Social Media and the local school district

 These days, many of our interactions with online applications are almost entirely in the hands of the dozens of social media platforms. Rather than take the time to go through a specific website, many people will just key in what they are looking for through their preferred apps. On one hand it can be engaging when interactivity is plentiful among posters and the public. Having said that, there are limitations. 

School district presence is a bit checkered overall. Since I now have a niece and my oldest nephew in pre-kindergarten, I am often curious as to how their schools and apps like Facebook and Instagram will be updated with newer information and announcements. In my case, I have been looking at the social media accounts of the Farmingdale School District. To their credit, in particular with their Facebook accounts, FSD has regular updates and posts about events going on around the district. Often, the account will highlight a number of teachers who are doing exceptionally well, along with towards end of the school year an appreciation of new retirees. Like many schools, the focus of attention is on everyday matters and the success rate of the students. When something unique occurs, it is often treated low key. I had noticed this when in December 2023 the Olympic gold medalist and Medal of Freedom recipient Katie Ledecky spoke to a number of students in the swimming programs at Farmingdale High School and Weldon E. Howitt Junior High School. Attention was basically given after the fact, as opposed to in the moment and wider coverage. Personally, I guess it would be for the best to keep it low key, yet the opportunity to give this greater attention seemed to be missed. 

One other observation I have is a deemphasis on what is being taught on the overall curriculum. A cursory look at posts and media show a more fun side of schooling, which admittedly can be a lot of fun for many children. Included are the extracurricular activities that go on during the year, like concerts and music performances, sports, holiday related events and the like. By way of comparison though, the social media accounts of UB and most other universities give at least an equal number of posts and media related to research and education matters. Granted, these are institutions of higher learning and reputations are on the line much of the time. It would however be reasonable for FSD to promote newer educational endeavors and the success rates among their schools. As far as can be told, FSD does have a rate of graduation that is among the better districts in New York. That could be something to post, particularly for parents and guardians that may be wanting to enroll their children into these schools. 

One other available avenue of social media that FSD has been improving on is with video platforms, namely YouTube. I am now seeing more videos done with proper editing and a look at educational achievements. There are even videos devoted to graduation ceremonies and talent programs, albeit the camera placements leave much to be desired. Still, I suppose showing a more playful side of students can be worth the while. Even so, it would be especially useful to record school board meetings and more of the nuts and bolts of the education process. 

On the overall, FSD and quite a number of public schools nationwide have been utilizing social media as a tool for showcasing the schools and the students in a far more positive manner. Considering the world in which students live in today as opposed to even when I was in public schools (e.g., students like me had air raid drills and not shooting drills), this is a net positive. There are though improvements that will need to be made in terms of the educational and success rate knowledge and in the video presentations. I also am of the opinion that, going forward, school districts and social media connections may be exclusively through Facebook, YouTube and likeminded apps. Are there school districts that use social media in the same way or are there any different ways of going about their posts? Perhaps they could be from your past school districts you graduated from. Let me know in the comments below. 


Comments

  1. Jonathan CastellaSeptember 21, 2025 at 2:31 PM

    An interesting thing to consider when about how a Schools social media is; who is running the social media page? Often times it is someone who works there, sometimes even the schools principal. This is very different from the social media run by a large company who's social media is tends to be run by someone with experience in marketing, or sometimes by whole teams. It goes without saying that the purpose of a schools social media is very different then that of a brand. Great post Robert, just wanted to share some of my own thoughts regarding your topic.

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