• For the Media

    Media Guidelines
    The School District of Clayton recognizes the important role the media plays in reporting news and information about its educational programs, services, students and employees. The District’s Communications Department assists the media by providing information about the School District of Clayton. The department is committed to working with the media and making every effort to work within media deadlines.

    Media Requests
    All requests to interview, film or photograph district employees, students or board members should be made to:

    • Luke Heitert, Chief Communications Officer
      • Direct line: (314) 854-6015; Cell phone: (636) 375-9100; lukeheitert@claytonschools.net  

    The Communications Department will provide a representative who can best address the topic of th lukeheitert@claytonschools.net  interview. Media interviews or photographs with students require parental consent. When requests for student interviews are granted, the interview is conducted at a district-designated site to minimize the loss of instructional time and disruption to the learning environment.

    While Visiting the District
    Media who want to film, photograph or interview Clayton employees, students or board members are asked to make a request through the Communications Department. When filming (live or taped), taking a still photograph, or conducting interviews while in the school district, a representative from the Communications Department will accompany media at all times to minimize disruption at the school and to assist with any additional requests. As a safety and security measure, the media, like all visitors to Clayton’s buildings, are asked to sign-in and obtain a visitor's pass. Passes are available in the front office of each of the District’s buildings.

    Board of Education Meetings
    The media is invited to attend all open meetings of the School District of Clayton Board of Education. Media may film and/or record these meetings. To avoid disruption of the meeting, reporters and photographers are asked not to approach board members, guest speakers or members of the audience inside the board room during the meeting. Interviews must be conducted outside the boardroom in the hall or in a pre-arranged conference room. Copies of the board agenda, informational items and other meeting materials are available online on the Board’s e-governance Web site, which can be accessed via the District’s Web site at www.claytonschools.net.

    Emergencies
    It is the District’s practice to work as cooperatively as possible to supply timely information to the media on the emergency and its impact on students, teachers or staff members, provided the release of information does not jeopardize the emergency response activities, or conflict with federal privacy laws, the well-being of our students or employees, or the concerns of their families. During an emergency, media will not be allowed inside affected school building(s). Media will be assigned to a designated external area at the site of the emergency to allow full access to the site by emergency response teams.

    During an emergency, all media calls are referred to the Communications Department to allow the crisis response team at the site to give full attention to relief efforts. The District will work as quickly as possible to provide accurate information to the media through a spokesperson, written releases or news briefings.