7540.02 - WEB-CONTENT AND FUNCTIONALITY SPECIFICATIONS

Sylvania City School District

Administrative Guidelines

7540.02 - WEB-CONTENT AND FUNCTIONALITY SPECIFICATIONS

These guidelines and AG 5723, AG 7540, Form 7540.03 F1, Form 7540.04 F1, and Form 7540 F4 apply to all web content hosted on the Board's servers or District-affiliated servers, whether created by staff, students, or contracted third parties. The Superintendent retains final editorial authority over all content placed on the Board's servers or District-affiliated servers and displayed on the Board's website(s). The Superintendent has the right to remove pages or links from any web page based upon his/her determination of inappropriate content.

The District's website(s) serve(s) as instructional, communication, and public relations tools. The web pages aim to provide timely, supportive and educational information to the students, parents, staff and Sylvania community. The website(s) are created in order to facilitate access to a wide variety of rich media and educational resources that directly support student achievement, professional development, and organizational effectiveness.

The District strives to deliver a website(s) that is/are adaptive so it/they can be viewed in an optimal manner. To maximize usability, it is recommended that web content be presented in a simple page design, employ large font sizes and big, touchable buttons that accommodate larger fingers, and place critical information "above the fold". Additionally, key information such as the District’s name, contact information, and a link to a table of content/site map should be placed in the top left corner of the home page so it is easy to find.

Website Accessibility

The District’s website(s) operate(s) in compliance with Federal and State law. As such, the District is committed to providing individuals with disabilities with an opportunity equal to that of their nondisabled peers to participate in the District’s programs, benefits, and services, including those delivered through electronic and information technology. To this end, the Technology Director is charged with verifying the District’s website(s) allow(s) persons with disabilities to acquire the same information, engage in the same interactions, and enjoy the same benefits and services within the same timeframe as their nondisabled peers, with substantially equivalent ease of use, not be excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of, or otherwise be subjected to discrimination in any District programs, services, and activities delivered online, as required by Federal and State law, and receive effective communication with District programs, services, and activities delivered online.

The District measures the accessibility of online content and functionality according to the World Wide Web Consortiums (W3C’s) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 and the Web Accessibility Initiative Accessible Rich Internet Applications Suite (WAI-ARIA) 1.0 for web content (Benchmarks for Measuring Accessibility), which are incorporated by reference.

All new, newly-added and modified web content and functionality must be accessible to individuals with, except where doing so would impose a fundamental alteration or undue burden. This provision also applies to the District’s online content and functionality developed by, maintained by, or offered through a third-party vendor or through the use of open sources.

When the fundamental alteration or undue burden defense applies, the District will provide equally effective alternate access. In providing an equally effective alternate access, the District will take any actions that do not result in a fundamental alteration or undue financial and administrative burden, but nevertheless provide that, to the maximum extent possible, individuals with disabilities receive the same benefits or services as their nondisabled peers. That said, alternatives are not required to produce the identical result or level of achievement for persons with and without disabilities, but must afford persons with disabilities an equal opportunity to obtain the same result, to gain the same benefit, or to reach the same level of achievement, in the most integrated setting appropriate to the person’s need.

Only the Superintendent, after considering all resources available for use in the funding and operation of the service, program, or activity, may determine an undue burden or fundamental alternation defense is applicable. In making such a determination, the Superintendent will document the reasons s/he reached that conclusion. Additionally, the Superintendent will describe how the District will provide equally effective alternate access.

The District’s website will include on its home page and throughout the website (including all subordinate pages and sites), a Notice to persons with disabilities regarding how to request the webmaster or other appropriate person to provide access to (or notify the District regarding) content or functionality that is currently inaccessible. The Notice will also include information or an accessible link to information instructing individuals with disabilities how to file more formal complaints under Section 504 and/or the ADA.

