Citizens' Campaign for Commercial-Free Schools

 

RECOMMENDED POLICY

ON ADVERTISING AND COMMERCIAL ACTIVITY

IN THE SEATTLE PUBLIC SCHOOLS

 

Whereas: Using public schools as a vehicle for advertising and marketing is a misuse of public funds and public authority;

And whereas: Participation in advertising to students and market research about students corrupts the integrity of public schools and degrades the moral authority of schools and teachers;

And whereas: The association of a product, company, or industry with a school or school district is likely to be perceived by children and families as an endorsement of a commercial entity;

And whereas: The promotion of commercial interests is a fundamental conflict and diversion from the mission of the Seattle School District to educate the students in its care;

Therefore: We recommend the Seattle School Board adopt the following policies by Nov. 6, 2000, for immediate implementation, and that written notice be sent to all principals and building leadership teams immediately thereafter:

 

GENERAL POLICY

Seattle Public Schools shall be commercial-free zones. The Seattle Public Schools may not be used to promote commercial interests to children at school:

• ADVERTISING

Neither district nor individual schools may accept paid or unpaid advertising. This includes advertising on printed materials, electronic media and computers.

• LOGOS

Logos (registered trademarks) may appear on items for identification purposes only. This includes items at school and items sent home with students.

• PROMOTIONAL ITEMS

Schools may not distribute free promotional products, samples, or incentives to students at school.

• SPONSORED EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS

Sponsored materials must be approved by school or district committee, using guidelines on bias and commercialism such as those developed by Consumers Union.

 

 

OPERATIONAL DEFINITIONS

 

• ADVERTISING

'Advertising' includes commercial messages and logos on scoreboards, wall space, busses, textbooks, kiosks, building roofs, and furniture. It also includes naming rights to facilities or parts of facilities. Electronic media includes Channel One, ZapMe, and N2H2. School and library newspapers and magazines and school yearbooks are exempted.

 

• LOGOS

'For the purpose of identification' means that the logo/registered trademark marks the actual contents but does not appear elsewhere. For example, a Pepsi logo on a can of Pepsi is permissible, but a Pepsi logo on a reader board is not. A Macintosh logo on a computer is permissible, but a Macintosh logo on a book-cover is not. A logo on a package of macaroni is permissible, but a Mission Macaroni logo sent home on a reading assignment is not.

 

• PROMOTIONAL ITEMS

'Promotional items' includes book covers, beauty products, computer disks, etc. It also includes commercial incentives such as pizza coupons and prizes for product-related 'contests'.

• SPONSORED EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS

This category includes pre-packaged curriculum, videos, teachers' guides, booklets, and other materials.

 

NOTE:

COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS

With approval of the parent organization (PTA/PTO) associated with the school, announcements and information about non-profit community events and activities may be posted, distributed, or sent home with students.