News Media Guidelines
Guntersville City Schools recognizes the important role local media play in the community by reporting news and information about educational programs, services, achievements, and events. At the same time, the mission of Guntersville City Schools calls on the school system to provide students with a safe and nurturing learning environment free of unnecessary disruptions to instructional time. To that end, all media are asked to notify the Guntersville City Schools Communications Department prior to visiting any campus or school-sponsored event. If an on-campus visit is granted, all media personnel are required to check-in at the school’s front office.
For media requests and inquires, please contact Guntersville City Schools Communications Director John Davis Rollings by email or at 256-582-3159 ext. 1031 for assistance.
Social Media Guidelines
The purpose of the Guntersville City Schools social media pages is first to communicate to the stakeholders of Guntersville City Schools and allow for stakeholders to communicate about appropriate subjects on relevant sites. Guntersville City Schools reserves the right to remove comments and or block individual social media profiles that in the judgment of the page administrators violate these Terms of Use.
Employees or students posting comments that violate the policies of Guntersville City Schools, including the Code of Conduct for students or the Code of Ethics for Educators, may be subject to appropriate disciplinary action in addition to consequences under these Terms of Use. Comments may not:
- Contain profanity, obscene language
- Threaten any person, any school, any school function, or any other entity
- Defame any individual, including, but not limited to school officials
- Engage in a discussion that relates specifically to an employee, parent, or student grievance or complaint as there are other appropriate vehicles for such complaints
- Post material that belongs to another person or entity without appropriate legal attribution
- Promotes or endorses illegal activity or any activity that violates a policy of the Board of Education or a provision of a school handbook
- Impersonate another individual
- Promote or advertise commercial services
- Include comments that do not pertain to the education of students
- Be reasonably likely to disrupt the educational environment
Public Consent Procedure
The Publication Consent Procedure, shown below, is provided to all Guntersville City Schools families during school registration each year. Families may agree or opt-out of the procedure during registration. If you are unsure or your status, please contact your child's school directly.
From time to time, Guntersville City Schools documents classroom and school activities through the use of photography and/or videography. This information may be used for instructional purposes, websites, newsletters, reports, and other media/external publicity.
By agreeing to the Publication Consent Procedure, you are:
- Consenting to the use of photographs, videos, or intellectual property (see below) to be used by Guntersville City Schools in official publications and other media, for any and all publicity and/or instructional purposes.
- Granting Guntersville City Schools the rights to copyright or otherwise protect any matter in which said photographs, videos, reproductions and intellectual property hereof and/or testimonial appear.
- Releasing Guntersville City Schools from any liability in connection with the use, reproduction, and publication of any of the photographs, videos, or intellectual property.
Description of intellectual property:
To include, but not limited to: Directory information as defined in the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 U.S.C. § 1232g; 34CFR Part 99); honors, awards, and special recognitions; and any classroom or extracurricular work associated with said recognitions.
