TEACHERS’ unions have called for more protection for their members from cyberbullying following the case of three Fife teenagers who made racially abusive comments about a teacher on a social media website.

Callum Donald, Taylor Steele and Neil Trebble received six-month community payback orders after making offensive remarks on Facebook about mixed-race Matthew Sykes.

The Scottish Secondary Teachers’ Association (SSTA) revealed it deals with at least one complaint a month from its members relating to social media issues, either due to disciplinary action being taken against teachers for their remarks, or those seeking support following comments posted online by pupils.

SSTA general secretary Ann Ballinger, who herself has been a victim of abusive online comments, said the case at Inver-keithing High School was “one of these things waiting to happen”.

She added: “I’d like to see something that protects teachers from comments made about them. In the past few years we’ve had experience of teachers who have been accused of all sorts of horrific things on Facebook and on Myspace.”

The union’s call for more protection for teachers comes as The Herald has learned Glasgow City Council’s executive director of education Maureen McKenna was the subject of a “serious threat” made by a pupil on Facebook. The pupil in question had received a standard disciplinary letter signed by Ms McKenna.

A council source confirmed Strathclyde Police were called into investigate the threat, but no charges were made.

The source, who declined to identify the school, said: “It does show pupils are not going to be let away with it. They will be dealt with. They will be reprimanded (for online abuse).”

Scotland’s biggest teaching union, the EIS, is updating its advice for teachers on communications technology.

It deals with around a dozen complaints a year from teachers about vindictive comments posted or threats made by pupils online.

Drew Morrice, assistant secretary of the EIS, said: “Regardless of the volume, for the individual it often has a deeply traumatic effect on them.

“The EIS has called for the regulation of social networking sites. These sites should be regulated in law and should be liable for what’s posted on them.”

The SSTA has also called for controls over content on forums such as RateMyTeachers.

Mrs Ballinger said: “Sites like that are worse because they are anonymous. When there are no repercussions, a kid who is very upset can become very vindictive because they feel protected by the anonymity of it.

“We need to start educating young people about what is an appropriate thing to do or say online. It’s also about the repercussions of something which is funny when you’re in fourth year or fifth year, but isn’t so funny when a prospective employer is looking at it and saying well I don’t think I want to employ you.”

SSTA has two members facing serious disciplinary action following comments that they made online.

Earlier this month, the same union advised teachers against putting too much personal information on sites such as Facebook and Twitter as they could be putting their careers at risk.

Similarly, the General Teaching Council for Scotland this month published new guidelines after receiving many requests for clarification. It advises teachers to decline all “friend” requests from pupils and to use only official channels of communication when making telephone calls and sending emails.

Anthony Finn, chief executive of GTC Scotland, said: “This guidance is not intended to constrain or ‘nanny’ teachers but rather to advise them on the potential pitfalls of using social media and to suggest ways teachers can protect themselves from risk.” (www.heraldscotland.com)