4009 Social Media Policy

Policy

POLICY NUMBER: 4009
POLICY TITLE: Social Media Policy
Applicable Code/Law: RCW 42.52 Ethics in Public Service, RCW 42.56 Public Records Act  

Shoreline College recognizes social media as a vital communication tool for engaging with prospective and current students, employees, alumni, and the broader community. Social platforms provide opportunities to promote programs, celebrate accomplishments, share timely updates, and foster inclusive dialogue that reflects the College’s mission, values, and commitment to equity, inclusion, and student success.  

The policy of Shoreline College District Seven (7) applies to all official Shoreline College social media accounts and to employees, students, volunteers, and affiliated groups who create or manage content on behalf of the College or its departments, programs, or initiatives. It does not apply to personal use of social media unless that use implies representation of the College, uses College resources or branding, or conflicts with college policies or applicable laws.  

The College encourages the use of social media to support its educational mission and institutional goals. It values open and respectful communication on official platforms and supports the free exchange of ideas among students, followers, and community members, while also maintaining the right to moderate content that violates College policies or community standards.  

To ensure responsible, strategic, and professional use of its social media presence:  

  • All official social media accounts must be approved by the Communications & Marketing department. (See procedure for currently approved platforms)  
  • Officially approved social media accounts created on behalf of Shoreline College, which includes departments, divisions, programs, etc., are the sole property of the college. 
  • Communications & Marketing provides oversight and guidance for institutional social media activity.  
  • Departments and programs are responsible for maintaining consistent, professional, accessible, and brand-aligned content as per our guidelines.  
  • All social media activities conducted on behalf of the College must be managed in accordance with this policy and relevant procedures.  

The College provides a meaningful educational experience for all Shoreline students and upholds the values of equity, diversity, and inclusion. Views that are expressed in official departmental or program-specific accounts do not necessarily represent the College’s views. To ensure that interactions on official social media accounts further meaningful dialogue, the college reserves the right to monitor those conversations by hiding comments and/or removing posts that contain prohibited content not protected by the First Amendment. 

Additionally, there should be no expectation of privacy when using a Shoreline College based account to visit internet websites. Email communications and internet use may be subject to disclosure under the Public Records Act or for audit purposes. 

While Communications & Marketing leads and coordinates the College’s official social media efforts, all Shoreline employees share in the responsibility of representing the institution accurately, respectfully, and in alignment with its mission and identity.  

The College does not seek to regulate employee’ strictly personal uses of social media that do not involve college resources or affect college employment. 

Approval:

 

ET Initial Updates 

Council Updates 

Equity Analysis  

ET 2nd Reading  

Posted  

Date:  

11/10/25 

12/8/25 

6/29/26 

7/7/26