Our school sends home a waiver for all school sponsored items that the district will be putting in the paper. Any PTO items we would want to publish, we'd have to give the pictures to the school, they would have to look up the child's waiver and see if its OK. It takes too much time, so the PTO doesn't publish pictures, only a first name and initial unless we get prior OK from the parent at the event.
kleinds, TAKING pictures, and USING them (publicaiton in newsletter or email, or any other form of transmission) are 2 different animals.
most school districts have written forms parents sign each year, and it doesnt say 'may your child be photographed', it reads more like 'may your childs photo be published in district or school publicaction/newsletter xyz'.
many districts have such a release form, for thier own protection from litigious parents, if for no other reason (and there may be other, legal reasons like privacy laws and other laws protecting minors).
kleinds;136593 wrote: My personal thought is if you have a picture and want to use it, the use it. People get way to worked up over this issue. People are not trolling school newsletters looking for our kids. Yes, bad stuff happens in this world. But is there really that much more bad stuff than when we were kids or do we just have a much more active media that tells us about ALL of it? The enjoyment you kid will get from seeing his or her picture in a newsletter or on a school web site by far dwarfs the possibility that someone is looking for your kiddo.
I sort of agree, here, but not if the picture will be posted to the internet along with a child's name. We have several students who are the victims of nasty custody battles in other states or countis and are sort of in hiding here. You can bet someone Googles these kids' names from time to time, and I'd hate for our newsletter to cause a problem for anyone, whether it was legal or not.
As an example, I am working on my HS reunion. I started popping names into GoodSearch and Google, and it's amazing how much information is out there and easily accessible that probably should not be. It is a stalker's dream, and a lot of the info is in school and church newsletters.
If you don't expect too much from me, you might not be let down. <img src=images/smilies/smile.gif>
My personal thought is if you have a picture and want to use it, the use it. People get way to worked up over this issue. People are not trolling school newsletters looking for our kids. Yes, bad stuff happens in this world. But is there really that much more bad stuff than when we were kids or do we just have a much more active media that tells us about ALL of it? The enjoyment you kid will get from seeing his or her picture in a newsletter or on a school web site by far dwarfs the possibility that someone is looking for your kiddo.
I work for the local sheriff sheriffs department and have taken 911 calls from many people upset that there was someone on their street with a camera. The concern was people photographing their kids. In CA, at least, the eye and therefore the camera, can not commit trespass. If you are on public property, such as a school or a public street, snap away.
This is a school/district policy for us and for some parents a major safety concern. Permission form is sent home at the beginning of the school year. School keeps track of which ones do and do not have parent permission to be used in publications. This form has to be signed every year. Some of our parents even go as far as not allowing even a student's name to be used in an article about a team or classroom project.
Our school also puts out a flier in the beginning of the year for parents to sign for the school to use their childs picture in any print or video use.
Check with your school office- they will have a current list of which students pictures can not be used this way.
And there will be some, there always are.
