The
Seattle Public
Schools

ADVERTISING AND COMMERCIAL ACTIVITIES

C30.01
November 21, 2001

 

POLICY

It is the policy of the Seattle School Board to significantly restrict commercial advertising on or within district-operated property. Corporate support that maintains the integrity of the learning environment is encouraged.

 

BOARD-ADOPTED PROCEDURES

  1. General Principles

    2. School-business relationships based on sound principles and community input can contribute to high quality education. However, compulsory attendance creates an obligation for the school district to protect the welfare of students and the integrity of the learning environment. Therefore, when working together, schools and businesses must ensure that educational values are not distorted in the process. Positive school-business relationships should be ethical and structured in accordance with the following principles:

    1. Consistency with District and School Academic Standards and Goals. All corporate support or activity shall be consistent with State, District, and school academic standards and goals. Commercial involvement must also be structured to meet identified educational needs, not commercial motives.

    2. Consistency with District Non-discrimination Policies and Age-appropriateness. All corporate support or activity must be consistent with Seattle School District policies prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, handicap, age, or sexual orientation, and must be age-appropriate for the students involved.

    3. Certain Corporate Support or Activity Prohibited. No corporate support or activity will be permitted in the District or in the schools that:

      1. Promotes the use of illicit drugs, alcohol, tobacco, or firearms
      2. Promotes hostility, disorder, or violence
      3. Attacks or demeans any ethnic, racial, or religious group
      4. Is libelous
      5. Promotes any specific religion
      6. Promotes or opposes any political candidate or ballot proposition
      7. Inhibits the functioning of any school.

    4. District/School Must Control the Curriculum. District/school personnel must retain the discretion on how or whether to integrate commercially sponsored or provided material or programs into the curriculum. Also, school activities shall not be about a commercial sponsor, e.g., students shall not be required to make art projects or write essays primarily about sponsors.

    5. Parents Should Be Consulted. Parents and community members shall be consulted in the decision-making process, and be well-informed about the nature and extent of commercial activity in the schools. Information can be via letter and public announcements in newspapers, school and PTA newsletters, school websites, etc.

     

  2. Specific Limitations on District and School Based Advertising

    1. Students Shall Not Be Required To View Advertising. Students shall not be required to observe, listen to or read commercial advertising in the school-building except as follows:

      1. Advertising is permitted in connection with courses of study which have specific lessons related to advertising. It will be up to each school to decide whether the lessons related to advertising are appropriate.

      2. Advertising is permitted in yearbooks, school newspapers, and event programs.

      3. Advertising is permitted in such supplementary classroom and library materials as newspapers, magazines, television, the internet, and similar media where they are used in a class such as current events, or where they serve as an appropriate research tool.

      4. Advertising on Channel One is contrary to Board Policy and the Superintendent is directed to phase Channel One out from all schools in which it currently exists by the 2004-2005 school year. During the phase out process, no new contracts shall be entered into.

      5. Information concerning educational activities or opportunities of interest to students and others in the school community, such as flyers and brochures regarding such things as sports camps, music lessons, and tutors, shall be permitted, provided that the principal or designee reviews the material in advance.

    2. Limits on Promotional Information in Curriculum Materials. Neither the District nor any school shall purchase or use any sponsored educational materials that contain promotional information about a product, service, company, or industry that is inappropriate to the lesson being taught in the content of the curriculum.

    3. Advertising Not Permitted on Scoreboards, Readerboards Buildings, or in Memorial Stadium or District Athletic Fields. Advertising will not be permitted on scoreboards, reader-boards, building facades, walls, or floors, or in Memorial Stadium or District athletic fields. Also, the District will use its best efforts to ensure that no advertising is permitted in the school buses operated by the District’s contract transportation providers, other than public providers.

    4. Students Shall Not be Required to Advertise. No corporate relationship shall be permitted which requires students to advertise a product, service, company, or industry. This prohibition on student advertising includes athletic uniforms and equipment, although uniforms and equipment may display the name or logo of the uniform and equipment manufacturer or supplier. Specific limitations on the use of logos are set forth in Section C.1.

    5. Limits on Collecting Personal Information. Neither the District nor any school shall require students to complete surveys to provide marketing information to vendors, or distribute to vendors any personal information of students, including, but not limited to names, addresses, and telephone numbers, except as may be required by law. In addition, neither the District nor any school shall enter into any contract for products or services, including electronic media services, where personal information will be collected from the students by the providers of the services in question. Personal information includes, but is not limited to, the student’s name, telephone number and home address.

     

  3. Logos and Sponsorship

    1. Logos For Identification Only. All company logos appearing on District property, including logos on materials, supplies, or equipment purchased, rented, or leased by or donated to the District, shall be for product or sponsor identification purposes only. Logos for sponsor identification purposes shall not be permitted on District property, materials, supplies, or equipment for the purpose of advertising to students. School-based personnel shall be the primary decision-makers in the schools regarding whether a sponsor identification logo is for identification or advertising purposes. In determining whether the logo is for identification or advertising, the following criteria should be used: the size and location of the logo, the attention drawn to the logo compared with the intended use of the material, and the age of the students who will view it.

      1. Vending machine facades shall not be used for advertising. The name and logo of product manufacturers, such as the soft drink makers, can appear if they are for identification purposes only.

    2. Sponsor Recognition. It is appropriate that corporate sponsors and donors receive recognition for their support. Such recognition can be in the form of the corporate name or a logo for identification purposes on the product or materials provided, or a written acknowledgment in an appropriate school publication. In unique cases, such as the Seahawks Academy, the corporate name can attach to a program. In such cases, the Superintendent’s approval will be required. Corporate recognition in the form of name plates or donor walls is governed by Board Procedure F13.02.

     

  4. Definitions

    1. Advertising. Advertising is an oral, written or graphic statement made by the producer, manufacturer, or seller of products, equipment, or services which calls for the public’s attention to arouse a desire to buy, use, or patronize the product, equipment, or services. This includes the visible promotion of product logos for other than identification purposes. Brand names, trademarks, logos or tags for product or service identification purposes are not considered advertising. Also, nothing in this Policy or Procedure is intended to limit announcements, information, or logos of school-related non-profit corporations, such as the PTSA, other Parent Teacher Organizations, or the Alliance for Education.

    2. Sponsorship. Sponsorship is an agreement between a school district, an individual school, or a site based or parent based group with an individual group, company or community-based organization in which the sponsor provides financial or resource support in exchange for recognition.

    3. Partnership. A partnership is an agreement between a school or school district and a private entity, wherein the basis and the terms of the relationship are set by the school district, and agreed upon by the private entity, or reached mutually. Frequently a partnership is less formal than a contractual relationship. The school or school district should not be required by the partnership to sell products to students, expose students to advertisements during school time, or place advertising on school property. Partnerships should be of a non-exclusive nature, and should not adversely affect or distract from the instructional mission of the school.

    4. Sponsored Educational Materials. Sponsored Educational Materials, are educational materials and programs developed and/or funded by commercial enterprises, trade organizations, or non-profit organizations with significant corporate backing. These materials are intended for use or distribution at schools, and can be intended for use as either primary or supplemental curriculum.

    5. Electronic Media. Electronic Media is any type of instruction that happens during school time, or any program shown during school time that requires the use of electronic equipment, such as televisions, video equipment, computers, movie projectors, etc.