Denison ISD Community Relations Policies

 

Media

Denison ISD enjoys a strong working relationship with local media.  Please direct all media inquiries to the Department of Public Information at 903-462-7027.  The Communications Department coordinates all coverage for Denison ISD students, staff, programs, campuses and administration.

 

Distribution Policy

As a service to Denison ISD parents, students and community, the District allows social media sharing for non-school related organizations to post notices regarding special events, programs, and activities designed for school-aged children. The materials posted may not be related to, or sponsored by, the Denison Independent School District, but the sponsoring organization must be clearly identified. Organizations may tag Denison ISD in their posts

 

If you have any questions about information contained in a flyer, please contact the sponsoring organization. Do not contact the schools or the Denison ISD office.

 

Flyers must be submitted either as a jpeg or png file, and emailed to [email protected].

 

Criteria for flyer submission:

• All flyers for non-school sponsored activities must contain the following disclaimer: "This information is being distributed as a community service. Denison Independent School District is not a sponsoring organization for this activity."

• The flyer must clearly identify the name of the organization sponsoring the event/activity and include contact information.

• The flyer must be for an activity for students.

• The group submitting must be identified by the IRS as a non-profit 501-C(3) organization.

• The material on the flyer must be age and/or developmentally appropriate for students.

• Denison ISD does not permit the distribution of flyers, handouts, or signs, containing political or religious content, or content that promotes fundraising, to the student population in our schools.

 

Social Media

Denison ISD maintains social media accounts to distribute information about upcoming events, the achievements of students and staff, and other news pertaining to Denison ISD. Denison ISD social media accounts are designated/limited open public forums, subject to reasonable time, place and manner restrictions.

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Purpose Denison ISD maintains social media accounts to distribute information efficiently and effectively to staff, parents, students, and the Denison ISD community. The main objective is to share the many accomplishments of our students and staff. Additionally, breaking news and District updates may be published on social media accounts.

 

Notices

Citizens and members of the media should submit requests for information through established channels rather than post requests as comments on the District’s social media accounts. Requests for documents in comments will not be processed. Public Information requests pursuant to the Texas Public Information Act may be made via the Denison ISD website. District students and staff members are encouraged to access DISD social media accounts outside of school hours and in accordance with District policies.

 

Comments

The administrators of the Denison ISD social media accounts reserve the right to hide comments, at any time, that violate District policies or do not adhere to the following guidelines.

 

Use of social media sites constitutes acceptance of the Terms of Use as a condition to the individual’s use of this site. This policy may be updated at any time without prior notice. Comments are solely the opinions of the users who post them. The District takes no responsibility for misinformation included in user comments.

 

Staff and students posting to DISD social media accounts must adhere to the District’s policies and guidelines on the appropriate standards of conduct applicable to DISD schools and school related activities. 

 

Denison ISD may hide comments posted on DISD social media accounts if the comment meets one of the following conditions:

• Comments shall be limited to the topic of a specific posting made by the DISD page administrator. Comments that include topics not introduced by DISD page administrators are not open for discussion on this page and the comment will be hidden by the page administrators.

• Contain remarks that are racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic or otherwise discriminatory based on a protected class as per Title VII, Title IX, other Federal or State Civil Rights laws, and Denison ISD Board policy.

• Comments that suggest or encourage violence or illegal activity are not allowed.

• Comments that contain confidential information about a student or employee.

• Comments that violate any Denison ISD Board policy.

• Comments that violate U.S. fair use or copyright laws.

• Comments that promote or advertise a service or product.

• Comments that contain links to other websites or contain photographs or links to photographs.

 

Disabling Comments on Social Media

There may be times that limiting comments on social media posts is in the best interest of the district and our stakeholders. Types of posts that may warrant disabling comments include:

• Emergency/crisis (weather delays, cancellations, road closures, etc.) – In these scenarios the information needs to come from one source and one source only.

• Elections – Comments for or against a district election on a district supported platform violate the Texas Education Code and Elections Ethics Code.

• Shared post – District social media accounts will sometimes share posts from other district social media accounts and/or from external sources as applicable to stakeholders (City of Denison, public health, Texas Education Agency, etc.) and comments should be reserved for the post originator.

 

If you have questions or would like to report a comment for us to review, please send an email to: [email protected]. Appeals for comments that have been hidden should be filed using the District’s grievance policies GF, FNG, or DGBA for community members, parents and students, and employees respectively.

 

 

Denison ISD Use of Social Media

Administrative Guidelines

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Purpose of using social media

Denison Independent School District permits the use of social media (Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram) by departments and campuses solely to enhance communications with students, parents and other stakeholders and to publicize the accomplishments of students and staff. 

