FIS Social, Digital, and Print Media Policy

INFORMATION FOR PARENTS

FIS is a vibrant learning community with great stories to share. FIS uses social media channels such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and other public platforms in order to have several 'windows' through which our parent community can enjoy and celebrate those stories. FIS also operates a public website and appears in other forms of media (TV, printed press, etc) on occasion. This is very much in line with the standard practice of other international schools in Japan and around the world.

When engaging in media (social, digital or print) FIS staff will aim to model appropriate skills of digital citizenship and show awareness and respect for others in our community.

FIS staff will adhere to the following guidelines for practice:

1. Photographs and videos of your child (and other forms of media, such as audio clips of music performances for example) may be taken by FIS staff or affiliates for use in FIS publications, the FIS public website and official FIS social media channels (i.e. public Facebook, Twitter, etc.) to better inform the community and to share and celebrate our learning stories. Students’ names will never appear without the express permission of parents.

2. FIS staff only use official FIS social media channels to share FIS stories.

3. FIS staff utilize school-issued devices for recording and sharing content. If for any reason a personal device were used to capture an image or video (this would only be on rare occasions when a school device was not available), content is deleted once uploaded to an official FIS channel.

4. FIS staff will not share anything which reveals the identity or current location of FIS students or staff (e.g. specific locations of trips and travel, names attached to faces, etc). If naming the specific location of a trip (e.g Tokyo Tower) is necessary, this will only be shared after the class has returned from the trip.

5. On occasion, FIS may host agreed visits from the media (TV, press etc) who may wish to interview students/shoot footage for broadcast/publication. Stories explicitly featuring your child will not be permitted without the express permission of parents.

6. FIS cannot be held responsible for third party posting or reposting to/from official FIS channels (for example the posting onto the Facebook page of photos by former FIS students or parents). See below for more on community etiquette.

PARENTAL RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Parents should be aware that images of FIS students are used in official print or audio/visual publications, visiting external media, official FIS social media channels and the FIS website).

2. Any family who would like to request that the use of their child’s image is more minimal or does not feature prominently (e.g. on the landing page of our website) can register this preference with school administration by emailing admin@fis.ed.jp

3. We ask for parents’ understanding that their child may still be included in situations where students are part of a larger group (e.g. whole class/team photograph, general footage of a classroom/garden/field trip etc.) as our experience has been that it can be difficult for one or two students to be asked to move aside during group photographs.

4. FIS students are encouraged to develop and share their learning with others. This may include, with the support of their teachers, the use of an appropriate social media platform for showcasing work. FIS Parents and other community members are encouraged to share official school stories through their own social media networks as well. Community members are asked to respect child protection practices by

posting sensitively and in a way that preserves anonymity (for example, avoiding posting names of other people’s children, or of locations if the children are still in that place, or visit on a regular basis). FIS may ask community members to delete and/or retract inappropriate postings if necessary.

5. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to speak to your classroom teachers, or to the Principal of Student Life ( Brian Freeman ) at any time.

bfreeman@fis.ed.jp

Last updated 27 September 2023