The Technology Director will set up a system to routinely audit/test the accessibility of all web content and functionality. This system must include processes to verify claims of accessibility by third-party vendors or open sources. The purpose of the audit is to identify any web content or functionality that is inaccessible to persons with disabilities. The person/entity who conducts the audit shall report to the Superintendent and Technology Director the results of the audit so that appropriate action can be taken to address any inaccessibility. The person/entity conducting the audit may seek input from members of the public with disabilities, including parents, students, employees, and others associated with the District, and other persons knowledgeable about website accessibility, regarding the accessibility of the District’s web content and functionality.

The District will provide annually website accessibility training to all appropriate personnel, including, but not limited to: content developers, webmasters, procurement officials, and all others responsible for developing, loading, maintaining, or auditing web content and functionality. The District will maintain documentation of the training it delivers, including a list of attendees and their positions, a description of the delivered training content, and the presenter/trainer’s credentials for providing such training.

Individuals responsible for designing, developing and producing web content are expected to employ universal design principles to create web pages and sites that allow persons with the disabilities to access the information and content on the District's website. By following the web content design criteria set forth below, the designers and authors of the District's website(s) can improve the opportunities for persons with disabilities to access the information and content contained on the web pages that make up the District's website(s).

First Page of the School Building Website(s)

The first page of individual school's website(s) should contain:

	A.	the index or table of contents for the site;

	B.	contact information, including the school's name, address, and phone number, the name of the building principal, and a map/directions to the building;


	C.	the webmaster and e-mail address of the person responsible for the site;

	D.	a date when the page was last updated or modified;

	E.	index.html;

	F.	a link to the Board's website;

	G.	identification of (or a link to) the Board's agent to receive notification of claimed copyright infringement (including name, mailing address, telephone number, fax number, and e-mail address);

	H.	links to appropriate disclaimers.

Organization of Site Structure

	A.	Use a large-scale, commonly understood navigation scheme (i.e., the overall plan or file structure should provide quick access to information and help the user understand how the information is organized). It is recommended that a storyboard be used to plan the website.

	B.	Each page should be designed with the audience and goal in mind.

	C.	Maintain a simple, consistent page layout. A basic page format should be used, e.g. use the same background, locate navigation tools in the same place on the page, have consistent link appearance, and have consistent font size and type. Be consistent on all pages.

	D.	The title bar should include the school name in the <title> tag of each HTML document.

	E.	Limit page length, keep the HTML documents as small as possible.

	F.	There should be a "mail to" link that provides a means of feedback on all main pages.

Keep You Website Current

	A.	Pages should be checked regularly to verify that links are working and meet Board standards. Check to make sure all internal and external links work properly.

	B.	Remove expired date-related items.

	C.	Maintain and update content by removing unneeded or outdated files.

Grammar and Spelling

	A.	All pages should be grammatically correct.

	B.	All words should be spelled correctly - web pages should be spell checked.

Navigation Tools

Position navigational aids throughout documents and document groups. For example, all pages should include a "back to" main menu in order to provide a link back to the website index or home page, or a "skip to main content" link in the upper left corner that allows users to jump past repetitive navigation options.

Backgrounds

	A.	Keep backgrounds simple, and use high contrast to allow easy viewing of content. Light colors are better. Select backgrounds that make text easy to read.

	B.	Keep background tiles small.

	C.	Backgrounds should be in GIF format.

	D.	Re-use background images, pages will reload quicker and the user will be able to view your pages with ease.


	E.	Do not use a background to convey information.

	F.	Do not "name" your colors. Use the hexadecimal number for colored backgrounds. If using a tiled image, make the background color approximately the color of the tiled image.

	G.	Avoid low-contrast color combinations or colors that may not be recognized by lower-resolution screens.

Intellectual Property

	A.	All website authors must follow applicable and existing intellectual property laws (copyright and trademark) pertaining to the use of text, images, video, audio/sounds, and hyperlinks to other websites/pages. (see AG 2531)

	B.	The Board retains proprietary rights to website/pages hosted on its servers, absent written authorization to the contrary.

Naming Structure

	A.	Use all lower-case letters for names of documents and graphics.

	B.	Do NOT use any spaces or other symbols in naming HTML documents or graphics.

Graphics/Video/Audio

	A.	Smaller is better, images should be less than 50k.

	B.	Pictures need to be in GIF or JPEG format.

	C.	Always use width and height tags.

	D.	Provide short, simple, and meaningful alternative text for all graphical features. Use the "alt" tag to describe your picture for text-only browsers.


