Media & Communications
The Maplewood Richmond Heights School District recognizes the important role the media plays in reporting news and information about its educational programs, services, students, and employees. The District’s Communications Department assists the media by providing information about the District and is committed to working with the media and making every effort to work within their deadlines. All requests to interview, film, or photograph District employees, students, or board of education members should be made to the Communications Department.
Media Visiting the District
Media who want to film, photograph, or interview MRH staff, students, or board members are asked to make a request through the Communications Department. The Communications Department will provide a representative who can best address the topic of the interview. Media interviews or photographs with students require parental consent. When requests for student interviews are granted, the interview is conducted at a District-designated site to minimize the loss of instructional time and disruption to the learning environment. When filming (live or taped), taking a still photograph, or conducting interviews while in the school district, a representative from the Communications Department (or their designee) will accompany media at all times to minimize disruption at the school and to assist with any additional requests. As a safety and security measure, the media, like all visitors to MRH’s buildings, are asked to sign in and obtain a visitor's pass. Passes are available in the front office of each of the District’s schools.
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act
The Maplewood Richmond Heights School District abides by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), which allows students and parents to opt-out of the release of certain information about students, including photographs. The Communications Department will work with each school to determine who cannot be interviewed and photographed according to FERPA guidelines.
Board of Education Meetings
Members of the news media are invited to attend all open meetings of the Maplewood Richmond Heights School District’s Board of Education. The media may record these meetings when they take place in person. To avoid disruption of in-person meetings, members of the media are asked to not approach board members, guest speakers, or members of the audience inside the room during the meeting. Interviews must be conducted outside the room or in a pre-arranged location. Copies of the board agenda, informational items, and other meeting materials are available online.
Emergencies
It is the District’s practice to work as cooperatively as possible to supply timely information to the media on the emergency and its impact on students, teachers, or staff members, provided the release of information does not jeopardize the emergency response activities, or conflict with federal privacy laws, the well-being of our students or employees, or the concerns of their families. During an emergency, media will not be allowed inside the affected school building(s). Media will be assigned to a designated external area at the site of the emergency to allow full access to the site by emergency response teams.
During an emergency, all media calls are referred to the Communications Department to allow the crisis response team at the site to give full attention to relief efforts. The District will work as quickly as possible to provide accurate information to the media through a spokesperson, written releases, or news briefings.
Flyer Distribution
The Maplewood Richmond Heights School District works with community groups and organizations that sponsor activities of an educational/enrichment nature for students and staff by distributing materials to students and staff in accordance with Board of Education policies. For ecological reasons, the MRH School District will avoid distribution of physical flyers and use electronic distribution methods instead.
Distribution procedures:
- All flyers must be submitted and approved in advance (generally completed within one business day). Requests may be emailed to the Communications Department or delivered to the Central Office at 2650 S. Hanley Road, Maplewood, MO 63144.
- Once approved, flyers can be distributed by the school or by grade level via MRH technology.
- All flyers that are not generated by the MRH School District (or any of its schools or PTOs) must include the following disclaimer: MRH School District does not endorse and is not responsible for any business, services, or event advertised in this flyer.
The MRH School District does not approve the distribution of materials that:
- Are deemed not suitable for children.
- Are obscene to minors.
- Are libelous.
- Are pervasively indecent or vulgar.
- Advertise any product or service not permitted to minors by law.
- Publicize or promote any particular religion or religious belief.
- Publicize or promote a particular political party, political organization, or political viewpoint.
- Constitute insulting or fighting words, the very expression of which injures or harasses other people (e.g., threats of violence, defamation of character or of a person's race, religion or ethnic origin).
- Present a clear and present likelihood that, either because of their content or their manner of distribution, they will cause a material and substantial disruption of the proper and orderly operation and discipline of the school or school activities or will cause the commission of unlawful acts or the violation of lawful school procedures.
Open Records Requests
Sunshine Law requests may be submitted here. All requests will be processed by the Custodian of Records in accordance with Missouri statute 610.011, RSMo. If the District office is scheduled to be closed in accordance with the current academic calendar, or if the custodian of records is out of the office at the time of a submission, expect a response within 3 days of the custodian's return to work.
