Midway ISD Guidelines for Internet Web Site

Publishing on the Intranet/Internet

For printed version, click here

Purpose

 

 

Midway Independent School District (MISD) schools, administration, and support departments will be invited to create World Wide Web sites using the MISD web server subject to training.  These sites must reflect the professional image of MISD, its employees, and students.  Web sites are vehicles for educating, providing information, communicating and expressing creativity.  Pages should reflect an understanding that both internal and external audiences will be reviewing the information.  The content of ALL pages must be consistent with the MISD mission statement:

 

The Midway Independent School District is dedicated to providing a safe, nurturing learning environment and a quality educational program in which students become responsible citizens and lifelong learners.  Collaboration among school, home, and community is necessary to develop students academically, morally, emotionally, socially, physically, and aesthetically.  Respecting unique abilities, maintaining high expectations, and valuing diversity are essential to achieve this mission.

 

The purpose of the web site is to educate, inform, and communicate.  The key elements listed below should be used to guide the development of each site.

 

  • Educate: Content provided in the web site should be usable by students and teachers to support the curriculum
  • Inform:  Content may inform the web site audience about the school, teachers, students, or departments, including information about curriculum, events, class projects, student activities, and departmental policies.
  • Communicate: Content may provide an avenue to communicate with the community.

 

All links included on the pages must also meet the above criteria.

 

Web sites hosted on the MISD web server will not be used for any commercial purposes.  A page may not be used to provide financial gains for any individual.

 

Administrative, school, and support web sites must be located on the Midway ISD district server.

 

Web Site Content Guidelines

 

Suggested Content

 

  • Campus Welcome information
  • Campus Plan Philosophy
  • Special Emphasis
  • Principal Message
  • School Projects
  • Specific school policies
  • Lunch menu
  • School Map
  • Calendars (properly updated)
  • Office News
  • Parents’ Center (resources for parents)
  • Teacher weekly homework, class activity updates
  • Student Projects
  • Teacher resources
  • Clubs and activities
  • Links to other educational sites

 

 

 

Construction Guidelines

 

 

These guidelines will apply to ALL MISD web pages, whether created by a campus, department, district staff member, student, or support person.

 

First Page of the Site

 

The first page of the web site must:

 

  • Be the index or table of contents for the site
  • Be consistent in design with the MISD web site (not dramatic differences)
  • Include the campus name, address, and phone number
  • Identify the webmaster and provide an email address to contact the person responsible for the site
  • Include a date when the page was last updated or modified
  • Include a page counter
  • Be named index.htm or default.htm
  • Contain a link back to MISDs main page
  • Templates provided upon request

 

All Pages

 

  • Page format should be consistent on all pages.
  • Design a well-organized web site while keeping your audience and goals in mind.
  • All pages should have a link back to the MISD main page.
  • Offer a text alternative to large graphical or multimedia pages.

 

Organization of Site Structure

 

  • Design a well-organized web site.  The overall plan or file structure should be a balanced hierarchical tree* that provides quick access to information and helps the user to understand how the information is organized.  A suggestion is to use a “storyboard”* to plan the web site.
  • Design each page with your audience and goals in mind.
  • Repeat basic page format-use the same background, locate navigational tools in the same place on the page, have consistent link appearance, and have consistent font size and type.  Be consistent on all pages.
  • The title bar should include MISD title with the school name under it on each page.
  • Limit page length; keep the documents as small as possible.
  • Mailto links on each page to provide a means of feedback.
  • MISD footer information at the bottom of each page.

 

*Hierarchical Tree is a structure that arranges information starting at the root and moving out to branches.  For example, the root of a school web site would have an index that would lead to branches like staff, principal, students, calendar, and within the staff branch there would be a branch to individual teachers.  The hierarchical tree provides structure and organization for the site.

 

*Storyboard is a pictorial representation of your web site.  Each page is represented as a box, with the key elements of the page listed in the box; arrows are drawn between pages to show how they will be linked and what navigation needs to be added to the page.  Storyboarding organizes your web site so that you have a plan before you start typing and designing your pages.

 

 

Keep Your Web Site Current

 

  • Pages should be checked regularly to ensure that links are working properly and that they meet district standards.  This includes external and internal links!
  • Remove expired date-related items.
  • Maintain your files and remove unnecessary files.

 

Grammar and Spelling

 

  • All pages should be grammatically correct.
  • All words should be spelled correctly.

 

Navigation Tools

 

All pages should include the following:

 

  • “Back to “ main menu.  Provide a link back to the web site index.

 

Backgrounds

 

  • Keep backgrounds simple.  White is the best.  Select backgrounds that make text easy to read.  Remember, would you want to read from a book that had a textured background?
  • Keep background tiles small.
  • Reuse background images, pages will reload quicker and the user will be able to view your pages with ease.
  • Do not use a background to convey information.
  • Reuse graphics when appropriate.  When graphics are reused, they will load more quickly onto a web page.

 

Web Site Size

 

  • 5 MB will be the maximum per site unless specific permission is attained from the Network Communications specialist.
  • If teachers, staff, or students plan on taking their completed web design work home, 1.4 MB should be the maximum size of the web site.  1.4 MB will fit on a floppy disk for transport.  Special considerations for transporting web files will not be given to larger sites.

 

Copyrights

 

  • All web site authors must follow all applicable and existing copyright laws pertaining to the use of text, images, sounds, and video.
  • Schools and students may copyright information on their web site.

