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Media Request Guidelines

Media Request Procedures, Practices and Guidance

The Worthington School District 518 strives to maintain a positive and productive relationship with media partners.  The District defines “media” as those organizations that have a consistent publication date/time, an established audience of subscribers, listeners, or viewers, and who operate with sound journalistic and news/information gathering practices.  This also includes independent journalists, photographers, videographer, or others that utilize materials that present information to individuals or general public.

Local Media receive priority because public schools are made possible by local tax dollars.  Regional and national media will be addressed as needed.

The following guidelines will help our media partners obtain the desired information, footage, and interviews:

  • District media credentials will be issued as pre-authorization each year through the Communication Coordinator and the expectation is that media personnel will wear these credentials so that they are visible to others.
  • Requests for interviews and footage during the school day will need to be arranged through the Communication Coordinator and the expectation would be to have information related to the topic in order to expedite each request more efficiently.  It would be the expectation that inquiries include details about the information you require, the individuals you wish to speak with, and any footage you are hoping to capture.
  • Media must notify the Communication Coordinator prior to arriving on campus during the school day.  Communication staff can assist in scheduling all media requests with District leaders, staff and students.
  • Media representatives should check in at the front office immediately upon arriving on school property.
  • Media may have access to students and staff in programs or activities outside the normal school day, but would ask that credentials be visible.  Notification would be appreciated by the District on interviews or other media inquiries for after school appointments with our students.

All inquiries and requests may submitted through the application form and would be handled by the Communication’s Coordinator.

Student-Related Information

While the District works hard to provide information/data requested, there are instances when information/data cannot be shared by staff.  There are various laws (state and federal) that govern what the District can and cannot release to the public when it comes to student-related information.  Some of those include, but are not limited to:

Disclosing of directory information, please refer to our Public Data and Data Subject Requests Policy (Policy #722) that is located on our website at www.isd518.net. This policy outlines the process of requesting information about data in relation to individuals. The form to request Public Data is also included in that policy that can be submitted as outlined in the document.

Employee-Related Information

The District values its employees and honors the working agreements signed by employee groups or individuals.  These agreements are available in person for the public to review.  Personnel files and other applicable information regarding the staff are not public records.  All evaluation records are considered personnel information and are not open to inspection or copying pursuant to law.

Presence on District Property (School/District Offices/Other District property)

Throughout the year there may be instances where representatives from the media want to be on a school campus or other District property.  The District has various procedures/processes in place for visitors when they arrive at a school – with safety being a priority.

  • All visitors must check in at the school’s front office and obtain permission to be on campus.  This must be done prior to any video and audio recording.
  • Interviewing students on campus can only be done with the permission and supervision of school staff and will occur in a common area or appropriate space as defined by the District.
  •  In the course of the school year, students may be photographed/videotaped for educational and/or promotional purposes (including publications, presentations, or broadcasts via newspaper, internet or other media sources). Parents must provide written objection if they are opposed to their student being photographed for school purposes/events. Parents must provide written form or notification that does not allow media interaction for extracurricular activities after school.
  • Media visits should be pre-arranged to help expedite the process and minimize disruptions to the school day.  Obtaining permission prior to any interaction with students allows school staff to verify that such a release is on file and/or parent permission and notification, thus allowing student(s) to participate.
  • The Communication Coordinator will contact the schools prior to media arrival to ensure students with the proper media clearance are pre-identified and available for interviews and/or photographs.
  • At times “b-roll” footage of common spaces such as hallways, lockers, etc. can be arranged if the photographer agrees that no one student can be identified in order to protect those students without a media releases.
  • When on school campuses or at the District Office, media may be asked to wear/display identification to maintain the District’s Safe and Secure practices.
  • In times of emergencies or crisis situations, (lockdowns, bomb threats, etc.) media and others are not allowed on campus.
  • There will be a media staging area established by the District and/or emergency response officials located as near campus as possible.
  • Interviews/media briefings will take place in the designated locations as new information becomes available.
  • When Communication staff arrive on the scene, their first priority will be to meet with the incident command to obtain the pertinent facts – interviews will be conducted as quickly as possible after information is collected.
  • As much information as feasible will be provided to the media, being mindful that the information shared cannot compromise the ongoing investigation/proceedings.
  • When the situation ends, media may be allowed on campus if it’s determined their presence will not disrupt the operations of the school or any continued work by emergency response personnel.
  • In some instances, the District can access restricted areas and shoot “pool video” (b-roll) to be shared with the media.

Covering School Board Meetings

The following guidelines have been provided to support the local media in its coverage of public meetings conducted by the Worthington School Board while maintaining order and providing for the safety and security of all those in attendance.

Members of the media are expected to conduct themselves in accordance with School Board Policy, procedures, and practices.

  • In order to minimize disruption, media representatives are asked to maintain clear aisles and unobstructed access to entrances and exits.
  • If representatives intend to conduct interviews while the meeting is still in session, the media are asked to sit at the back of the room and to conduct their interviews in the lobby/hall area to minimize disruption.

Requests for interviews with School Board members, Superintendent may be coordinated in advance through the Communication Coordinator to assist in a timely interview.

Request Form