Teacher fired over ‘friending’

O’Keefe could not be reached for comment.

No criminal charges have been filed in the case, said Bridget Norton Middleton, a spokeswoman for Plymouth District Attorney Timothy Cruz. Abington police Deputy Chief Christopher Cutter said his department was still investigating as of early this week.

Abington’s policy about appropriate boundaries and ethical behavior is similar to that recommended for all school districts by the Massachusetts Association of School Committees last fall to help prevent improper fraternization with students on Facebook and other social media.

Among the association’s guidelines are that employees “conduct themselves in ways that do not distract from the educational process … [by] improper fraternization with students using Facebook and similar Internet sites or social networks, or via cellphone, texting, or telephone … [or] list current students as ‘friends’ on networking sites.’’

Recommendations for employees making electronic contact with students include that the contact be made only with the district’s computer and telephone system and using group texts to all sports team members, as opposed to individual players.

The policy warns employees of “the possibility of penalties, including dismissal from employment, for failure to exercise good judgment in online conduct.’’

“We’re suggesting as a matter of policy that teachers not be able to friend their students on social media like Facebook and that contact be related and restricted to school,’’ said the association’s executive director, Glenn Koocher. “This is a very dangerous area, and social media can easily become an invitation for trouble.’’

Indeed, reports of Facebook career-enders run the gamut, ranging from three New York teachers fired for inappropriate Facebook communication with students to a Cohasset educator who quit after posting comments on her Facebook account disparaging her students and the wider community.