Purpose and Rules for the San Antonio Charter Moms Discussion Group on Facebook

Inga Cotton Leave a Comment
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The San Antonio Charter Moms discussion group on Facebook started in 2013, about a year after the creation of the website, because of changes in the social media algorithm that made it less likely for followers of the public page to see the content that we posted there. Over time, the group has grown in size and evolved in its purpose. Our team puts a lot of thought and care into keeping the group consistent with our mission, vision, and values. In addition to what readers can find on the About tab of the group, we thought it would be helpful to give a fuller explanation of what we are trying to do.

Here are some jump links to the various topics in this post:

Purpose of the Discussion Group

The discussion group is a platform to serve the broader purpose of our organization: helping parents and caregivers find schools that are the right fit for their children. It’s important that we earn and maintain the trust of parents and caregivers who are members of the discussion group, and ensure that they feel like what they are reading is authentic and reflects real experiences. We also want the group to be fair and non-partisan.

Initially, when I started San Antonio Charter Moms in 2012 as a volunteer project, I was inspired by work that my friends were doing to help high-quality, open enrollment charter school networks such as IDEA Public Schools (2012), BASIS Texas Charter Schools (2013), and Great Hearts Texas (2014) expand to San Antonio. We were a group of moms who lived in and around the 78212 zip code in San Antonio. San Antonio Charter Moms became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in 2018, and with funding, we have been able to hire a team of employees and contractors to expand our services, as well as hosting in-person events.

Over time, we learned from membership requests and post submissions that our information is helpful to more than just moms, and that group members want to know about more than just open enrollment charter schools. To spread awareness, we post monthly announcements in the group, such as reminders that everyone is welcome—including dads—and that members can ask about all types of school models.

Addressing Challenges

Recently, we have been facing new challenges in administering the discussion group and maintaining a culture that is consistent with our mission, vision, and values. Here are some examples of the problems that we have been seeing and what we are doing to address it.

Social Media Algorithm Bias

Our observation is that, over time, social media algorithms have become more finely tuned to elevate the content that will get the strongest reactions from users. Examples of this type of content include commentary on political issues and stories of specific negative experiences at schools. Seeing a lot of content like this can harm the mental health of readers, causing negative emotions like anger and anxiety.

In order to serve the purpose of our organization, we want to elevate the content that is trustworthy, fair, and reliable. That means sometimes the admins need to step in and remove content or comments that are not consistent with our purpose. In extreme cases, admins may have to remove members who repeatedly submit posts or comments that are not consistent with our organization’s purpose.

One of the essential tenets of our organization is that families are the ones who are in the best position to choose the right schools for their children. Any content that advocates for limiting school choice is not consistent with our purpose and is not good for families.

Handling Conflict with Schools

I have been that parent: the mama bear who wanted to go on social media and vent about a negative experience at my children’s school. Thankfully, I have friends who have rallied to help me—sometimes over dinner and wine, or in long, teary phone calls. Each time, I have tried to take the high road; rather than being a keyboard warrior and criticizing the school on social media, I found other ways to handle the conflict and focus on the ultimate goal, which is to make sure my children are getting the best possible education.

Our team has talked about this issue a lot, and debated various changes to maintain a good balance. We want parents and caregivers to feel like they can come to the discussion group and get real talk about schools. The group has a search function so that members can look up old posts about a school and get a feel for what people in the community are saying. However, as admins, we are realizing that there are situations when we need to intervene in the interest of making sure the discussion group serves its purpose of being helpful and fair.

As we mentioned earlier, one problem is the bias of social media algorithms towards presenting the content that readers will engage with the most—often, posts that have a lot of conflict or drama. This can unfairly distort the perception of certain schools in the group. As admins, we can try to counteract the algorithm’s bias and create balance by sharing positive, helpful information about schools. We ask our group members to help by also sharing upbeat and constructive information about their children’s schools.

The group is set for post approval, which means that the admins look at the posts that members submit and ask ourselves if they belong in the group. How can we tell if the group member is venting, or if the post has helpful information for the group? Our approach is still evolving, but here are some guidelines for members.

