Code of Conduct

The NASP Communities are provided to NASP members as a service to discuss professional issues related to school psychology, schools, and the children and families served by our members. By using the NASP Communities, you agree to follow the policies set forth below. Note that “NASP Communities” includes all groups, resources, and other components accessible at this site and the NASP Communities mobile app.

Please review the following rules for participation. Members can report a post if they believe it violates the Code of Conduct and it will be sent for moderator review. To report a post, click on the down arrow next to the Reply button and click Mark as Inappropriate. In a pop-up window, you will be given the option to provide feedback regarding why you flagged the post for moderation, such as the rule you believe the post violates. See below section titled “Removal of Posts” for details regarding the process for determining whether a post violates the Code of Conduct and the appropriate disposition of such posts.

If you have any questions, contact NASP via communities@naspweb.org.

Rules for Participation

1. Keep discussions respectful, thoughtful, and civil.

The profession and practice of school psychology is evolving and what is considered best practice changes over time. When discussing professional issues, disagreements are expected. However, such disagreements need to be discussed in a professional manner and remain focused on the issues, not the individual making the post. NASP reserves the right to close threads or remove individual posts that are antagonistic, disrespectful, combative, unprofessional, defamatory, abusive, profane, threatening, harassing, offensive, discriminatory, illegal, or unethical, and/or promote conduct determined by NASP to be objectionable or contrary to the purpose of the Communities or the mission of NASP. NASP also reserves the right to restrict access to the Communities for members who post such content.

2. Discussions must pertain directly to the field of school psychology.

Posts that include content unrelated to school psychology as a profession or professional practice may be removed or threads may be closed. Many topics related to current events may be of great importance to NASP members as participants in a global society. However, such topics are only appropriate for Communities when they are directly related to school psychology as a profession. Because the NASP Member Exchange is designed for member-to-member conversations, it is not an appropriate venue for questions or comments about member services that require NASP staff support or response. Such communications should be directed to staff members or your state delegate via email.

3. Be cautious about posts that could identify involved parties.

Do not post information that could identify students, their families, or others. Specific information about a case could inadvertently reveal the identities of those involved. Do not post anything that alone or in combination with other information, such as where you are employed, could compromise the privacy of those involved. Post only enough information to help other members understand the question you are posing.

The NASP Communities are not designed to provide specific information on an individual case to parents, teachers, or others and should not be used to replace individual consultation by a school psychologist.

4. Advertising paid products, services, and events is prohibited.

Do not use Communities to promote any product, service, or event that is not freely available. Fundraising solicitations for charitable or personal purposes are also prohibited.

You may contact participants privately and individually with product and service information if you believe it would be helpful to them based on their post. Be sure to disclose any commercial benefit or potential financial conflicts of interest in such communications. Unsolicited private messages regarding products, services, or events are prohibited.

Do not post any content that could create the false impression that NASP endorses a certain product or service. See NASP’s Principals for Professional Ethics Standard III.5.5 Disclosure of Financial Interests. School psychologists are obligated to disclose any significant financial interest in the products or services they discuss in their presentations or writings, if that interest is not obvious in the authorship/ownership citations provided.

5. Surveys and other research requests are prohibited.

All surveys and research must be reviewed by the NASP Research Committee for dissemination through the proper channels. Research requests cannot be posted in the NASP Communities. For information on conducting research with NASP members, click here. You also cannot use the Communities to harvest information about other members.

6. Job postings must be no more than 40 words with a link.

Posts advertising a job opportunity that exceed 40 words in length or contain attachments will be removed. Posts may contain a link the application site. The NASP Career Center is the best way to reach out to those who are actively seeking employment.

Removal of Posts

Posts may be flagged for moderation by Communities participants or NASP staff. When a post is flagged, the following steps are taken:

1. If the post is a clear violation of the Code of Conduct (e.g., commercial messages, lengthy job ads, research requests), the post will be removed by NASP staff and the post’s author will be notified.

2. If the post is flagged as a potential violation due to its tone or focus (see Rules 1 and 2), NASP staff will consult with relevant leaders, including the NASP president or designee, to determine whether the post should be removed, or the member should be given an opportunity to rewrite the post in a manner that conforms to the Code of Conduct. Decisions will be reached via consensus, if possible.

3. If consensus is not attained regarding the appropriate course of action, the NASP president will make the final decision. NASP staff will communicate the decision to the post’s author. Decisions are final.

4. If it is determined that a flagged post does not violate the Code of Conduct, the person who flagged the post will be notified that the post is being reinstated.