 

Internet Copyright Issues

 

Downloading Material: Educators and students are advised to exercise caution in using digital material downloaded from the Internet in producing their own educational multimedia projects because there is a mix of works protected by copyright and works in the public domain on the network.  Access to works on the Internet does not automatically mean that these can be reproduced and reused without permission or

Royalty payment.  Furthermore, some copyrighted works may have been posted to the Internet without authorization of the copyright holder.  To obtain permission for use of copyright materials, contact the copyright holder in writing.  Click here for more copyright information

 

Attribution and Acknowledgement:

 

Educators and students are reminded to credit the sources and display the copyright notice, and copyright ownership information if this is shown in the original source, for all works incorporated as part of educational multimedia projects prepared by educators and students including those prepared under fair use. Crediting the source must adequately identify the source of the work, giving a full bibliography description where available (including author, title, publisher, and place and date of publication.)

 

Disclaimer

 

The following disclaimer should be placed at the bottom of each page with the copyright info, Webmaster email, modification date, etc.

 

All links that take you from the MISD server to external sites are out of the control of Midway ISD.  Every effort has been made to verify these external links for their appropriateness.  However, due to the dynamic and sometimes volatile nature of the Internet, some of these links may change without notice.  Please notify webmaster@midwayisd.org if any objectionable links are found.

 

Employee Web Sites

 

Any employee web site on the District’s server must adhere to the stated purpose of the MISD Guidelines for Web Sites.  In addition, any link on the web site must also meet those purposes.

 

Links to Personal Web Sites

 

No links to student or staff web sites outside of the MISD server are allowed on any MISD pages unless they are part of a prescribed curriculum deemed appropriate by the Network Communication specialist or Director of Technology.

 

 

Use of Student Names, Pictures, Original Work, and Email Addresses

 

 

Great care should be exercised in the use of photographs of students, names of students, and displaying original work of students on web sites.  The MISD guidelines are as follows:

 

·         Photographs of identifiable students may be placed on the Internet only after the parents or guardians have signed a release form.

·         Full names of students may be published on the Internet only after the parents or guardians have signed a release form and when there is no photograph associated with the student.

·         Only the first name of the student shall be published along with the photograph that he or she is associated with and after the parents or guardians have signed a release form.

·         Original work by the students such as: art work, poetry, essays, performances, may be placed on the Internet only after the parents or guardians have signed a release form.

 

Acceptable Use Guidelines

 

All information on MISD web sites must follow the Acceptable Use Policy of the Midway Independent School District.  Web sites may not have information that is defamatory, vulgar, pornographic, abusive, obscene, profane, sexually oriented, threatening, racially offensive or illegal.


Student Acceptable Use Release Form,  Staff Acceptable Use Release Form

 

Consequences

 

Infractions of the provisions set forth in these guidelines may result in suspension or termination of the web site, loss of access privileges and/or appropriate disciplinary action.  Activities in violation of state and federal statues will be subject to prosecution by those authorities. MISD may take disciplinary action as appropriate.

 

Expressed Concerns Over Web Pages

 

MISD will follow procedures for the review of any MISD-connected web page about which concerns have been raised.  Any student, employee, parent, or guardian of a child in MISD may express concerns about any district-connected web pages.  Such expressions of concern shall be evaluated according to the district web site guidelines.  Concerns about page links will also be evaluated on the same criteria.

 

Procedures:

 

  1. The web page shall remain online during this procedure.
  2. The expression of concern shall be directed to the Director of Technology in writing and will include the concern in as much detail as possible including names, addresses, and phone numbers of the concerned parties.
  3. The Director of Technology and Network Communication specialist will make a recommendation as to the web site retention, alteration, or elimination within five working days of the written concern.
  4. At this point, the web site author or concerned party may appeal this recommendation in writing within five working days of the recommendation. Such an appeal is directed to the MISD Superintendent.

 

 

 

Suggestions for Maximizing Use of MISD Web Sites

 

 

In an effort to increase community awareness of MISD web pages, the following recommendations may be considered:

 

  • Print School and/or District URLs on school letterhead
  • Print District URLs on district letterhead
  • Print School and/or District URLs on business cards
  • Print School and/or District URLs in MISD publications such as the Open Door, MISD telephone directory, school newspapers, newsletters, school programs, and school handbook.

 

Each school should make the community aware of their presence on the Internet.

 

The school should make parents aware of the positive aspects of the Internet and the potential danger so they can make informed decisions about allowing their child access to the Internet.  This can be accomplished by doing the following:

 

  • Parents may be invited to the school to view the Internet.
  • Classroom teachers can highlight Internet activities at Open House, PTA meetings, or other programs.
  • Have a Parent Night – which might include:

 

1.       Demonstrate education sites and activities

2.       Discuss the MISD Acceptable Use Policy

3.       Discuss student supervision and other safety measures that are being instituted.

4.       Explain the use of MISD Internet filters.

5.       Find out what parents know about the Internet and combat fears and misconceptions with facts.

6.       Demonstrate the school or district web site

7.       Focus on educational outcomes due to Internet use.

8.       Have students demonstrate knowledge of Internet

9.       Advise parents about the MISD guidelines for publishing student names, pictures, and student work on school and district web sites.

 

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Midway ISD Technology Department

 

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