Cougar Prowl and CANN are the official student-produced yearbook and broadcast and is produced by the Cresthill Electronic Publishing and Electronic Media students, respectively. Cresthill Publications have been established as a designated public forum for student editors to inform and educate their audience as well as for the discussion of issues of concern to their audience. It will not be reviewed or restrained by school officials prior to publication or distribution. Advisers will take an active role in teaching journalistic standards, advising the journalistic process and supervise the student editors. If any issues arises as to whether any materials are of the type prohibited by this policy, the adviser shall encourage the students to immediately consult the Student Press Law Center for advice and clarification prior to publishing.

Because school officials do not engage in prior review, and the content of Cougar Prowl and CANN is determined by and reflects only the views of the student staff and not school officials or the school itself, its student editorial board and responsible student staff members assume complete liability for the content of the publication. The District and its employees shall be immune from any civil or crimiinal action based on any expression made or published by a student. 

Electronic media (including online, broadcast and podcast media) produced by students on either Cougar Prowl or CANN staff are entitled to the same protections - and subjected to the same freedoms and responsibilities - as media produced for print publication. As such, they will not be subject to prior review or restraint. 

Student journalists may use print and electronic media to report news and information, to communicate with other students and individuals, to ask questions of and consult with experts and to gather material to meet their news gathering and research needs. 

Cougar Prowl/CANN and its staff are protected by and bound to the principles of the First Amendment and other protections and limitation afforded by the Constitution and the various law and court decisions implementing those principles, including the Colorado Student Free Expression Law (Colo. Rev. Stat. Sec 22-1-120)

Cougar Prowl/CANN will not publish or produce any material determined by student editors or the student editorial board to be unprotected, that is material that is libelous, obscene, materially disruptive of the school process, an unwarranted invasion of privacy, a violation of copyright or a promotion of products or services unlawful (illegal) as to minors as defined by state or federal law. 

The Editorial Board will consist of the student editors. The editors will be selected from within the yearbook staff. The selection will be made by the faculty adviser based on a competitive application process.

Cougar Prowl/CANN may accept guest submission from student, faculty or administrators. We ask that submission be 300 words or less and contain the author's name, address and signature, and broadcast material be 2 min or less. All submission will be verified. Photo submissions may also be accepted via the designated online portal.  Any individual that submits work for consideration is also granting a release for publication. 

The Editorial Board reserves the right to withhold any submission and/or return it for revision if it contains unprotected speech or grammatical errors that could hamper its meaning. 

Staff members will strive to correct errors prior to publication; however, if the Editorial Board determines a significant error is printed, the Editorial Board will determine the manner and timeline of a correction. 

The staff of Cougar Prowl and CANN will strive to report all issues in a legal, objective, accurate and ethical manner, according to the Canons of Professional Journalism developed by the Society for Professional Journalists. The Canons of Professional Journalism include a code of ethics concerning accuracy, responsibility, integrity, conflict of interest, impartiality, fair play, freedom of the press, independence, sensationalism, personal privacy, obstruction of justice, creditability and advertising.

The adviser will not act as a censor or determine the content of the publication. The adviser will offer advice and instruction, following the Code of Ethics for Advisers established by the Journalism Education Association as well as the Canons of Professional Journalism. School officials shall not fire or otherwise discipline advisers for content in studetn media that is determined and published by the student staff.  

The student editors and staff who want appropriate outside legal advice regarding proposed content should seek attorneys knowledgable in media law such as those of the Student Press Law Center. Final content decisions and responsibility shall remain with the student editorial board.

Cougar Prowl/CANN will not avoid publishing a story solely on the basis of possible dissent or controversy. 

The Editorial Board reserves the right to accept or reject any guest submission or advertisement. 

Electronic manipulation changing the essential truth of a photo of illustration will be clearly labeled if used. 

The duly appointed editor or co-editors shall interpret and enforce this editorial policy. 

d - 

Legal Reference:

• Colorado Constitution Art. II Sect 10

• CRS 22-1-120 Rts of free expression for pub school students

• Tinker v DesMoines School District. 393 U.S. 503 (1968)

• DCSD Policy JICEA Student Publications Code

• DCSD Policy JJA Student Organizatons. 

In the event of the death of a student during the school year

YEARBOOK: With respect to the family's wishes, a sidebar memorial may be created with a picture of the student, the year of birth and death and short headline (In Memory). The sidebar will not exceeded 1/8th of a page. No mention of the cause of death will be included. If the death occurs after the final publication deadline, an attempt will be made to include the sidebar in the spring supplement (if one is created) or as a sticker aded to the back endsheet. No memorials will be printed in subsequent years. In the event that more than one student dies during the school year, equal space will be offered for each student memorial. 

