Copyright  ©
What you need to know
G u i d e l i n e s
Videotaping
  • Taping should be done at the school location, by the media specialist, at the request of the educator wishing to use it.
  • May be shown once in the ten consecutive school days following broadcast in the course of a relevant teaching activity.
  • A program may not be recorded more than once for an educator regardless of rebroadcasting.
  • Must be used for direct instruction and not entertainment.
  • Tape must be destroyed within 45 calendar days of its taping.
Can I record a program off of cable television at home?  My school does not have cable.
 No - You may "time-shift" playing of cable programs to a more convenient show time, if your school subscribes to the service. But you violate copyright by recording off-air programs on a pay medium your school has not purchased.
Programs recorded from instructional television channels (channel's 7, 9 & 11) may typically be recorded and retained longer than the 45 day restriction for commercial broadcast programming.  Restrictions are printed in the quarterly ITV program guide.
Use of Privately Owned or Rental Videos

Educators may purchase or rent a videotape which bears a "For Home Use Only" message and use it in an educational setting provided:

  • Video is shown in the course of face-to-face teaching activities in a classroom.
  • Video is directly related and of material assistance to the curriculum and lesson objectives, not for entertainment.
  • Video has been approved through a school level review process.
My students have worked so hard this term, can I reward them by showing a movie during class just for fun?
No - District Policy prohibits the showing of movies for entertainment purposes.  Copyright laws would also be violated if the movie is not shown in the course of a face-to-face teaching activity.
NOTE: Parental notice is required when showing any movies with a rating other than "G".  Rated material must be age appropriate.  No "R" rated movies or clips may be shown. Refer to District Policy 41-002 Movies and Videos for further details.