Social Media Guidelines (Terms of Use)

Maynard Public Schools' social media accounts serve as a platform for communication between the public and Maynard Public Schools on various school and community-related topics.

Public Records Law

Under Massachusetts law, all content on Maynard Public School’s social media pages, including social media comments, replies, and private messages exchanged with Maynard Public Schools are part of the public record and are subject to Massachusetts Public Records Law (G.L.c.4, § 7(26)). All content is archived, including comments edited or removed by individual users or the moderator.

By becoming a follower of Maynard Public Schools' social media accounts, your profile and comments may be a matter of public record. The District is required to retain this information in accordance with the State of Massachusetts retention schedule.

Moderation of Third Party Content

Maynard Public Schools reserves the right to restrict or remove any content that is deemed in violation of these guidelines or any applicable law. The District’s intent is not to create a public forum, but to maintain a moderated online discussion (a limited public forum) directly relating to the topics posted by the Maynard Public School District that are appropriate for residents.

The District’s social media content, posts, and comments, when permitted, shall not contain any of the following and will be removed as soon as possible:

• Comments not topically related to the particular social media post

• Profane or vulgar language or content

• Content that promotes, fosters, or perpetuates discrimination on the basis of race, creed, color, age, religion, gender, national origin, or disability

• Sexual content or links to sexual content

• Links to or references to commercial websites, spam, or any third-party website unless posted by the District’s approved authorized staff users for links to partnered/sponsored organizations, confirmed governmental agencies, or other legitimate organizations as the District deems appropriate.

• Conduct or encouragement of violent or illegal activity

• Personal or character attacks

• Content that violates a copyright, trademark, or other legal ownership interest of any other party

• Information that may compromise the safety or security of the public or public systems

• Content containing personal identifying information or sensitive personal information

Maynard Public Schools may ban repeat violators from posting to the District’s social media accounts, as well as remove comments at any time.