BROADCAST: The editorial staff will determine coverage of the news story as it relates to a student death. No memorials will be included in RVTV Productions. Appropriate coverage may include informational and educational stories or videos related to the cause of death with or without mention of the student. The RVTV staff will avoid sensationalizing the event and will respect the wishes of the families involved. There will not be coverage in the event of a suicide or illegal drug use.

In the event of the death of a teacher, administrator, or other staff 

YEARBOOK: With respect to the family's wishes, a memorial may be created with pictures of the staff member, the year of birth and death, information about their work within the school, and short stories or quotes from students or other staff members. The memorial will not exceed 1/2 page. Cause of death will not be listed if related to suicide or illegal drug use. No coverage will be included for employees that have been away from the building for one or more years. If the death occurs after the final publication deadline, an attempt will be made to include the sidebar in the spring supplement (if one is created) or as a sticker aded to the back endsheet. No memorials will be printed in subsequent years. In the event that more than one faculty member dies during the school year, equal space will be offered for each memorial. 

BROADCAST: The editorial staff will determine coverage of the news story as it relates to a staff member death. Short memorials may be included in the RVTV Productions. Appropriate coverage may include informational and educational stories or videos related to the cause of death with or without mention of the staff member. The RVTV staff will avoid sensationalizing the event and will respect the wishes of the families involved. There will not be coverage in the event of a suicide or illegal drug use.

EDITORIAL BOARD

• The full editorial board will be made up of the lead editors of Cougar Prowl and CANN 

• The full editorial board will make decisions related to controversial coverage in any publication and will consult with the Adviser(s) in all situations related to the legality and appropriateness  of that coverage. The Adviser(s) will make the final decision on all purchases. 

OWNERSHIP OF WORK AND PERMISSION TO PUBLISH

Student contributors and the Publications will work in collaboration to protect and respect intellecutal property rights. No images, video or text will be included in any publication that is not legally obtained with appropriate publication rights. Students that contribute to the Publications will maintain all rights of ownership except as granted by the following guidelines: 

• The contributor and his/her parent or guardian grants all necessary permissions to Cougar Prowl/CANN for the purposes of print and electronic media publication.

• Photo, video and story credits will be included with all submissions that are used by the Publication and will be included with any media that is distributed to any other organization.

• The Publications may share a small portion of media with the school or school organizations for the purpose of press release or in-school advertising. Permission from the student journalist will be obtained prior to the release of any media. Any media used will be credited with the student owner's name. 

• In the interest of maintaining exclusive use of media for the Publications, large portions of media (photos or video) will not be shared with any organization prior to the initial distribution of the Publications for that year. 

• By requesting images from the Publications, an outside group agrees to give credit to the student photographer and the journalism program for any use of media. 

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

• As members of a scholastic journalism organization, it is our responsibility to uphold the principles of ethical journalism and ethical scholarly work. Academic or journalistic dishonesty will not be tolerated. We will demonstrate honesty and integrity in our journalistic and scholastic work in all classes. We will not plagiarize, fabricate information or data, cheat , steal academic or journalistic material, or submit any work that is not our own or follows our submission guidelines. 

• Consequences for violating the Academic Integrity statement will result in a failling score on the assignment. Further consequences may include a suspension of journalism privileges or removal from the publication staff

EQUIPMENT USEE

• The journalism program will provide computers, software, cameras and other equipment that is necessary for the completion of products. Students will be trained on the proper use of all equipment prior to using any of the journalism department technology. 

  • Appropriate cleaning and disinfecting procedures will be taught and followed by all members of the journalism staff

• Journalism program equipment will not be loaned to any program or individual outside of the program and will not be used for projects that are not directly related to the journalistic publications listed in this manual, or any such publication that may be added by the journalism students. 

• Students will be expected to properly sign out all equipment prior to taking it from the staff room. Students are expected to care for the equipment and use it properly based on training. Students are then expected to return equipment in the same condition it was found and to check the equipment back in using the appropriate process. 

• Students will not loan journalism equipment to any student that is not a member of the journalism staff. 

• Any damaged or lost equipment will be reported to the adviser immediately. Equipment that is damaged or lost due to negligence or willful abuse will be repaired or replaced at the student's expense. 

• A journalist that fails to follow these guidelines may lose access to equipment. 

STAFF ROOM GUIDELINES

• The journalism staff room will be a safe environment for all student journalists. 

• Students will always be expected to behave according to school rules. 

• Freedom of speech and expression will be encouraged. Disagreements will be handled through appropriate conversations within the staff room.

