Community Affairs

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The Community Affairs Department is committed to keeping our community informed, connected, and engaged.

We serve as a bridge between our schools and those we support—parents, students, staff, community members, public servants, and the media. Our team works to provide timely, accurate information and ensure clear, consistent communication across the district.

We also manage the district’s website and social media channels, and serve as the point of contact for all media and public relations requests.

Helpful Resources

Communication with Staff

During the course of the school year, we understand that situations may arise that require the parents or guardians of our students to contact staff members.

To ensure a prompt and comprehensive response, the following protocol has been established to provide guidance regarding whom parents or guardians should address their questions and/or concerns. It is our hope that by following this process, the school district will be able to best meet the needs of student, while addressing the concern or question from the parent/guardian.

READ THE PROTOCOL

Media Requests

The Director of Community Affairs handles all media requests, including interviews and site visits. While the district is committed to open, two-way communication, this must be balanced against the right to privacy of minors who attend our schools. All media inquiries should be directed to the Director of Community Affairs, exceptions include public meetings, routine athletic and/or extracurricular activity news coverage during games, and/or performances conducted outside the normal school day.

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School District 129 Flyer Guidelines

Who May Submit

Flyers must come from SD129–based non-profit groups, school booster or parent groups, community partners, or intergovernmental agencies.
Proof of non-profit status may be required.
All flyers are subject to district review and approval.

What We Can Share

Content must support community needs and not conflict with tax-funded school programs.
Flyers that promote or collect money for businesses or private services are not accepted.

When to Submit

Requests received by 12:00 p.m. on Wednesday may be included in that week’s Friday newsletter.

File and Accessibility Requirements

Submit your flyer as a PDF or JPEG.
To meet ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) digital access rules, you must provide alt text. Alt text must include the event name, date and time, location, audience, and purpose. No other text will appear with the post.

Links and QR Codes

Flyers are shared digitally. Do not include QR codes.
Enter your website or sign-up link in the form’s link field so families can click directly.

Namerequired

First Name

Last Name

Email Addressrequired

Please list the newsletter dates you would like the flyer to be included. These dates should be Fridays and listed in MM/DD/YYYY format and separated by a comma. required

If your flyer needs a link for registration or more details, enter the full web address (URL) below. This replaces the use of a QR code on a digital flyer.

Please provide ALT-text (alternative text) for your flyer. This includes: Event Name, Date & Time, Location, Audience, & Purpose.required

File Upload

Attach up to 2 files with a maximum size of 20MB

No file chosen

File Upload

Attach up to 2 files with a maximum size of 20MB

No file chosen

Press Releases

Website Feedback or Questions

Social Media Community Guidelines

West Aurora School District 129 Social Media Comment and User Guidelines

We welcome your comments and encourage open discussion. SD129 uses its social media accounts to inform parents, staff, and community members of school achievements, events, and activities. SD129 promotes robust on-topic engagement on its social media platforms but reserves the right to limit engagement on its social media pages when necessary. Limiting engagement may include removing posts or comments with content that is off-topic and irrelevant to the post or purpose of the page. To maintain a respectful and constructive environment, please follow these guidelines:

1.   Be Respectful: No hate speech, harassment, or threats. Inappropriate and illegal language or images are not allowed, including but not limited to:

    a.   Depiction or encouragement of violence or illegal activity, including but not limited to brandishing weapons, gambling, fighting, and threats;

    b.   Depiction or encouragement of prohibited use of alcohol or other drugs;

    c.   Harassing, discriminatory, or derogatory content about a legally protected status, including race, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, age, order of protection status, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, physical or mental disability, or veteran status;

    d.   Sexually explicit or sexually provocative content;

    e.   Profane, obscene, defamatory, harassing, or fraudulent content.

2.   Stay On-Topic: Keep comments relevant to the post. Off-topic or spam-like comments may be removed.

3.   Protect Privacy: Do not share personal information or violate the privacy of students, staff, or community members.

4.   Avoid Misinformation: False or misleading information that could harm individuals or the community will be removed.

5.   No Promotions: Commercial promotions or solicitations unrelated are not permitted.

6.   Political Neutrality: Comments endorsing or opposing political candidates or ballot measures will be removed.

7.   Follow the Rules: Comments violating district policies, or the law may be removed.

8.   Site Rules: Any content removed by the social media platform pursuant to that platform’s social media terms and conditions is beyond the control of SD129.

9. Closing Comments: SD129 reserves the right to close comments on posts when the discussion becomes repetitive, off topic, or no longer serves the original informational purpose.

9.   SD129 Revisions: SD129 may remove or amend its own content, at its discretion. Such removal may have the consequence of removing associated sub-posts or comments.

Repeated violators may be reported or result in additional action.

For questions about or review of removed comments, please contact agonzales@sd129.org

FERPA Directory Information and Annual Opt-Out Notice

Celebrating Our Students

West Aurora School District 129 values the opportunity to celebrate our students and share the learning, achievements, activities, and experiences taking place throughout our schools.

These celebrations may appear in:

School or district websites
Social media
Newsletters
Event programs
Other publications

For school and district websites and social media, SD129 generally does not identify students by name in photos or videos, except in cases such as student honors, awards, recognitions, activities, or accomplishments.

What Is Directory Information?

Because some of this information may be considered directory information under federal law, we are providing this annual notice of parent/guardian rights.

Under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), school districts may designate certain student information as “directory information.” This may include:

A student’s name
Grade level
Participation in activities
Awards and honors
Photos
Videos
Limited demographic or contact information, as permitted by District policy

Parent and Guardian Opt-Out Rights

Parents/guardians have the right to opt out of the release of one or more categories of directory information. The FERPA opt-out form includes additional details about each category and allows families to select the specific information they do not want released.

Opt-Out Form Deadline

The form must be completed each school year:

Before the first day of school
Within 30 days of registration, whichever is later

How to Complete the Form

To complete the form for this school year, log in to your MyPowerHub account.

If you are having trouble logging into MyPowerHub, please contact Kim Wisniewski at kimberly.wisniewski@sd129.org or 630-301-5101.

School Yearbook Notice

Please note that students will still appear in the school yearbook unless a parent/guardian contacts their child’s school directly to request otherwise.

Questions About FERPA Opt-Out Options

Student and family privacy is a top priority in SD129. The annual opt-out process helps families make informed choices while allowing the District to continue celebrating student learning, participation, and achievement in appropriate ways.

If you have questions related to the FERPA opt-out options, please email info@sd129.org.

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