We find that parents behave in a much more respectful way on Classlist than on other social media platforms and instances of antisocial behaviour are rare. Parents sign up using their real name and their child's real name so there are no anonymous profiles.
We have a code of conduct which empowers parents to call out other parents who breach these guidelines. We find that parent communities prefer to be trusted to regulate themselves to keep to the code, this means that staff don't have to spend time on moderation and also that parents don't feel like staff are reading what they are writing.
However, should the need arise, Ambassadors are able to view all posts, comments, community events and announcements in all groups under the monitor community tab. This includes class/year groups and open/closed parent interest groups. Marketplace listings can also be viewed under the monitor listings tab.
Ambassadors are able to delete content that is inappropriate or no longer relevant.
NB: Staff can't see the monitor community or monitor listings pages - they can only be viewed from an ambassador account.
What can be monitored & deleted
- Posts
- Comments
- Event comments (the event owner would need to delete an event)
- Announcements (except those created by another ambassador)
- Marketplace Listings
What isn't monitored
- Private events
- Private messages
While group communications on Classlist can be seen by Ambassadors to ensure that the community does follow our code of conduct, Ambassadors cannot view parent private messages or private events - those can only be viewed by senders and recipients.
Parents have the ability to block other parents or manage event settings.
How to find & delete content
There are several ways to get to a post that you want to delete:
Ambassadors can do this via the 'Monitor Community' option on the admin side - near the bottom of the admin side menu - page link - monitor community https://app.classlist.com/school/#/monitor
Ambassadors can also navigate to the content via the groups page - page link - https://app.classlist.com/school/#/groups/list
Staff+ Users and Ambassadors both receive notifications of any reported posts, they can delete the content via the notification list - page link - https://app.classlist.com/school/#/notifications
NB: Staff+ users don't have all the same options to see all content on the parent side - they will only see content that has been reported via the notification bell list.
Why might something be reported?
Content
It's very rare for content to be reported and the majority of reports are accidental! However, occasionally a parent may report a post to you for breaching Classlist's member guidelines.
Parents can report a post or announcement via the three dots button at the top right. If anyone reports content an automatic email and notification is sent to all ambassadors for further investigation.
The Monitor Community page is where Ambassadors can follow up on the report and take action if necessary.
People
Parents can also report other parents from their profile page - but as that report does not relate to a specific piece of content you will not get any information about why the parent was reported. You will need to follow up with the person who made the report before deciding what action to take. For example you could send them a private message asking for details of why they made the report.
A parent being reported in this way occurs very rarely and it may relate to them persistently posting in a way that breaches our guidelines, such as posting about their business.
NB: It is important that you do not identify who reported someone to others, including to the person reported.
What action can I take if something is reported?
There are several steps you could take to prevent inappropriate posts or to manage something or someone that has been reported. The steps you choose will depend on the content.
Everyone that joins signs up to our terms and conditions which can also be found via our community guidelines help article.
- From time to time you could send an announcement to all parents to remind them about the community guidelines. (If you would like to prevent commenting then choose 'lock comments' straight after you send it).
- You could explain to a parent, who has posted something that needs to be removed, where they went wrong and ask them to remove their own content. This will help to ensure the person doesn't make the same mistake again.
- Parents that breach the Member Guidelines can have the post or comment removed by an ambassador in the Monitor Community section. It is best to let the person know if you do have to do this.
- Ambassadors & Staff+ users can deactivate anyone's account at any time for any reason, this blocks them from Classlist completely. This could be a temporary suspension (eg until they have apologised) or you could also permanently delete them. There is no requirement for you to allow every parent on to the platform.
Deleting a post or Comment
Deleting a post is simple, ambassadors can just click on 'delete post' which appears in pink under each post in monitor community or on reported posts from your admin side bell notification list. You will be asked to confirm you want to delete, or you can cancel at this stage.
NB: Deleting a post will also remove all associated comments and likes.
You can also delete an individual comment on its own by clicking the small pink X next to the comment. Comments do not remain visible after deletion if they are deleted on their own.
The deleted post will remain visible on the Monitor Community page, so that you can refer back to it if necessary, but it will disappear from the parent side of your Classlist site.
If another parent clicks on an old link to that post it will trigger the 'Whoops, this page is no longer available' message.
Once deleted the post will have a greyed out 'post deleted' note in the Monitor community feed; you cannot un-delete it.
NB: You can also delete an announcement, this will remove it from the feed and the admin side but the title will still be listed on the parent side announcement page. Clicking on it will take you to a whoops page.
Things to consider when deleting someone else's post
When deleting another user's post for breaking Classlist Community Guidelines, it is best if you let the parent know, because they won't get an automated notification saying you deleted it. If a post is removed without informing the creator, it can cause tension. If possible, send them a message letting them know that you are removing their content as it violates Classlist rules, but be understanding as the parent in question may not have realised.
Types of posts that aren't allowed
Parent Promotions
Our research with parents tells us they do not want Classlist's messaging tools to be used by other parents to send out marketing.
You may want to highlight to parents that they should not write messages or create events on or using the site from which they, their associates or any other organisation may make any commercial gain. They should not use contact details taken from the site to use for off-site marketing purposes either.
If a parent wishes to promote their business or that of their friends, they can advertise on Classlist, either via a banner advert or in the feed. These are clearly labelled as sponsored ads and in schools using the free version of Classlist these ads cover the costs of providing the Classlist service to your parents.
Adverts can of course be ignored by other parents if they choose and they are not invasive.
Examples of ‘banned’ posts:
- Posting info about events such as a party at a pub owned by a parent, at which guests would pay for anything e.g. drinks.
- Emailing your whole class or year group about a jewellery sale at a friend’s house. Of course you can invite a few friends, but you shouldn’t be contacting people you don’t know personally in this way.
Charity postings
There is a fine line between what is acceptable and what isn’t, but just because something is for charity doesn’t mean there isn’t a commercial angle too.
The rule is, only the charity should gain from the coverage. Otherwise it is commercial and our advertising platform should be used. For example, a parent might post asking to be sponsored for a marathon, and that would be OK as only the charity gains. However, the parent should restrict their posting to people they know e.g. their class or their friends. It probably is not a suitable post for the whole school on the Parent Board.
On the other hand, an event such as an art exhibition at someone’s house, where a donation is being made to charity but the artist would make money from selling paintings would be classed as a 'commercial event'.
Recommendations for Cleaners/nannies/builders etc.
However well meaning; posts recommending your cleaner/builder/nanny etc can be interpreted as marketing, and other parents may not be happy to receive the recommendation. You can of course reply if someone else asks for a recommendation.
Whole school posting rules
Only post to the whole school if the post is relevant to a significant proportion of the school, and if it is school-related. You should post in a class or group if you are in any doubt. There is the option for ambassadors or staff+ users to turn off whole school posts for parents.
Finally
We recommend that as an Ambassador you are firm about breaches of the guidelines from the start, so that bad habits don’t develop in your school community! Some PTAs tell us their Facebook page started getting used by parents to post about their business and want to avoid that happening on Classlist.
We don't find that parents use our school related platform in the same way that they use other social media platforms. We have 500,000 parent members and that even with that number of users we do not have trouble with parent behaviour, because the code of conduct and system of moderation work! Reports of antisocial behaviour are very rare.
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