• Student journalists may be permitted in the staff room to check in/out equipment at times that the adviser is not present. This time should be kept to a minimum. Student journalists should not "hang out" in the staff room unless the adviser is present. 

• Student journalists should not "hang out" in the recording studios at any time. Use of these rooms are explicitly for recording/production only. 

• Students that are not a part of the journalism program will not bee allowed in the journalism staff room outside of class times unless accompanied by the adviser. Student journalists will not bring 'friends' to the staff room during non-school hours unless the adviser is present or specific permission has been granted by the adviser. 

• Food and beverages may be permitted in the staff room at deesignated times. All food and drink will be kept away from computers or equipment. Students will be expected to clean up after themselves at all times. 

GRADING POINTS

• Grading decisions will be made by the adviser. Student editors may be consulted to report on deadline completion and participation. Student editors will not assign grades. 

• Students will receive a standards based grade for assignments based on skill acquisition. Skill-based assignments will be graded using rubrics that will be available to students at the beginning of the assignment. Skill-based assignments will be accepted based on the school-wide late work policy. These assignments may appear in the grade book as formative grades points that may or may not be used as a calculation total for the final Content Knowledge grade. These assignments may also be used as a demonstration of mastery that will be used for  calculating a final grade.

• Many assignments will be created with the intent of publication. Publication work will only be accepted if it is submitted at publication quality. Assignments that are not publication quality will be returned for revision. Publication assignments will not be accepted beyond deadline and will not receive credit if submitted late. 

• Students will receive a work habits grade for the Publication class. This grade will be based on successful work behaviors in class and in participation outside of class. Refer to the Cresthill school-wide Work Habits grading document for more information.

• Each student will be expected to participate in activities that take place outside of class hime. This includes academic, athletic and social activities that will be doumenteed for our publications. Students will be expected to attend sporting events, dances, concerts and other school activities as a portion of their work. Time expectations will be given at the beginning of each quarter. Full participation in the activity will be required in order for it to meet class grading expectations (ex: a student must stay until the end of a sporting event in order to get credit for that assignment). This work will be calculated in both the Content Knowledge and Work Habits section of the grade book.

INDIVIDUAL AND GROUP WORK POLICIES

• A large amount of the work for our publication will be dependent on the ability to work effectively and efficiently as an individual AND as a group member. 

• Groups may be determined by the adviser or by the student editors. Journalism staff members are expected too be capable of working with ALL other members of the staff

• Concerns about group member participation will immediately be brought to the editors AND the adviser. 

• Portions of grade (Content Knowledge and Work Habits) will be determined based on ability to work effectively and efficiently with others. 

SOCIAL MEDIA AND DIGITAL ENVIRONMENTS

• Students will be expected to use the GMail, Google Classroom, and Remind environments as a means of organization and communication. Students will only use these environments to communicate appropriately about the journalism program. 

• Students will be expected to use Google Classroom for the curation, submission and evaluation of digital resources

• Students, especially editors, may be asked to contribute to journalism social media accounts. If asked to do so, students will interact professionally and appropriately to serve the interessts of the journalism program. 

• Students will behave respectfully and responsibly on all publication social media and in any references to the journalism program or Cresthill journalism social media accounts. 

• All journalism social media and digital environments will be monitors by editors and the adviser. 

ORGANIZATION MEMBERSHIP

• The journalism program will maintain membership with the Journalism Education Association (JEA)

• Each publication may choose to have membership with the National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA) and/or the Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA)

• At least one annual critique service will be used for each publication. Possible services are: CSMA, NSPA, CSPA or ASPA

• All official Cresthill publications will maintain membership in the Colorado Student Media Association.

CONTESTS AND CONVENTION

• Students that participate in the Journalism program may choose to enter their work in contests that are sponsored by CSMA, JEA, NSPA or CSPA. Contest entries are not mandatory for class participation and will not be a graded component of the class.

• Contest entry fees for the Pacemaker, Crown, JEA Middle School Media, NSPA write-offs, NSPA Best Ofs, and CSPA Gold Circle awards will be paid from the Journalism accounts. Other contests may be entered with the student being responsible fro associated fees. 

• The Adviser will choose which student entries will represent Cresthill if multiple students have entries for a contest that limits the number of entries per school. 

• Students may be invited to attend conferences, conventions, or workshops that are help off-campus. Participation in these events will be voluntary. Students will be responsible for any costs associated with participating in these opportunities. It will be the general policy that students will be invited to attend CSMA J-Day Convention (generally held in September) and the Fall JEA/NSPA convention (generally held in November) or Spring JEA/NSPA convention (generally held in April) on an annual basis. 

