Before taking, posting, or using pictures/video of your students make sure:
- Each child pictured has filled out the photo/video release form for your school. I know each child at our school is given one of these forms at the beginning of the year and our registrar keeps track of who has/has not completed one. Be mindful of this because there are some families who do not take pictures because of cultural/religious beliefs.
- If you have an after school group, make sure to get separate authorization. While I'm pretty sure my district form covers using photo/video of these students, I like to have something at my fingers tips.
- Think before you post a picture/video. Do I need to reveal the identities of my students? Is this a safe site to post something?
I may be a bit extreme when it comes to posting pictures of kids but there are so many people out there who aren't respectful of young people. I do have all of my after school groups fill out a release but I use this for showing videos on the morning announcements and for pictures I occasionally hang in the hall way. It is very rare for me to reveal the identities of my kids. I prefer to take pictures showing them from the neck down or to blur their faces using Photoshop. This is what makes me most comfortable.
