Documents › Board of Education, 2026-01-08

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Also attached to this agenda item: Policy 1130-E--Withholding of Consent for Student to... Policy 9645--Disclosure of Wrongful Conduct FOR SECOND...

1130 MEDIA RELATIONS The Board of Education invites and welcomes the active participation of all forms of media in informing the public and improving education within the District and the wider community, to the extent permissible by statute and regulation. The Board President is designated as the spokesperson for the Board when the Board is making a statement on an issue. No other member of the Board individually will speak for, or in the name of, the Board unless by explicit direction of the Board or the Board President. A Board member should emphasize to the media when asked to speak as a Board member that they can only speak as an individual member of the community and not on behalf of the Board unless they have been authorized by the Board or the Board President to speak for it. The Superintendent of Schools is designated as the spokesperson for the District. All staff intending to release information to the media should first notify the Superintendent. The Superintendent shall establish all necessary procedures to govern day-to-day interactions between the schools and the media. Media Coverage of Student Activities For the purpose of this policy, the term “publish” means the dissemination of content in any form of media, including, but not limited to, print, broadcast, photographic, mechanical, internet, or electronic distribution. Newspapers, radio and television stations, and other members of the media may request to cover and/or report on student activities, which may include the interviewing of students, reference to a student’s work product, and/or the taking of students’ photographs or images in which a student may be identified. The District may, in its sole discretion, permit or deny permission to a member of the media to have access to District buildings or activities that are not open to the public. All members of the media who are permitted to have such access must comply with the provisions of this policy. In addition, student names, work product, and photographs or images may be publicized in material prepared and released by the District, including in brochures or other publications and on the District’s social media accounts or website. Parents/guardians of students (and students age 18 and above) may notify the District, in writing, that consent to include a student in such coverage is withheld. Even if consent is withheld, a student may appear in group photographs or audio or video recordings in which individual students are not identified by name. The written notification withholding such consent that has been filed with respect to a student will remain in effect for the entire period that the student is enrolled in the schools of the District, unless that notice of withholding is revoked by the parent/guardian of the student or the student attains the age of 18 or is an anticipated minor. A student for whom a parent/guardian has submitted a withholding of consent attains 18 years of age or older or who is an emancipated minor may submit a withholding Deleted: , Deleted: print and electronic, Deleted: district Deleted: . The Board and Superintendent will make every reasonable effort to cooperate with the media by providing accurate information about district operations Deleted: Board members Deleted: private citizens Deleted: district Deleted: forms of Deleted: samples Deleted: samples Deleted: cable station Deleted: must be completed and filed each school year with the principal’s office of the school attended by the child of consent signed by the student. The withholding of consent shall apply to all student programs and activities and events sponsored by the District with the exception of athletic events and performances open to the general public. The District will use reasonable and appropriate efforts to ensure that students for whom consent has been withheld will not be individually represented to the media or included in publications prepared and published by the District. Further, the District will use reasonable and appropriate efforts to ensure that members of the media do not use the names, work product, photographs and/or images of students for whom consent has been withheld, in accordance with this policy, with the exception of students’ participation in activities, athletic events, performances, or other events that are open to the public or that are not sponsored by the District. The provisions of this policy with respect to the use of the names, work product, photographs and/or images of students for whom consent has been withheld also applies to programs and events sponsored by the District’s PTAs and PTSAs, the Croton-Harmon Educational Foundation, the Croton Booster Club, and other extracurricular support organizations during the school day whether on or off school premises, with the exception of athletic events, performances or other events open to the general public. The Superintendent or designee will take appropriate measures to ensure that the District’s PTAs and PTSAs, the Croton-Harmon Educational Foundation, the Croton Booster Club, and other extracurricular support organizations are informed of this policy as it applies to them and that they take measures as determined by the District to ensure that the names and/or images of students for whom consent has been withheld do not appear in any publication, whether print or digital, by that organization relating to such activities. Building Principals may be authorized to grant permission for media activities in their respective schools, after notification to the Superintendent, which approval should be obtained no less than three (3) school days before the date the member of the media desires to enter a school for such purposes. Photographers, television camerapersons, reporters and writers, whether from a recognized media member or freelancers, may be permitted by the Building Principal to photograph or record by audio or video students, school activities or student performances that are not open to the public, provided that their presence will not unduly disrupt the education of students. Building Principals shall be responsible for seeing that no student for whom consent to be covered by the media has been withheld is photographed or interviewed by the member of the media and must instruct the member of the media, as a condition being granted permission to attend a school activity or event that is not open to the public, that they may not photograph or record by audio or video a student, student activity or student performance with the exception of group photographs or audio or video recordings in which students appear as a group and cannot be identified by name, and must identify to the member of the media those students who may not be included in any photograph or recorded in any audio or video because a withholding of consent has been submitted to the District with respect to that student. Members of the media are not required to obtain advance approval to attend and engage in media activities at school activities and performances or interscholastic events that are open to the public, provided their presence does not disrupt such activities, performance, or interscholastic events or the operations of the District. No admission fee shall be required of the member of the media to attend any such event. In addition, no special permission will be required before Deleted: Croton-Harmon School Deleted: , Moved (insertion) [1] Deleted: . Deleted: ¶ Deleted: its Deleted: and Deleted: or Moved up [1]: The District will use reasonable and appropriate efforts to ensure that students for whom consent has been withheld shall not be individually represented to the media. Deleted: , Deleted: and sporting events, photographs, audio or video recordings, or articles referring to students involved in such events may be published by the member of the media. If the District is informed that a member of the media has published a photograph or audio or video recording of a school event or activity, other than one that is open to the public, which contains the personally identifiable voice or image of a student for whom a withholding of consent has been provided to the District, which student was identified by the Building Principal to the member of the media prior to the activity or event, the District may deny permission to such member of the media to attend any subsequent school activity or school performance. Members of the media wishing to cover student performances requiring special arrangements should contact the Building Principal at least three (3) school days prior to the event. Members of the media wishing to cover school athletic events requiring special arrangements should contact the Director of Athletics at least three (3) school days prior to the event. The Building Principal or the Athletic Director shall determine, in their sole discretion, the arrangements to be provided for the member of the media. Memory Books/Yearbooks Photographs of students are published in memory books and yearbooks for each school in the District. Parents/Guardians may withhold consent for their child’s photograph to appear in such publications where the child is individually identified. Students age 18 or above and emancipated minors may withhold consent for their photographs to appear in a yearbook. This withholding of consent does not apply to group photographs in which the student is not identified by name. Cross-ref: 1130-E, Withholding of Consent for Student to Appear in School District Media Releases and Media 5500, Student Records 5500, Student Records Regulation 5500-E.2, Objection to Release of Directory Information Designations 5550, Student Privacy Ref: Arts and Cultural Affairs Law §61.09 Adoption date: November 14, 1994 Revised: April 12, 2012 Reviewed and maintained without change: May 9, 2019 Revised: _____________ Deleted: Representatives Deleted: Representatives Deleted: In such cases, no admission fee shall be required of the member of the media. In addition, no special permission shall be required before photographs, audio or video recordings, or articles referring to students involved in such events shall be published. Deleted: Formatted: Font: Bold Formatted: Justified Formatted: Font: No underline FOR SECOND READING 1-8-26 [RECOMMENDED REVISIONS SHOWN IN TRACK CHANGES]