GENERAL POLICIES

• Cougar Prowl Yearbook will be created by students enrolled in Electronic Publications courses. Students are expected to learn and adhere to the guidelines of responsible journalism that are taught through the Publications course. 

• The content of the publication will be determined by the student editorial board. The editorial board will collaborate with the Adviser to determine what content is appropriate. 

• No material will be published that is libelous, obscene or that advocated illegal activity. 

• Cougar Prowl will contain photos of students, staff, clubs, sports, academics and community of Cresthill Middle School covering the year from August until March. Based on funding and content, the editorial board may decide to include a supplement that will cover the events from March through May and be printed separately from the book.

• Every attempt will be made to avoid errors. If an error is discovered, the editorial board will issue a written apology to any individual or group that is affeted by the error. Any corrections will be determined by the editorial board in collaboration with the Adviser and the publishing company. 

CANDID PHOTO POLICIES

• The yearbook staff will make the final selection of photos that will be used in the yearbook. The staff may solicit photos from alternative sources (Cresthill students, parents, or staff) but will not guarantee the inclusion of those photos.

• The yearbook staff will make every effort to be fair in photographic coverage of the school year. This includes equal coverage of sports and academic groups, makes and females, and the different grade levels. 

• The yearbook staff will make every effort to correctly identify all students and staff that are shown in photos. 

• Photo credits will be included for all candid photos used in the book. 

INDIVIDUAL PORTRAIT POLICIES

• Student and staff portraits will be taken by the designated school portrait photographer. Any decision to accept or reject other photos for the portrait section of the book will be made by the adviser and editorial board and will be final. 

• Students and staff will be expected to follow school dreses code in portrait photos. No costumes, props or other additional items will be allowed in individual portraits for the yearbook.

• The designated photographer will offer t least oe photo day and at least one makeup day. Student and staff are expected to have their photo taken on one of those days. 

• Students that enroll after the final portrait day will not be included in the individual portrait section of the book. The yearbook staff will attempt to include those students in other sections of the book. 

GROUP AND TEAM PORTRAIT POLICIES

• In the event tat sports teams would like portraits to share with or sell to parents, team and individual athletic portraits will be taken by Cresthill Event Photography. Any profits from photo sales will be used to benefit the publications program. The Adviser will determine appropriate use of those funds. 

• Whenever possible, a team photo for each athletic activity will be included in the Gallery section of the yearbook, assuming that the sports season begins prior to the final page deadline for the yearbook. 

• One appointment will be scheduled with each athletic team. No make up days will be scheduled for sports photos.

BOOK SALES AND REFUND POLICIES

• Yearbook pre-orders will be sold during  registration and continuing through the fall at pre-order price that is determined by the adviser. Spring sales may be at the same rate, or may be higher than the pre-order rate in order to cover additional costs. 

• Additional books, as available, will be sold durinf the distribution process. 

• Refunds will be given for pre-ordered books until October 31st. Refunds will not be given after this point. 

• Refunds will not be given after book distribution without Adviser approval. No refunds will be given for books that have been signed or damaged after distribution. 

• Administrative and adviser approval will be necessary for any modivications to the refund policy

• Any books that is not picked up by a student within one week after the end of the school year will become the property of the Journalism program. No refund will be given

DISTRIBUTION POLICY

• Yearbook will be distributed at a day and time deteremined by the adviser and school administation in order to prevent school disruptions. Distribution will be handled by the yearbook students and adviser to the greatest extent possible. 

• Yearbooks will be delivered ONLY to the student named on the order or to the parent(s) of the named students. Books will not be distributed to 'friends' for deliver. 

• No books will be distributed prior to the school-wide distribution activity. 

• Students that are not at school during the scheduled distribution may pick up their book in the Journalism room or Main Office after the distribution event. 

• Students that have transferred or moved from Cresthill prior to distribution that have ordered a book may choose to eturn to the office after distribution to pick up a copy, or may choose to have a book mailed to them at their own expense. Any book that is not picked up or have a delivery arranged within one week after the end of the school year will become the property of the Journalism program. No refund will be given. 

GENERAL POLICIES

• CANN (Cresthill Action News Network) will be created by students enrolled in Electronic Media courses. Students are expected to learn and adhere to the guidelines of responsible journalism that are taught through the Publications course. 

• The content of the publication will be determined by the student editorial board. The editorial board will collaborate with the Adviser to determine what content is appropriate. 

• No material will be published that is libelous, obscene or that advocated illegal activity. 

• CANN will contain video/photos of students, staff, clubs, sports, academics and community of Cresthill Middle School covering the year from August until May.

