally silent on the issue; leaving employees vulnerable to punitive judgment if they are later deemed to have used the email system inappropriately.  Many of us think of our colleagues in a very familiar and friendly way.  That can lead to trouble if you think of the email system as your own personal bulletin board for posting jokes, for-sale items, business solicitations, or for making “private” remarks about your coworkers.  Nothing sent by email should be considered private or privileged.  All of these personal uses of district email should be avoided.