District And School Websites

To enhance communication with families, staff, and community members, the Governing Board encourages the Superintendent or designee to develop and maintain district and school websites. The use of district and school websites shall support the district's vision and goals and shall be coordinated with other district communications strategies. Design Standards The Superintendent or designee shall establish design standards for district and school websites in order to maintain a consistent identity, professional appearance, and ease of use. District design standards shall require an evaluation of products, features, and content accessible to students on district and school websites to prevent access to harmful or potentially harmful material. The district's design standards shall address the accessibility of district and school websites to individuals with disabilities, including compatibility with commonly used assistive technologies. Website Content The Superintendent or designee shall develop content guidelines for district and school websites and assign staff to review and approve content prior to posting. Board policy pertaining to advertising in district and school publications, as specified in Board Policy 1325 - Advertising and Promotion, shall also apply to advertising on district and school websites. District and school web sites shall not include content that is obscene, libelous, or slanderous, or which creates a clear and present danger of inciting students to commit unlawful acts, violate school rules, or substantially disrupt the school's orderly operation. The Superintendent or designee should ensure that copyright laws are not violated in the use of material on district or school web sites. Any links to external web sites shall support the educational mission and shall include a disclaimer that the district is not responsible for the content of external web sites. The district shall not accept advertising of commercial products and services on district or school web sites. Privacy Rights The Superintendent or designee shall ensure the privacy rights of students, parents/guardians, staff, Board members, and other individuals are protected on district and school websites. Telephone numbers and home and email addresses of students and/or their parents/guardians shall not be published on district or school websites. The district regards photographs as a category of directory information that would not generally be considered harmful or an invasion of privacy if disclosed. Therefore, a student's photograph, together with the student's name, may be published on district or school websites unless the student's parent/guardian has notified the district in writing to not release the student's photograph without prior written consent, in accordance with Board Policy and Administrative Regulation 5125.1 - Release of Directory Information. If students' names are not included, photographs of individual students or groups of students, such as at a school event, may be published on school or district websites. Employees' home addresses, personal telephone numbers, and personal email addresses shall not be posted on district or school websites. The home address or telephone number of any elected or appointed official including, but not limited to, a Board member or public safety official, shall not be posted on district or school websites without the prior written permission of that individual. (Government Code 3307.5, 7928.205, 7920.535) No public safety official shall be required to consent to the posting on the Internet of the public safety official's photograph or identity as a public safety officer for any purpose if that officer reasonably believes that the disclosure may result in a threat, harassment, intimidation, or harm to the officer or the officer's family. (Government Code 3307.5)