Communications

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To provide timely and accurate communication between the district and the media, we ask

 for your cooperation with the following procedures.

 

To facilitate all media inquiries or requests to film, photograph, or interview Valparaiso Community Schools employees, students, or board members, we ask that you please submit a request via Kristine Nichols, Executive Assistant to the Superintendent at 219-531-3000 ext. 1129.  For scheduled interviews, we ask that questions be provided in advance.

 

NOTE: this excludes commentary from athletics teams, coaches, and staff regarding upcoming or recent athletic events.

 

SCHOOL VISITS

 

If a media member would like to visit a school, it should be arranged through VCS Community Engagement in order to appropriately coordinate with school administration. Be prepared to show a photo ID and identification from your organization upon arrival. Visits during the school day may have limitations due to instruction, standardized testing, or other events. You will be accompanied during your visit by a VCS Employee / Representative.  After school events that are open to the general public are also open to the media and do not require prior arrangements.  However, events during school hours require an appointment.

 

BOARD MEETINGS

 

The media are invited and welcomed to attend all open meetings of the Valparaiso Community Schools Board of Education. Copies of board agendas, minutes, and other meeting materials are available on the district website www.valpo.k12.in.us

 

EMERGENCIES

 

In an emergency, VCS will work to distribute timely information to the media through a spokesperson, written release(s), and/or a news briefing. During an emergency and as necessary, media will be assigned to a designated area that does not interfere with response activities. The scope of information shared will be determined by VCS Administration based on the ongoing response to the emergency and the well-being of students and staff.

 

SOCIAL MEDIA COMMENTING GUIDELINES, MONITORING, AND RULES OF ENGAGEMENT

 

Valparaiso Community Schools (“VCS”) embraces social media as an additional method to communicate with stakeholders and share relevant information. VCS-managed social media accounts are provided for the benefit of the school community and offer updates that share the achievements of students and staff, as well as school-related news and other helpful information. VCS aims to foster an open and respectful dialogue online. VCS-managed social media accounts are not intended to circumvent standard communication channels (i.e. email, telephone, in-person) for sharing personal issues and concerns.

 

VCS Staff Members (i.e. Social Media Liaisons) and/or Administrators monitor all comments posted on VCS social media accounts.  The intent of monitoring district social media is to protect the privacy and other rights of staff and students. VCS Staff may review any post to ensure that users follow the below guidelines.

 

VCS welcomes your thoughts and comments and asks that you please be certain that your comments are appropriate for a K-12 school environment. When participating on a district-managed social media account, users are not permitted to:

• Break the law or encourage others to do so. This includes intellectual property and other protections that prohibit posting material that infringes on the rights of the district or an individual or entity.
• Use abusive language, make inappropriate statements, or post inappropriate images or other visual depictions. This includes postings that are threatening, harassing, illegal, obscene, lewd, vulgar, defamatory, libelous, personal attacks, or hostile.
• Post the phone numbers, email addresses, or other confidential information of students, faculty, staff, or any person other than the user.
• Post material that promotes or advertises services or products, except those pre-approved by the district.
• Post material, language, or images related to a political campaign.
• Post spam, chain-letter-like communications, or the same comment multiple times.
• Allow others to use your identity to post or view comments.
• Post links to other social networking sites that do not adhere to these guidelines.
• Act as a spokesperson or impersonate a representative of the district.
• Alter, modify or otherwise change or use any post, comment, or message made by the district that results in a misrepresentation or change in the meaning of the original message.
• Promote, foster, or perpetrate discrimination based upon a protected class.

 

NOTE: This list is not intended to be all-inclusive.

 

VCS reserves the right to:

• Remove or refuse to post any comments that violate these guidelines at any time.
• Ban future posts or input from those who repeatedly violate VCS guidelines, including refusing posts from specific email addresses or IP addresses.

 

Users who are found to repeatedly violate these VCS guidelines may be blocked from the VCS social media channel. Individuals may be blocked immediately for severely inappropriate posts. 

 

Should you have questions or concerns about a VCS social media account, please direct your inquiry via email to Kristine Nichols, Executive Assistant to the Superintendent at [email protected].