PORTLAND, Maine — A substitute teacher in at a school in Portland was dismissed after students are said to have accessed an associated TikTok account containing "potentially inappropriate content."
On Thursday, school administration reportedly became aware that a TikTok account associated with a substitute teacher who has worked at King Middle School was discovered by students late Wednesday, according to a statement issued by Portland Public Schools.
A letter was sent to parents and guardians of students at the school. In it, King Middle School Principal Caitlin LeClair stated that the TikTok account was reportedly blocked, preventing student access.
Portland schools said they investigated the incident, then dismissed the substitute teacher.
"The district has a strict policy on the use of social media by school employees that requires employees to preserve the integrity of the learning environment and maintain professional boundaries with students at all times," the district said in the statement.
"This was an unfortunate incident that serves as a reminder of the importance of monitoring your child’s use of social media. TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat are all platforms that provide unlimited access to a wide variety of content," LeClair noted in her letter to parents. "While students do not have access to these platforms at school, we will continue to have conversations with students about safe internet use."
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