Hello members and friends,
NAEYC staff have been following the recent threads on COVID-related discussion carefully and would like to remind our members and participants in HELLO that while we encourage lively and even passionate debate between members, this forum is expected to be civil. Political discussions are not allowed on HELLO and these recent COVID-related discussions have demonstrated the need for expanded guidelines about what is and is not allowed on this platform.
The focus of this list is discussion and dialogue around specific topics in early education. While these discussions clearly impact and influence early childhood education, this is not a forum to argue about science, and NAEYC staff are not expert scientists with the capacity to review each and every post for what constitutes misinformation. We look to the following trusted sources for COVID-related recommendations:
With respect to COVID-related discussion on HELLO, which includes masking and vaccines, we are adding the following guidelines:
- People MAY express their views, questions, concerns, agreements, disagreements about what our federal, state, and local governments, school districts, and programs are planning, considering, implementing to ensure a safe early education experience for students, teachers and staff.
- People MAY NOT post negative or positive comments directly about the science behind the vaccines, masks, etc.
Those who want to debate the science itself with decision-makers can and are encouraged to express their views with them directly but not on HELLO; those who want to debate the impact of policies on educators, families, and students are welcome to do so here. We realize this can be a difficult line to follow, but are attempting to be fair and not shut down important discussions between members.
Again, from our organizational perspective, we urge all members, educators, and early learning professionals to make practice decisions consistent with the public health expertise and guidelines of the CDC and the AAP, and in keeping with the NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct for our profession, and we appreciate the robust discussion and passion of the early childhood educators in our communities.
Thank you,
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Mary Samour
Online Community Manager
National Association for the Education of Young Children
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