JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri judge has blocked a law from taking effect Sunday that would have prohibited teachers from using social networking sites such as Facebook to carry on private conversations with students.

Cole County Circuit Judge Jon Beetem issued a preliminary injunction against the law Friday while declaring that it "would have a chilling effect" on free speech rights. The judge put the law on hold until Feb. 20, allowing time for a hearing on whether the law should be permanently blocked.

The new Missouri law would have barred teachers from using non-work-related websites that give "exclusive access" to current students or former students who are 18 or younger. That would have meant that communication through Facebook or other social networking sites would have to be done in public, rather than through private messages.

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