Key Communicators Plan and Guidelines:

How to share the good news about your school or department

Welcome and thanks for your participation as a Key Communicator! The purpose of establishing an official group of Key Communicators is to provide the CMS staff and community with a means of sharing current, correct news promoting the many achievements and successful events occurring throughout the district in all schools and departments. We want to provide parents, CMS staff, the community, and the media with valuable, timely information about the district. We need your help to do that. Roles and duties of a Key Communicator: Gathering and reviewing the news and information gathered from their school and department staff. Checking for signed release forms whenever photos of students, staff or parents are submitted ad part of the news. Use CMS standard Photographic Release Forms to acquire permission to use photographs. Keep file copies of the signed forms at your school or department. Do not send copies to Communications. All news items and information submitted should provide five Ws: who, what, where, when and why. Please include submission date on the news items. All news must be approved by the Principal or principals designee or department head.

 E-mail will serve as a main source of communication between the Key Communicators and Account Reps. Please see that you have a correct, working CMS e-mail address. Information about students (recognition, awards, competition, results, etc.) that might reasonably be expected to be published by local media may include first and last names, but written permission from the students parents or guardian is required. Student addresses, phone numbers or email addresses should never be included. Pictures, school phone numbers or email addresses or any other information about faculty or staff members may only be submitted with their written consent (see enclosed photo and video release form). Personal contact information (home phone numbers, address, etc.) may never be included. Credit should always be given acknowledging the creator of written or visual content used. Copyright rules apply. Please do not submit commercial advertisements or product endorsements. Please proofread all news submissions for spelling and grammar errors. Make corrections when needed. Always keep in mind that news items have a large audience; be sure your school or department is represented appropriately.

How to promote/publicize your school news to media

CMS schools often have news they need to share. Whether its a parent-teacher conference, PTA meeting, a family event, or an exciting and interesting new initiative or program, you need to get the word out. Key Communicators are encouraged to contact the media directly. Please notify Communications staff about the event or news items submitted. Refer to the CMS Media Directory to identify media outlets to share your news. Some tips on how to generate media coverage: Submit stories that are visual and timely (dont wait until after an even). Give reporters as much lead time as possible.

 Submit stories that are unusual, special, different, and support local or national trends. Unique stories appeal to media and get good coverage. Use descriptive words when sending information to media and tell why the story is important to cover. Identify a contact person or spokesperson for the event/news item. Obtain permission from parents before submitting information on students.

If a crisis occurs, refer all media inquiries to the Communications Department.