Web Publishing Procedures and Guidelines

Web Publishing Procedures and Guidelines

 

Pasadena, Texas, USA
PURPOSE OF THE DISTRICT WEB SITE AND CAMPUS WEB SITES

Web sites are maintained by the Pasadena Independent School District in order to
  1. Facilitate communication between staff, students, parents, and the community for instructional issues such as curricula, syllabi, and assignments,
  2. Provide educational resources and opportunities for both students and staff, and
  3. Provide information about our schools, our programs, and the accomplishments of our students and staff to the general public.
In addition, the campus web sites will provide an opportunity for student training in electronic publishing and preparation for real-world application.

WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE WEBSITES

 The Executive Director of Communications/Community Relations is responsible for the content of the PISD district web site. Each campus web site will be maintained by a webmaster, named by the campus administrator, possessing the necessary skills to manage the web site and follow design guidelines. Campus administrators are responsible for the content and control of their sites and reserve the right to edit any content contained in their site. A committee at the district and/or campus level will review any challenges regarding questionable content of web pages contained on a school’s web site. The ultimate decision, however, will fall under the campus administrator’s and/or the Executive Director of Communications/Community Relations’ jurisdiction.

No web page may contain
  • Inappropriate material or links to inappropriate materials.
  • Any graphic or information that is in violation of copyright laws.
  • Commercial advertisements or links, including banner ads or promotions unless approved by the Executive Director of Communications/Community Relations.

WHO MAY PUBLISH INFORMATION ON THE PISD WEB SITE

 The following persons and organizations may publish information on the Pasadena ISD site:
  • Schools, departments, offices, official committees, and organizations on the Pasadena ISD site,
  • Official student organizations,
  • Currently-employed faculty* and staff, and
  • Other groups or individuals whose purposes are consistent with the mission of the school district, at the discretion of the Executive Director of Communications/Community Relations.
*Faculty pages are allowed, providing they offer class information relating to their individual teaching assignment. A template for a staff member’s web page is available from the campus web master.
When publishing, you should remember visitors to both the district and campus site may include students and their families, prospective students and their families, staff, alumni, residents of Harris County, and anyone in the world with Internet access.

PROCEDURES FOR IDENTIFICATION AND PUBLICATION

Identification of students and/or employees:
  • PreK to 8th grade student photographs may be included on a web page. However, the students in the photos cannot be identified by their last names. Students may be identified by their first name and last initial or by the activity and/or class.
  • Ninth to 12th grade student photos may be published. In addition, the students in the photos may be identified by their first and last names.
  • At all grade levels, no student phone number, address (email or residential) or name of family or friends will be published on a web page.
  • Employee photographs and personal email addresses may be posted on a school and/or district web page ONLY with permission from the employee.
  • Employees names and teaching assignments, (no photos), as well as voice mail numbers and business email addresses may be published on a school web page without permission of the employee.

Student publications:
  • Before any student is allowed to publish any web documents, he/she must have a signed Acceptable Use Policy on file.
  • Students who are publishing web pages, whether created during school time or at home and linked from a district web page, must do so in the context of a class, unit, etc., under the supervision and/or review of a teacher or other educational personnel.
  • Student-created web pages should observe copyright and fair use procedures.
  • Procedures under Identification of Students should be followed.
  • There will be no links to chat rooms other than those monitored by campus personnel.
  • Student work shall be removed before the start of the next school year, unless approved for a longer duration by the teacher or campus administrator.

Teacher publications:
  • The campus administrator or designee must be notified of any teacher-maintained web site that is used in the context of the instructional process.
  • Teacher web pages that are linked from the school or district web page should NOT be for personal business.
  • Teacher web pages (whether linked to the district/school web page or not) that are used in the classroom or to support instruction must follow the procedures outlined in this document.

PUBLISHING GUIDELINES FOR DISTRICT AND CAMPUS PAGES

 Remember that the purpose of the district/school web site is to educate or inform. The information contained on the site should be of benefit to students, parents and/or staff members. District and campus sites will use the following guidelines in producing and maintaining their web sites when possible.

Content
  • Observe fair use procedures, as well as all applicable copyright laws.
  • Use well-edited text, including correct grammar and spelling.
  • Use factually correct information.

Design
  • Make page titles specific with regards to each page’s content when applicable.
  • Create a top-level home page that is short, includes the purpose of the web page, and links to additional pages. Additional web pages should provide detailed information and contain links to the appropriate web site home page.
  • Insert a hypertext index and links throughout the document to facilitate navigation when using a web page of longer than one screen.
  • Test all of the links, scripts, and components in the page(s) to make sure that they have the desired performance in Internet Explorer 4.0 and Netscape Navigator 3.0 or later, before uploading and/or sending to the respective web master for uploading.

Tips

 1. Identify the audience to be served by the web page.
2. Investigate what already exists before beginning the design of a page.
3. Plan fonts and graphics with the audience in mind.
4. Maintain uniformity for ease of reading and site navigation.
5. Clarify the organization of the web site’s information (site map).
6. Use graphics, video, and audio that serve an appropriate purpose.
7. Update web pages on a regular basis and date time critical information. 8. Use backgrounds that allow for easy viewing of the material presented.

Media

 When using graphics of any kind, consider the following:
  • Use images with a resolution of approximately 72 dpi (dots per inch).
  • Utilize images of a maximum size of about 2" by 3" or 70 KB to improve loading quickness.
  • Provide thumbnail sketches and text alternatives if larger images are used.
  • Utilize backgrounds that allow for easy viewing of the material presented.
Be sure to adhere to copyright laws and fair use guidelines. When creating video and audio, monopolization of server space and bandwidth must be limited.