 

Responsibility for page content

The Official Denison ISD social media accounts are operated by the Public Information Department. The Public Information Coordinator is responsible for the content posted on these pages. 

 

Official department social media accounts shall be the responsibility of the director of the department operating the page. 

 

Official campus social media accounts shall be the responsibility of the principal of the school operating the page. Principals may grant administrator access to campus social media pages to designated staff members.

 

Social media accounts of PTO and Booster Clubs who operate as an extension of the campus/district shall be the responsibility of the principal of the school operating the page. Principals may grant administrator access to campus social media pages to staff members and/or parents.

 

Social media accounts of PTO and Booster Clubs who operate independently as their own 501c3 shall be the responsibility of both the organization and the principal of the school operating the page. Principals must have administrator access to these sites.

Use of social media by classroom teachers Principals may grant permission for teachers to establish social media accounts for the purpose of enhancing communications with parents and/or publicizing classroom activities.  These accounts will be considered official campus accounts. 

 

Registration and administration access to new social media accounts

Departments and campuses that initiate social media pages must register their account with the Communications Department. The Director must be given administrator access to all social media accounts operated on behalf of the district. 

 

Use of student photos and student work

The use of student photos and classroom work on social media fan pages is permitted solely for the purpose of recognizing accomplishments and hard work. Students who  have their photos and classroom work featured on the District’s social media pages must have authorization by a parent or guardian for media release. 

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Professionalism on social media

Content of all Denison ISD social media pages is a direct reflection of the District’s image. Information posted on any Denison ISD social media page should be original content.  The re-posting of content that did not originate by Denison ISD should be carefully evaluated and should only be used in extenuating circumstances. Page administrators should act responsibly. All information should be examined to ensure proper grammatical use and checked for typographical errors prior to posting. Page administrators should avoid using the first person singular tense. 

 

Required Facebook Fan Page content under the “About” tab in “General Information” section 

The purpose of the Fan Page must be clearly stated: “This Facebook Fan Page is provided for parents and students of (school or department name). This page is updated on a regular basis with the goal of sharing positive news and timely information about (school or department name), including the achievements of students and staff as well as other important information.”

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Rules of engagement must be clearly stated: “All news and comments posted on this page are at the discretion of the (director/principal) of (department/school). The posting of negative or critical comments is not prohibited provided they are constructive and not offensive or defamatory. The privacy and rights of Denison ISD staff and students will be protected. Naming specific employees or students in a negative way is not allowed.”

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Page administrators reserve the right to remove all postings that violate or infringe upon Denison ISD guidelines and policies. All postings and comments to this Fan Page are subject to the Public Information Act, chapter 552, of the Government Code.

Page administrators will delete postings that:

• Break the law or encourage others to do so

• Violate copyright and fair use laws

• Contain abusive or inappropriate language

• Identify students or staff in defamatory, abusive, or negative terms

• Offend or provoke others

• Advertise or promote a service, business or product

We invite you to help us police our page. Report all inappropriate comments by sending an email to [email protected].

Updated 6-13-23

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Severe Weather

In the event of severe weather during overnight or early morning hours, the decision to close schools or delay start times will be made no later than 6:00am on the day in question.

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Parents and families may receive notification of severe weather delays/closings in several ways:

• School Messenger System - Denison ISD uses an automated call system to notify parents in the district database.

• Website: www.denisonisd.net - School delay/closings will be posted on the front page of the District website.

• Facebook & Twitter - Follow Denison ISD official social media for another source of news about DISD.

• Local media - We will update the following local television stations by 6:00am of the status of classes (delayed/closed):

  • KTEN (Television: Channel 10)

  • KXII (Television: Channel 12)

  • Alpha Media (Radio: 93.1, 97.5, 102.5)

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The procedure for making the decision to close schools begins early in the morning when school personnel in each area of the city drive the streets near the neighborhood schools to check road conditions. Personnel confer with the weather bureau, police department, and gas and utility companies about forecasts, road conditions and available energy for heating the buildings. The personnel report the findings to the Superintendent of Schools (or designee) who makes the final decision if a delay or closing is needed.

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Classes will not be held if it is determined that buses are unable to operate safely; if electric service at schools is disrupted; or if natural gas to schools is curtailed.

If severe weather occurs during the school day, student safety will be considered the first priority. School is often the safest place for students and staff during severe weather. At school, they are properly supervised and have the opportunity to eat breakfast and/or lunch. In the event of an early dismissal, school officials will make every attempt to feed the students a meal before releasing them.