Post Approval Guidelines

We see it as a red flag when a post calls out a specific school employee or community member by name or identifying information. In many instances, because of laws protecting student privacy, the personnel facing criticism can’t defend themselves. Teaching is a tough job already, and we don’t want teachers to feel like they are being backstabbed in a venue where they can’t respond. The discussion group is not a tool for personal vendettas against school personnel. By analogy, some school boards have policies prohibiting speakers during public comment from raising complaints against employees or personally identifying them in any way, unless the speaker is following the district’s grievance policy; you can find links to articles on this topic in the bibliography below.

A green flag appears when a critical post does not target a particular person but instead describes the school’s culture. These posts may be sharply worded but provide valuable information for readers conducting research. For example, it can be helpful to know how many hours of homework students are expected to complete or to be aware that a school has high expectations for student behavior and assigns more detentions and suspensions than other schools. When parents and caregivers have more information about school culture, they can better find schools that fit their children’s needs. Members tell us that this type of information is hard to find from other sources.

Our members can help elevate the quality of the discussion group by carefully evaluating their posts and comments before submitting. The Four-Way Test of Rotary International is a helpful guide:

  • Is it the TRUTH?
  • Is it FAIR to all concerned?
  • Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
  • Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?

Another good rule comes from the late radio host Bernard Meltzer: “Before you speak ask yourself if what you are going to say is true, is kind, is necessary, is helpful. If the answer is no, maybe what you are about to say should be left unsaid.”

The discussion group is open to school leaders and staff members, from superintendents and board members to teachers and support staff. These folks may just be looking for information about summer camps and after school programs for their own children, but they are also welcome to listen and gather feedback about what families are saying about their schools, whether positive or negative. Honest feedback can help a school to improve its culture and become more welcoming. Another reason to include school staff is so they can share about events and opportunities for prospective families. This reasoning also applies to how we include business pages and journalists in the group, as I will explain below.

I know that it’s hard to think this way when you are experiencing conflict with your children’s school and you are in mama-bear (or papa-bear) mode. Addressing the problem in the real world, and exercising self restraint when posting online, will serve you and your family the best in the long run.

Anonymous Posts

We allow anonymous posts in the group to protect the privacy of members who are asking for help with sensitive topics. For example, it makes sense to post anonymously if a group member is asking for advice for their child who is a member of a vulnerable class, such as having functional needs or being LGBTQ. Similarly, if a family is considering changing schools but doesn’t want to alert their current school community, it makes sense to post anonymously. However, if the post is on a routine topic, we prefer that members post under their actual profiles. Hiding behind anonymous posts to create conflict is not good for the atmosphere of the discussion group.

School Safety

Keeping students safe at school is a major concern for parents and caregivers. However, sharing too much information about a campus’s safety measures in a Facebook group can actually make that campus less safe. We don’t want to arm the evildoers with facts that could cause harm to children.

Our organization is committed to providing parents and caregivers with the information they need to ask good questions and choose the best schools for their children. Once enrolled, parents can also use this information to advocate for improvements in their children’s schools. We are working to provide more guidance on this topic to help parents become stronger advocates for school safety. In the meantime, admins may need to remove posts or comments that include overly specific information about safety measures at particular campuses.

Yes to Entrepreneurship, No to Spam

Each month, we post a Marketplace thread, inviting members to freely share information about local businesses, events, causes, blogs, nonprofits, hobbies, and more. We especially encourage the promotion of products or services aimed at students and families, including tutoring, camps, lessons, counseling, sports leagues, and after-school activities. A new Marketplace thread is started and pinned to the group’s announcements every month.

Pages are also welcome to join the group, including official school pages and organizations that serve families. As admins, we appreciate a check-in message when pages join the group so we can get to know the people behind the pages. We don’t want pages to post too often because that takes up too much space and crowds out the questions from individual parents and caregivers. A good rule of thumb is that a page should post no more than one or two times per week in the group.

We do not allow buy-sell-trade posts in the group, not even on the monthly Marketplace threads. Specialized Facebook groups serve those purposes better, and we lack the capacity to administer a buy-sell-trade group. You can ask for information about where to buy, sell, and trade items, such as school-specific used uniform groups or homeschool curriculum sales. However, offering items to buy, sell, or trade, or asking for items, is not allowed, even in the comments.

