Oh my gosh! you must have been reading my mind. I was drifting off for a nap today (I'm on vacation so it's OK [img]tongue.gif[/img] ), and was thing about our year book and the digital camera that I'm about to buy. That lead me to thinking about my work in PR and how we have to have a signed release.
Last year for the yearbook, we just took any camera we could get a hold of and asked parents for the extras that they took at our different events. Nothing was said.
I do know that for anything that is posted on the webpage has to have a signed release according to the school board. Now as far as the school goes, I believe that there is a release form that is signed with all the other forms at the beginning of the year. But, did anyone check to see if the kids pictured in the yearbook were released? I have no I deal. But now I'm very concerned and will look in to it with a fine tooth comb.
Our principal takes pictures or gathers pictures that others take and uses them as she chooses. In the past, a newsletter for the school went out monthly, then quarterly and last year only one went out at the beginning of the year. We were allowed to submit information for this but it seems moot if you don't know when/if it will be sent out. I would like to do a one page PTO newsletter every month or two next year but haven't been able to find anyone willing to do the translation to Spanish and the school translater is overloaded as it is. Anyway, the pictures taken at the school could be used for school newsletters, the info board in the main entryway, school website, or the school photo album. I do not know of any issues that have come up with this. Our only problem with pictures were ones taken at the school that were supposed to be kept (one for each year) in each students' school record and one child went missing and the picture wasn't in the folder because the teacher had let the kids use them in craft projects.
The irony of commitment is that it’s deeply liberating-in work, in play, in love. The act frees you from the tyranny of your internal critic, from the fear that likes to dress itself up and parade around as rational hesitation. To commit is to remove your head as the barrier to your life. --Anne Morris
I just finished my first year as President and I started taking pictures at PTO events. The pictures then were put up on a bulletin board at school, also used to make a collage for the Principal and to do a PTO scrapbook that will be kept in the office for parents to look at to see what the PTO does. I am starting my second year as President and am trying to form a committee to take pictures at all PTO events.
I was told my the school Secretary that we can take anyones pictures as long as it is for school only use.
I used my own camera and paid for the pictures, the budget for 2005-2006 includes money for pictures and disposable cameras.
District policy says we have to have a release signed at the begining of the year. When I started our website I did not have access to that info. I just knew there was some parents who did not want their kids picture taken at school. I got everything approved by the lady who was in charge of all that. It is usually on the same release form saying that the parents are responsible if their kids go to an off limit site on the internet at school.
In the past I tried to take pics of events or have someone too, that was not an easy tasks for reasons unknown. The PTO I used to be pres over had purchased two digital cameras. I only used them on the web page. The prinicpal or teacher would take pictures to the local newspaper. This year I hope to have a Public Relations committee that will take pics for us to put on the website, send to the newspaper, and put on the bulletin board.
