To enhance communication with students, parents/guardians, staff, and community members, the Governing Board encourages the Superintendent or designee to develop and maintain district and school websites. The use of district and school websites shall support the district's vision and goals and shall be coordinated with other district communications strategies.
(cf. 0000 - Vision)
(cf. 0440 - District Technology Plan)
(cf. 1100 - Communication with the Public)
(cf. 1112 - Media Relations)
(cf. 1114 - District-Sponsored Social Media)
(cf. 6020 - Parent Involvement)
Design Standards
The Superintendent or designee shall establish design standards for district and school websites in order to maintain a consistent identity, professional appearance, and ease of use.
A U.S. Department of Justice technical assistance publication, Accessibility of State and Local Government Websites to People with Disabilities, states that an agency with a website that is otherwise inaccessible to individuals with disabilities may meet its legal obligations by providing an alternative accessible way for them to use the programs or services (e.g., a staffed telephone information line), but points out that these alternatives are unlikely to provide an equal degree of access in terms of hours of operation or range of options and programs available. See the accompanying administrative regulation for accessibility guidelines.
The district's design standards shall address the accessibility of district and school websites to individuals with disabilities, including compatibility with commonly used assistive technologies.
(cf. 0410 - Nondiscrimination in District Programs and Activities)
Website Content
The Superintendent or designee shall develop content guidelines for district and school websites and assign staff to review and approve content prior to posting.
Board policy pertaining to advertising in district and school publications, as specified in BP 1325 - Advertising and Promotion, shall also apply to advertising on district and school websites.
(cf. 1325 - Advertising and Promotion)
Privacy Rights
The Superintendent or designee shall ensure that the privacy rights of students, parents/guardians, staff, Board members, and other individuals are protected on district and school websites.
(cf. 1340 - Access to District Records)
(cf. 4119.23/4219.23/4319.23 - Unauthorized Release of Confidential/Privileged Information)
(cf. 5022 - Student and Family Privacy Rights)
(cf. 5125 - Student Records)
Telephone numbers and home and email addresses of students and/or their parents/guardians shall not be published on district or school websites.
(cf. 5125.1 - Release of Directory Information)
The district regards photographs as a category of directory information that would not generally be considered harmful or an invasion of privacy if disclosed. Therefore, a student's photograph, together with his/her name, may be published on district or school websites unless the student's parent/guardian has notified the district in writing to not release the student's photograph without prior written consent, in accordance with BP/AR 5125.1 - Release of Directory Information.
Employees' home addresses, personal telephone numbers, and personal email addresses shall not be posted on district or school websites.
The home address or telephone number of any elected or appointed official including, but not limited to, a Board member or public safety official, shall not be posted on district or school websites without the prior written permission of that individual. (Government Code 3307.5, 6254.21, 6254.24)
No public safety official shall be required to consent to the posting on the Internet of his/her photograph or identity as a public safety officer for any purpose if that officer reasonably believes that the disclosure may result in a threat, harassment, intimidation, or harm to the officer or his/her family. (Government Code 3307.5)
(cf. 3515.3 - District Police/Security Department)
Legal Reference:
EDUCATION CODE
35182.5 Contracts for advertising
35258 Internet access to school accountability report cards
48907 Exercise of free expression; rules and regulations
48950 Speech and other communication
49061 Definitions, directory information
49073 Release of directory information
60048 Commercial brand names, contracts or logos
BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONS CODE
22580-22582 Digital privacy
22584-22585 Student Online Personal Information Protection Act
22586 Preschool and prekindergarten privacy
GOVERNMENT CODE
3307.5 Publishing identity of public safety officers
6254.21 Publishing addresses and telephone numbers of officials
6254.24 Definition of public safety official
11135 Nondiscrimination; accessibility to state web sites
PENAL CODE
14029.5 Prohibition against publishing personal information of person in witness protection program
UNITED STATES CODE, TITLE 17
101-122 Subject matter and scope of copyright
504 Penalties for copyright infringement
UNITED STATES CODE, TITLE 20
1232g Federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act
UNITED STATES CODE, TITLE 29
705 Definitions; Vocational Rehabilitation Act
794 Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973; accessibility to federal web sites
UNITED STATES CODE, TITLE 42
12101-12213 Americans with Disabilities Act
CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS, TITLE 16
312.1-312.12 Children's Online Privacy
CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS, TITLE 34
99.1-99.67 Family Educational Rights and Privacy
104.1-104.61 Nondiscrimination on the basis of disability
COURT DECISIONS
City of San Jose v. Superior Court, (2017) 2 Cal.5th 608
Aaris v. Las Virgenes Unified School District, (1998) 64 Cal.App.4th 1112
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION OFFICE FOR CIVIL RIGHTS PUBLICATIONS
Dear Colleague Letter, May 26, 2011
Joint Dear Colleague Letter: Electronic Book Readers, June 2010
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE PUBLICATIONS
Accessibility of State and Local Government Websites to People with Disabilities, June 2003
WORLD WIDE WEB CONSORTIUM PUBLICATIONS
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, December 2008
WEBSITES
CSBA: http://www.csba.org
California Department of Education, Web Accessibility Standards: http://www.cde.ca.gov/re/di/ws/webaccessstds.asp
Management Resources:
California School Public Relations Association: http://www.calspra.org
U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights: https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr
U.S. Department of Justice, Americans with Disabilities Act: http://www.ada.gov
World Wide Web Consortium, Web Accessibility Initiative: http://www.w3.org/wai
Policy SANTA CLARA UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
adopted: September 12,2013 Santa Clara, California
revised: January 25, 2018