Journalists Are Welcome

Members of the media are welcome to join the discussion group. After all, many of them are parents and caregivers themselves. They are welcome to post and comment in the group asking for information from members. We ask members of the media to identify themselves as reporters or producers when posting or commenting, unless the information is for their personal use. Journalists seeking to use information from the group should take steps to communicate with the group members they are quoting, such as sending a message request to the member’s profile. If possible, we ask that they mention the San Antonio Charter Moms discussion group in their reporting. We welcome questions from the media about education topics. Among other means, I can be reached via my Facebook profile, Inga Munsinger Cotton.

Discussion Group Rules

You can see the current group rules by visiting the About tab. Here are the rules as of the June 20, 2024 revision:

(1) Support Parents and Caregivers with School Choice

The mission of San Antonio Charter Moms is to provide trusted information about education to parents, caregivers, and policy makers so that children can go to high quality schools that are the right fit.

Our vision is that every family in San Antonio will have the opportunity for their children to receive a great free education at a school that prepares them for a life filled with choices, including college, career, and military.

Find more information about our purpose at sachartermoms.com.

(2) Handling Conflict with Schools

Are you coming to this group because you’ve had a negative experience at your children’s school? Visit sachartermoms.com and search for “Handling Conflict with Schools,” a blog post with helpful ideas for solving problems in the real world.

It’s a red flag when a post calls out a specific school employee or community member by name or identifying information.

Better: when a critical post is not directed at a particular person, but is framed in a way that describes the culture of the school.

(3) Anonymous Posts

We allow anonymous posts in the group to protect the privacy of members who are asking for help with sensitive topics. For example, an anonymous post makes sense if it’s about a child who is a member of a vulnerable class, such as having functional needs or being LGBTQ. Also: if a family is considering changing schools but doesn’t want to alert their current school community. Hiding behind anonymous posts to create conflict is not good for the atmosphere of the discussion group.

(4) School Safety

Keeping students safe at school is a major concern for parents and caregivers. However, sharing too much information about a campus’s safety measures in a Facebook group can actually make that campus less safe. We don’t want to arm the evildoers with facts that could cause harm to children. Admins may need to remove posts or comments that include overly specific information about safety measures at particular campuses.

(5) Yes to Entrepreneurship, No to Spam

We post a monthly Marketplace thread that members can comment on freely to share about local businesses, events, causes, blogs, nonprofits, hobbies, etc. We start a new Marketplace thread each month, and pin it to the announcements in the group.

We allow pages to join the group, including official school pages and organizations that serve families. A good rule of thumb is that a page should post no more than one or two times per week in the group.

(6) No Buy-Sell-Trade

We don’t allow buy-sell-trade posts in the group—not even on the monthly Marketplace threads. There are specialized groups on Facebook that serve those purposes better than we can, and we don’t have the capacity to administer a buy-sell-trade group. It’s okay to ask for information about where to buy, sell, and trade, such as school-specific used uniform groups or homeschool curriculum sales. However, it’s not okay to offer items to buy, sell, or trade, or ask for items, even in the comments.

(7) Journalists Are Welcome

Members of the media are welcome to join the discussion group. After all, many of them are parents and caregivers themselves. They are welcome to post and comment in the group asking for information from members. We request that members of the media identify themselves as reporters or producers when they are posting or commenting. We also request that journalists who want to use information gleaned from the group take steps to communicate with the group members they are quoting.

(8) Be Kind and Courteous; No Hate Speech or Bullying

We’re all in this together to create a welcoming environment. Let’s treat everyone with respect. Healthy debates are natural, but kindness is required.

Make sure everyone feels safe. Bullying of any kind isn’t allowed, and degrading comments about things like race, religion, culture, sexual orientation, gender, or identity will not be tolerated.

If a member is removed from the group or blocked, they should not attempt to re-join. Members who block the admins may be removed from the group.

(9) No Political Endorsements

We support civic engagement, but this group is nonpartisan. We encourage members to register to vote and to be well informed about education issues when they cast their votes. However, posts and comments intended to show support for a particular political candidate will be removed. San Antonio Charter Moms is a nonprofit organization and does not endorse political candidates.

(10) No Religious Evangelism

We welcome posts about faith-based education programs such as parochial schools, homeschool co-ops, and VBSs, but please don’t post about religious services. The group is open to members of all faiths, as well as people who are not followers of any religion.

As the discussion group creator and admin, I welcome questions and feedback about the discussion group via my Facebook profile, Inga Munsinger Cotton.

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Inga Cotton

Parent activist and founder of San Antonio Charter Moms. Raising two children to be independent adults who do good in the world.

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