Important Reminders

• Ethics. NASP members are obligated to adhere to NASP’s Principles for Professional Ethics and agree to adhere to NASP’s adjudication procedures in the event of an ethical violation claim. Members should not publicly question another user’s ethics. If you have an ethical concern regarding another’s behavior, contact the individual privately and follow the procedures for managing ethical concerns as required under the NASP Standards.
• Login privileges. The NASP Communities are for the use of NASP members only. The NASP Website User Policy limits member login privileges to the individual holding the membership.
• User bio. Fill in as little or as much as you want about yourself in your profile. This cannot include commercial messaging, such as where to purchase a product you sell or a book you authored.
• Personal responsibility. Posts are always attributed to an individual, who assumes responsibility for the content. Do not post anything that you would not want others to see or that you would not want others to know came from you.
• Statements of fact. Be cautious in making absolute claims. If you state a research finding or statistic relevant to the conversation thread, provide a citation to empirical evidence that supports your claim. If you are unable to cite evidence, or if the available evidence is equivocal, revise your statement to reflect a degree of uncertainty.
• NASP elections. NASP members must follow the NASP Elections Policy, which limits the manner in which one may endorse and campaign for candidates for NASP elected office. The Communities must not be used for campaigning by candidates or others.
• Viruses and other malware. You may not attempt to harm, disrupt, or otherwise engage in activity that impairs the NASP Communities or any other service or website provided by NASP. You may not send or otherwise make available any material that contains viruses, worms, corrupted files, or similar software that may damage the operation of any computer.

Respect for Copyright and Trademark Laws

• Unless otherwise noted, by posting material or communications on NASP Communities, you grant NASP and users of NASP Communities the nonexclusive, worldwide, transferable right and license to display, copy, publish, distribute, transmit, print, and use such information or material in any way in any medium.
• If you post material without indicating its copyright status, you warrant and represent that you own the copyright to that material or have received permission from the copyright owner to reproduce it.
• NASP retains copyrights for all of its materials, and the copyright must be respected when reproducing or sharing these resources with others. For information on obtaining permission to reproduce NASP copyrighted materials, please visit www.copyright.com.
• Note that a copyright notice is not required to appear on a document in order for it to be protected by copyright law.
• You may not use the NASP Communities to post, display, or use trademarks unless you own and control the rights to such trademarks.

Legal Information

• NASP Communities are provided as a service for the members of NASP. NASP does not endorse, and is not responsible for, the opinions and information posted on NASP Communities by others. Content posted does not constitute or describe NASP’s official policy.
• The NASP Communities are provided on an "as is" basis without representations or warranties of any kind, either express or implied, including, but not limited to, implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose or audience, and non-infringement.
• NASP is not responsible for any information or content and makes no representations about the same, including as to legitimacy, legality, validity, accuracy, correctness, reliability, quality, completeness, or currency. In no event shall NASP be liable for any damages whatsoever, whether direct, indirect, special, or consequential, arising out of the use of the NASP Communities.
• You shall indemnify NASP, and its respective officers, directors, employees, agents, licensors, representatives, and third party providers, from and against all losses, expenses, damages, and costs, including reasonable attorneys’ fees, resulting from any violation of this Code of Conduct by you, or any use or misuse of the NASP Communities for which you may be responsible.
• You are solely responsible for any content that you post. NASP shall not be liable for any action or inaction with respect to any conduct on the NASP Communities or with respect to any communications, or posting made on NASP Communities.
• Messages should not be posted if they encourage or facilitate members to arrive at any agreement that either expressly or implicitly leads to price fixing, a boycott of another’s business, or other conduct intended to illegally restrict free trade.
• Messages that encourage or facilitate an agreement about the following subjects are inappropriate: prices, discounts, or terms or conditions of sale; salaries; profits, profit margins, or cost data; market shares, sales territories, or markets; allocation of customers or territories; or selection, rejection, or termination of customers or suppliers.
• NASP has the right, but not the obligation, to monitor the content and activity on NASP Communities. Individual members are solely responsible for the content of their posts.
• In the event that any inappropriate posting is brought to the attention of NASP staff, NASP reserves the right to take all action NASP deems appropriate.
• NASP reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to change, modify or otherwise amend this Code of Conduct at any time. Such modification shall become effective immediately upon the posting thereof.

If you do not agree with this Code of Conduct, or any future revisions thereof, or any decision related to removal of content, your sole recourse is to stop using the NASP Communities. Any member may express concerns regarding the Code of Conduct by contacting communities@naspweb.org.

Approved by the NASP Board of Directors December 1, 2018

Latest Updates Approved by NASP Board of Directors December 5, 2024