The city has issued its first social media guidelines for public school teachers.
The guidelines say teachers should reject friend requests or other contact with students on their personal accounts.
They come as school districts across the country seek to balance the risks of inappropriate contact with the academic benefits of social networking.
This month, the Department of Education will start providing training sessions for teachers in how best to use social media in the classroom.
Department officials told the Wall Street Journal that the recommendations have been in the works for about six months.
Spokesman Matthew Mittenthal says there are no consequences for not abiding by the guidelines as long as other department policies about appropriate conduct are followed.
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