Board Policy KB: Public Information Program

The DeKalb County Board of Education wishes to promote a positive environment in the DeKalb County School District with an awareness of, involvement in, and support for the District and its educational mission among all District stakeholders.

The Board believes that the schools are strengthened by the support of informed DeKalb County citizens. This support is based on knowledge of, understanding about, and participation in the aims and efforts of the District. A strong communications program is essential to increasing understanding of, commitment to, and advocacy for the District and its mission and goals.

The Board affirms its commitment to (1) keeping the citizens, staff and other key stakeholders regularly and accurately informed about policies, programs, problems and planning of the District; (2) soliciting the advice and counsel of parents, students, staff and others on basic issues through appropriate channels (such as Parent Teacher Associations, advisory councils, and other community forums); (3) charging the Department of Communications with carrying out this policy as an integral part of regular activities and responsibilities; and (4) cooperating with the news media as the primary purveyors of public information, recognizing their right to all the facts and their obligation to publish them in a responsible manner.

The District will provide information about the schools through various channels and under a public information program. The Department of Communications will conduct this program by releasing news submitted by the local schools with the goal of making the District highly visible and transparent to the public.

Dissemination of timely, accurate and newsworthy information to the community through the public and media or other channels, and assistance in arranging school visits and media interviews, is the primary responsibility of the Department of Communications, working in cooperation with school administrators and other department supervisors.

The Board is committed to positive public and media relations, balancing the rights of the general public to be informed with the legitimate rights of privacy of the District’s employees, students and parents. Rights of privacy are based upon Georgia law and federal statutes.

The District's primary functions are teaching and learning. It is unlawful for any person to disrupt or interfere with the operation of school. In accordance with the powers and the responsibilities vested in school officials, visitors at any school are required to report to the office before seeking out employees or students. All contacts with students by persons other than school employees, and all dissemination of personally identifiable information about students, shall always be given only with prior permission from the student's parent or legal guardian, in accordance with the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act.

Because District communications should be a planned, systematic process among the educational organization and its internal and external stakeholders, an annual report on the status and progress of the District will be presented to the public each year.

District officials will cooperate with the public and media as a vehicle for sharing public information under the guidelines of Georgia’s Open Meetings Law and Open Records Law.