• Every attempt will be made to avoid errors. If an error is discovered, the editorial board will issue a written apology to any individual or group that is affected by the error. Any corrections will be determined by the editorial board in collaboration with the Adviser.

CANDID PHOTO POLICIES

• The CANN staff will make the final selection of videos/photos that will be used in the broadcast. The staff may solicit videos/photos from alternative sources (Cresthill students, parents, or staff) but will not guarantee the inclusion of those items.

• The CANN staff will make every effort to be fair in coverage of the school year. This includes equal coverage of sports and academic groups, makes and females, and the different grade levels

• The CANN staff will make every effort to correctly identify all students and staff that are shown in the broadcast. 

INDIVIDUAL PORTRAIT POLICIES

• Student and staff portraits will be taken by the designated school portrait photographer. Any decision to accept or reject other photos for the portrait section of the book will be made by the adviser and editorial board and will be final. 

• Students and staff will be expected to follow school dreses code in portrait photos. No costumes, props or other additional items will be allowed in individual portraits for the yearbook.

• The designated photographer will offer t least oe photo day and at least one makeup day. Student and staff are expected to have their photo taken on one of those days. 

• Students that enroll after the final portrait day will not be included in the individual portrait section of the book. The yearbook staff will attempt to include those students in other sections of the book. 

COUGAR PROWL STAFF

EDITOR IN CHIEF

The Editor in Chief(s) will be responsible for organizing and managing the Yearbook staff. The EIC will work with the adviser and editorial board to determine the theme and content for the publication. The EIC will have regular meetings with the Style/Copy, Photo and Section editors to insure that all work is completed on deadline and at publication quality. 

BUSINESS MANAGER 

The Business Manager will be responsible for financial decisions related to the publication, will track sales throughout the year, plan/coordinating advertising, and will make plans for final book distribution.

DESIGN/COPY EDITOR 

The Design/Copy Editor will be responsible for editing of pages during the second proofing process and prior to submission. This student will insure consistency of theme elements throughout the publication and will work with writers to eliminate errors in spelling, punctuation, grammar, etc. 

PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR  

The Photography Editor will be responsible for maintaining the master library of photos. This student will collect, organize and label all photos. This student will collect, organize and label all photos. This student will provide appropriate photos to the page designers for inclusion in spreads and will also track photo usage in order to avoid duplicate uses of the same or similar images. 

SECTION EDITORS

The Section Editors will be responsible for the content and layout within the specific area of the book that is assigned. The section editors will report to the EIC and will be responsible for the work of student assigned to work on pages within the designated section.

PAGE DESIGNER 

A Page Designer will be responsible for creating page and sidebar templates to be used whroughoout the publication. All templates will be created with the appropriate fonts, styes, graphics and folios that are a part of the established theeme. Templates will be created in cooperation with the Section and Style editors. Deadlines will be established for all page and sidebar templates. The Page Designer will then work with writers and photographers to modify the page layout as appropriate for the content of the assigned page. 

PHOTOGRAPHER 

A Photographer will be responsible for all aspects of the photo assignment. This includes checking out the appropriate equipment, taking photos of all aspects of the event (start to finish). interviewing participants, providing caption and event details and submitting all good quality photos to the photo editor. 

STAFF WRITER

A Writer will work with the Section editor to determine the general style of writing for the page. The writer will write and then proof the draft copy in cooperation with the Copy Editor. The writer will bee expected to conduct interviews and gather quotes as is necessary or appropriate for the assignment. All writing will be completed and proofed prior to the established deadline from the EIC or Section editor. 

CANN (CRESTHILL ACTION NEWS NETWORK) STAFF

EDITOR IN CHIEF

The Editor in Chief(s) will be responsible for organizing and managing the CANN staff. The EIC will work with the adviser and editorial board to determine the theme and content for the publication. The EIC will have regular meetings with the segment editors to insure that all work is completed on deadline and at publication quality. 

SEGMENT EDITORS

The Segment Editors will be responsible for the content and layout within the specific segment of the broadcast. This student will insure consistency of elements throughout the section (graphics, transitions, spelling/grammar, etc). The section editors will report to the EIC and will be responsible for the work of student assigned to work on segment within the designated section.

STAFF MEMBER 

A Staff Member is responsible for creating a pre-production plan for each segment prior to filming the segment asssigned. They will be responsible for filming and editing all footage and audio to be used within the assigned segment. 

Colorado Constitution Art. II Sect 10

CRS 22-1-120 Rts of free expression for pub school students

Tinker v DesMoines School District. 393 U.S. 503 (1968)

DCSD Policy JICEA Student Publications Code

DCSD Policy JJA Student Organizations