PR Guidelines

There’s Always Good News!

There are great stories happening in the �� each and every day. From classroom activities to individual achievements, Liverpool is a leader in public education because we provide our students with numerous opportunities for success. We should share these great stories with the entire Liverpool community every chance we get.

The Communications Office Can Help

Throughout the year, the LCSD Communications Office can help you share these great stories with the local media. From preparing stories for the local newspapers, or inviting the media to a building event, the Communications Office can guide you through the process. This “Guide to PR & Media Coverage” outlines the different ways we can share our success stories with the community.

Throughout the school year the office, located in Room 14 at the District Office, will submit press releases and make requests for coverage to the local print and television media. Within the District, the office will publish stories in the School Bell, on the District Facebook page and on the District Web site.

How Do I Invite the Communications Office to My School?

You can contact Meghan Piper, the district’s school information officer, by district e-mail or by calling 315-622-7132. Typical stories covered by the Communications Office include special building or classroom projects and events, such as fund-raising activities, grants and unique learning activities. Activities such as back to school picnics, school concerts and awards ceremonies are not covered by the Communications Office. To help determine what category your activity falls under, use this rule of thumb - “Do other buildings hold similar activities?” Stories will be submitted to The Post-Standard and The Star-Review for consideration. We cannot guarantee the story or photo will be published.

What if the Communications Office Isn’t Available?

Please feel free to submit your story and photos to the Communications Office using the Story Information Form located on the District Web site. Please submit your information within a week of your event or activity. Information sent to the local media in a timely manner has a better chance of being published than something that is older. Have an upcoming event you would like the community to know about? Send all of the pertinent information to the Communications Office at least three weeks in advance and we will send it to the local newspapers and add it to the local television stations' online calendars. We cannot guarantee it will be published.

How Do I Invite the Media to My School?

If you have an event that you would like covered by the local media, fill out the Media Request Form located on the District Web site. Once you submit the information, the Communications Office will extend an invitation to the media. If you are a teacher or parent, make sure your building administrator knows about your request for coverage to help minimize any classroom or building disruption. Please give the Communications Office at least 72 hours notice prior to any scheduled event.

What Do I Do When the Media Contacts Me?

Oftentimes the media will contact the Communications Office and the Superintendent’s Office regarding a story they are working on, but from time to time they might contact a building or a district employee directly. If the print media (The Post-Standard and The Star-Review) or the television media (WSTM/WTVH, 9-WSYR, Spectrum News or NCC News - Syracuse University) contacts you regarding a story and requests an interview with you or a student, please contact the Communications Office and your building administrator before consenting to the interview. Again, this will help minimize any classroom or building disruption.

Smile! Guide to Photos

At the start of each school year, families are provided with the Communications Office’s No Publicity Form and are asked to return it if they do not want photos or the name of their child published by the media. The Communications Office will have this information posted in SchoolTool and provide each building with updated lists on a regular basis.

If you have a camera that stamps the date and time on a photo, please make sure you turn the stamp off, if possible, before taking a photo. This feature can be difficult to crop out of photos, and newspapers will not publish photos with the time stamp on it.
Make sure your camera is set to take the best quality and largest photos possible. Newspapers have specific requirements when a photo is submitted and the Communications Office must adjust any photo submitted to meet those requirements. If the photo you send is small, the quality of the photo will diminish when the size is increased.
Do not send copyrighted materials. We cannot publish items such as company logos or photos taken by other publications.
Make sure everyone in the photos you submit has been identified. Please list the first and last names of everyone in the photo from left to right (and if necessary by row from bottom to top). Any photo without names will not be submitted.