Adopted:

Revised:

361-Rule (4)

School District of Prairie Farm

Guidelines for the Selection and Use of Video Recordings

The School District of Prairie Farm has established specific guidelines for both the general school use of video recordings and the classroom use of commercially produced video recordings.

These guidelines are as follows:

General School use of Video Recordings for Instructional Purposes

a. Copies of any of the following video recordings may be made by or at the individual request of a staff member for classroom use: (1) “in house” productions, (2) un-copyrighted works or works in the public domain, and (3) copies made under “permission to copy” arrangements.

b. The following programs may be copied off-air by or at the individual request of a staff member for classroom use: (1) instructional television programs (subject to the specific rights limitations), (2) broadcast programs provided they are used in accordance with fair use guidelines, and (3) programs with specified “permission to copy” arrangements.

A nonprofit educational institution may videotape a broadcast program and retain it for 45 calendar days after the date of recording. Upon conclusion of such retention period, all off-air recordings must be destroyed immediately. “Broadcast programs” for purposes of the guidelines are television programs transmitted by television stations for reception by the general public without charge.

Off-air recordings may be made only at the request of and used by individual

teachers.  Off-air recordings may be used once by individual teachers and may be repeated only once for instructional reinforcement during the first 10 consecutive school days in the 45-day period. After the first 10 days, off-air recordings may be used only for teacher evaluation purposes. Off-air recordings need not be used in their entirety, but the recorded programs may not be altered from their original content. Off-air recordings may not be physically or electronically combined or merged to constitute teaching

anthologies or compilations.

All copies of off-air recordings must include the copyright notice on the broadcast program as recorded.

c. Programs may be copied off cable television only if permission to use a given

program has been granted to all educators, or specifically to an individual teacher

who has requested permission to do so. The publication Cable in the Classroom

should be used to determine which, if any, rights have been granted for educational use.

d. Taking the above into consideration, the following actions are prohibited in the

District: (1) copying from premium “movie” channels (HBO, the Disney Channel,

Showtime, Cinemax, etc.), (2) duplicating copyrighted video recordings, (3) copying from format to another (16mm to videotape, disc to videotape, etc.), (4) using illegally obtained copies of video recordings in the school setting.

e. Rented or purchased “Home Use Only” video recordings may be used in the

classroom as part of face-to-face instruction only if they meet the following criteria:

-the showing takes place in a classroom setting

–a teacher is in attendance

–the movie is an element of a current curriculum being taught

Use of such video recordings must be in line with “fair use” and rental license

agreement restrictions.

f. The viewing of video recordings with “Public Performance Rights” is not restricted in the school district.

Classroom/Instructional Use of Commercially-Produced Video Recordings

All films and videotapes must be carefully previewed and evaluated by the teacher and be determined to meet identified learning objectives before they are used with students.

Good taste and professional judgment must always be exercised when selecting video recordings for classroom use.

a. Commercial video recordings having obvious educational value may be used in the classroom, but special care must be taken to ensure that such recordings are

appropriate for the age and maturity of the students who will view them. If the

content of the recording may be considered to be controversial, parents/guardians must receive advance written notice as described in (b).

b. Parents/guardians must receive one week advance written notice when teachers plan to use commercial video recordings that are rated PG with elementary students, PG-13 with students in grades 6, 7, and 8, or R with senior high school. Such notice must include an accurate description of the contents of the video recording.

c. Video recordings which have an NC-17 (No Children under 17 years of age) or X rating may not be shown to students at any school at any time in the District.

d. Parents/guardians may request that in lieu of viewing a video recording as described in items (a), (b), or (c) above, their child be given a meaningful, related alternative activity associated with the same learning objective.

e. Objections to or complaints concerning the use of a specific video recording may be made in accordance with the board’s policy on handling complaints about educational materials.

The District recognizes that upon occasion unique circumstances dictate that a waiver from the above regulations be granted so that a film or video can be shown to younger students. An example of this would be using the R-rated film Glory with students in grades 7 and 8. In any such case, approval must be granted by the building principal and

the director of instruction prior to the notification of parents/guardians. All use of video recordings must be in accordance with district copyright policy.

School or Classroom Use of Video Recordings for Entertainment or Reward

All films and video recordings must be carefully previewed and evaluated by district or building instructional staff, and should support district or building curriculum, goals and initiatives.

Rented or purchased “Home Use Only” video recordings may be used when

• • Copyright laws are followed, and
• • The teacher, school or district has obtained appropriate written permission, or
• • The school or district has subscribed to a legal licensing agency (i.e., Movie
• Licensing USA) for the rights to show the video recording.

No video recordings copied off-air or from cable will be permitted to be shown for entertainment or reward purposes.

The District does not restrict viewing of video recordings with “Public Performance Rights”.

CROSS-REFERENCE: 361- Selection of Classroom Instructional and Library Media Center Materials