To the editor:

Defamation is defined as the act of making false statements about another in order to harm their reputation. When those statements are put into writing, they are known as libel. 

Numerous court cases have ruled that defamation and libel are not protected speech under the First Amendment. Both are also against Facebook policy. Facebook page administrators are required to routinely monitor their pages for posts that may violate these rules. I know this firsthand because I administer the Portsmouth School Department page and receive regular reminders about this. 

Given this, I recently attempted to reach out to the administrator of a local Portsmouth page, as I have done a few other times since becoming superintendent, to bring awareness to a post about a Portsmouth school district (PSD) staff member that I believe deserved review in accordance with Facebook policy. To my surprise, this communication attempt was denied and information about my request was then posted to the page, out of context, without including anything about previous requests I have made, my reasoning for making such requests, and the fact that previous requests have been honored. 

The original post in question from the local Portsmouth page has been shared numerous times on public sites throughout our state and probably beyond. The individual who was the target of that post is now enduring daily harassment from people outside of our community. As of the writing of this letter, things have not moved beyond harassment and we can only hope it stays that way. Just as I have a responsibility to safeguard the rights and safety of PSD students, I must and will always do the same for PSD staff members. 

Elected officials, like our School Committee members, and public officials, like myself, know that we may have to endure such behavior at times. It is an unfortunate part of our roles. Fortunately, I have the experience, training, and a military background to fall back on in such instances. The average public school employee may not, however, nor is this what they have signed up for. I cannot and will not normalize this behavior against other school department employees. 

These types of issues with social media have become all too common among students in our K-12 schools. Districts across our country are finding it increasingly difficult to fill positions that years ago would have drawn numerous applicants. Our schools of education at the college and university level sit half empty from where their enrollment was just a decade ago. And we wonder why.

Where do we go from here as a society or as a community? I’m not sure. But I do know that our children are watching everything that we do.

Thomas Kenworthy

Superintendent

Portsmouth School Department