Abstract
This qualitative survey investigated how much authority high school athletic directors have when monitoring student-athletes’ social media accounts while also determining whether athletic directors believe it is necessary to implement social media policies for student-athletes. An in-depth literature review supports evidence of the legality of athletic code of conducts based on previous court cases and a theoretical framework. Twenty-five athletic directors from the state of North Dakota participated in the study via an online survey. The study obtained basic demographics and determined how the administrators have implemented current social media policies, along with understand their views on policies for student-athletes’ social media accounts. Analysis of the study showed that student-athletes’ social media usage may be regulated by school administrators if the post contains speech that causes or creates a reasonably, foreseeable, and substantial disruption to the school environment. The researcher determined that policies include the sanctions that are implemented when a student-athlete violates the athletic code of conduct. However, there was a decisive number of athletic directors who do not see the necessity of implementing a social media code of conducts as they believe the challenges of creating guidelines outweigh the benefits of providing policies. The researcher determined that in order for athletic directors to feel inclined to create a code of conduct one must create explicit details pertaining to the legality of social media policies. While social media policies may not be the preferred method for athletic directors it provides efficient and legal guidance on how to handle any problems that may arise.
Date Capstone Completed
12-2020
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Masters of Science in Educational Leadership
Department
Educational Leadership
Advisor
Steven Baule
Recommended Citation
Peterson, Eric S., "High School Athletic Administration’s Policies and Rights to Sanction Student-Athlete’s Social Media Use" (2020). Leadership Education Capstones. 46.
https://openriver.winona.edu/leadershipeducationcapstones/46
Included in
Educational Leadership Commons, Elementary and Middle and Secondary Education Administration Commons, Health and Physical Education Commons, Higher Education Administration Commons, Higher Education and Teaching Commons, Leadership Studies Commons, Other Educational Administration and Supervision Commons, Secondary Education Commons
