The Jefferson City School District believes in the importance of working with media representatives to help keep our community informed about school issues. The Communications Department is the primary resource for all school information and the first link for media representatives to contact should they wish to pursue a school-related story.
Our school district includes in its board policies information specific to the protocol of how staff provide stories to the Communications Department. A part of the policy is as follows:
School-Sponsored Information Media
The public school system has in its employ a Director of Communications, charged with the responsibility of public information. Good school publicity and public relations have become extremely important to profitable school endeavors. The district welcomes assistance in this area of activity, and shall continue to direct school news and publicity through the principal's office. Staff should report such items as they believe worthy of news releases to the office in written memorandum form, giving all the main information and other pertinent data which would regularly be included in a news story. The office will then report those items which have previously been reported to the office.
Media outlets are requested to follow the Jefferson City Public Schools protocol when wishing to do a story that involves the school district or any of its employees or students:
1. Always contact the Communications Department prior to making contact with any other school employee or student. The phone number for the Communications Department is (573) 659-3018.
2. The Director of Communications will provide media outlets with key information. If necessary, the director will also assist in providing key employees to discuss school issues with the reporter.
3. Media representatives are also reminded that no student may be interviewed or photographed without the school first determining that the student's parents have signed a media release form.
4. As with interviews, media representatives must contact the Communications Department prior to taking photographs or videotaping on school grounds.
5. Once permission is granted by the Director of Communications, media representatives are asked to check in with the office of any school that they may be using in a story, photograph, or videotape prior to continuing with their work.
Again, we appreciate that media representatives have a job to do, but our first priority is student safety, followed by the importance of letting staff do their job without interruption.
Ryan Burns, Director of Communications
573.659.3018
