PREVIEWING, SHOWING, AND VIEWING MEDIA, LIVE & RECORDINGS

The following principles and procedures will guide previewing, showing, and viewing live or recorded media in school:

1. Media recordings, streaming media or live viewing must be related to the curriculum. In the case of live event viewing, public events and or newsworthy events may be acceptable for viewing.

2. Streaming media is defined as any content (audio, video or combination of the two) delivered via the Internet primarily through a content provider. Content providers are defined as any media outlet, organization or group that regularly provides streamed media content for free or at a cost.

3. No media recordings may be shown unless previewed by the teacher.

4. Educational media recordings may be viewed by all students without requiring written parental permission.

5. General media recordings of a G rating may be viewed by allstudents without parental permission as long as they are related to the curriculum.

6. Media recordings rated PG that are directly related to the curriculum may be viewed by students only with parental permission. PG and PG13 media recordings which are related directly to the curriculum may be viewed by students at the high school level only with parental permission.

7. Students not having written parental consent, when required, must be provided with appropriate classwork, or other appropriate activities, in a location not in viewing or hearing distance of the media and without intentional embarrassment to the students.

8. Television programming is rated in a similar fashion as follows. Teachers and administrators should adhere to the recommended standards for the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) content similarly with the TV content ratings. Therefore, no content above TV-G should be viewed without following the parental guidance steps outlined in item #6 above. In the case of live presentation of news or public events, school administrators and the teacher should confer prior to the event to arrive at a viewing decision.

a. TV-Y - programs aimed at a very young audience, including children from ages 2-6.

b. TV-Y7 - programs most appropriate for children age 7 and up.

c. TV-Y7-FV - programming with fantasy violence that may be more intense or more combative than other programming in the TV-Y7 category.

d. TV-G - programs suitable for all ages; these are not necessarily children's shows.

e. TV-PG - parental guidance is recommended; these programs may be unsuitable for younger children.

f. TV-14 - these shows may be unsuitable for children under 14.

g. TV-MA - these programs are intended to be viewed by mature, adult audiences and may be unsuitable for children under 17.

9. If no rating is provided (i.e., in the case of home video recordings, live tv, or documentaries and streaming content without a rating, etc.), all questions regarding media-recording ratings, the suitableness of media recording film parts, etc., must be brought to the attention of the Principal for review and a decision. The Principal always has the option of requesting the review by the Assistant Superintendent to determine the appropriateness of a media recording. In case a media recording’s appropriateness is challenged, the following process shall take place:

• • The challenge must be submitted in writing, with the specific objections cited.

  • The Principal and the Assistant Superintendent shall review the media recording and related objections. Until they have reached a decision, the media recording may not be shown.

  • The Assistant Superintendent shall make a decision concerning the appropriateness of the media recording, and shall notify the challenger in writing, through the Principal, of its decision. The Assistant Superintendent shall file a written report of its findings, with the Principal, for future reference.

  • If the media recording was decided to be inappropriate by the Assistant Superintendent, the Principal shall see that the media recording is not shown in the future.

10. The Principal may use his/her discretion and require written parental permission for students to view any media, live or recorded.

11. Media on the Internet follow the same guidelines as above.

12. Media recordings brought to school by students must adhere to this policy.

13. Due to the bandwidth considerations and content issues reviewed in this policy, teachers may not subscribe to or engage the services of any free or paid provider of routinely streamed media without the permission of the Principal and the Director of Technology. Teachers wanting to utilize a streaming service (audio or video) on a regular basis should submit the site for evaluation as an “approved application” similar to any other software or application used in the district.

14. Steaming services are bound by their own user agreements and unless there is a signed agreement with the District for said service, any use of a streaming service under a personal account can be construed as a violation of that user agreement and subject the user and or the District to fines, prosecution and other possible sanctions. Therefore the use of streaming services not under the management of the District is prohibited.

ADOPTED: March 15, 1999

REVISED: December 7, 2020