Laurels & lances: Social media & bad sports
Share this post:
Laurel: To accessibility. Many people don’t have much contact with their local governments. If you are a renter, for instance, any contact with your municipality might be between your landlord and officials. You might not even know where the local government offices are.
So what is the best way for the municipality to stay in touch with residents — or for residents to check in with its officials? More communities are turning to the same thing most people use to stay connected: social media. Rather than maintaining websites for an online presence, or as a more accessible alternative, local governments are turning to Facebook.
“We get out and let everybody know what’s going on,” Greensburg streets superintendent Tom Bell said.
He’s been posting videos for about a year. Government posts ensure people know what’s happening and work against misinformation. People are more involved and aware. Springdale and Sharpsburg are among others using the platform.
There are other ways to do the same thing. Communities could create their own apps. They could contract with other software. But that takes money. A Facebook page is free. It’s also the largest social media platform, meaning most residents already have it on their devices.
It’s a win-win-win, providing a needed means of communication, saving money and being broadly available. Not every problem needs a complicated solution.
Lance: To bad sports. Burrell School District is taking steps to crack down on inappropriate behavior.
That’s not unusual. Schools do this every day. It’s important to maintain order and keep tantrums and fights at a minimum.
But Burrell isn’t trying to prevent kids from acting up. It’s the parents.
“The board is putting in place a spectator code of conduct as a result of the shenanigans that the adults have had while at school,” Superintendent Shannon Wagner said.
It would be nice to think this is an overreaction. Unfortunately, the district has had to deal with things like hostility directed at sports officials. There has been taunting. There has also been profanity as well as inappropriate gestures.
The first offense will be a warning. The second will be removal from the event. The third is a ban. The policy will be enforced by administration, security and, if necessary, law enforcement.
It’s sad that policies like this are necessary. It’s also sad that Burrell isn’t the only district experiencing these issues. But some people can’t be good sports — and some adults can’t act like grown-ups.