	E.	Use GIF format for drawings and line art.

	F.	Use JPEG format for photographic color images.

	G.	Re-use graphics when appropriate. When graphics are re-used, they remain in the computer and will load more quickly onto a web page.

	H.	Avoid using flashing content, as it may cause seizures in susceptible users.

	I.	Provide transcripts, descriptions, or captions for video and audio files to assist persons with visual and hearing disabilities.

HTML Standards

It is reasonable to expect that users will see your page using a variety of browsers including Google Chrome, Microsoft Internet Explorer/Edge, Apple Safari, and Mozilla Firefox. It is recommended that you:

	A.	test web pages on a variety of browsers, including text-only browsers, and at a variety of screen resolutions to confirm the pages look right to the greatest number of users;

	B.	check your website on multiple platforms, and test pages on small screens to confirm the pages do not bleed off the screen;

	C.	use standard, universally recognized HTML tags - Do Not use tags that are specific to one (1) browser;

	D.	use HTML syntax checkers to search your site for programming mistakes.

Frames and Special Formats

Do not use frame pages. If you do and you link to external content, make sure you are not infringing on any copyrights associated with the website/page to which you are linking. Additionally, if you use frames, make alternative versions of those pages that persons with disabilities can use. To make them accessible to screen reader devices, add meaningful titles to each frame so user can navigate between them easily.

Provide text-based delivery alternatives for as much information as possible. Do not rely solely on special formats (e.g. Adobe Acrobat) that can be more difficult for text and voice systems to read.

Use of Student Names, Pictures, Original Work, and E-mail Addresses

The Board permits the use of photographs of students, names of students, and displaying original work of students on websites in accordance with the following guidelines:

	-	Identifiable photographs of students and/or student's first names may be placed on the Internet only after the appropriate release form has been signed by the parents or guardians.

	-	Last names of students and students' e-mail addresses should never be used.

	-	Original work by students such as art work, poetry, essays, performances, etc. may be placed on the website only after the appropriate release form has been signed by the parents or guardians, or students eighteen (18) years of age or older.

Prohibited Uses

Under no circumstances may a web page hosted on the Board's servers be used for commercial purposes, advertising, political lobbying, or to provide financial gains for any individual. Included in this prohibition is the fact no web pages contained on the District's website may:

	A.	include statements or other items that support or oppose a candidate for public office; the investigation, prosecution, or recall of a public official; or passage of a tax levy or bond issue;

	B.	link to a website of another organization if the other website includes such a message; or

	C.	communicate information that supports or opposes any labor organization or any action by, on behalf of, or against any labor organization;

	D.	include defamatory, libelous, or obscene matter;

	E.	promote alcoholic beverages, cigarettes or other tobacco products, or any illegal product, service, or activity;

	F.	promote illegal discrimination on the basis of race, sex, color, religion, national origin, disability, age or ancestry.

Additionally, no web pages may contain obscene, profane, vulgar, sexually explicit, defamatory, harassing or abusive language, or be utilized to intimidate or bully another person.

Content for the District's Website(s)

All subject matter on web pages must relate to curriculum, instruction, school-authorized activities, general information, supporting student safety, growth and learning, or public information of interest to community members. The following information/content will/may be addressed in the District's website(s):

A.	School Contact Information

	1.	Name

	2.	Physical address

	3.	E-mail

	4.	Web address

B.	School Background

	Logo

C.	School Accomplishments

	1.	Awards

	2.	Achievement

	3.	Grants

	4.	Special thanks

D.	School Announcements

	1.	Events

	2.	Schedules – including bus schedules


	3.	Calendars

	4.	Timeliness

	5.	Lunch menus

E.	News and Information

	1.	Agendas and minutes

	2.	Newspaper

	3.	Ezines

	4.	Announcements – closings (e.g., snow days) or delayed starts

	5.	Employment opportunities

F.	School Policies and Procedures

	1.	Mission

	2.	Philosophy

	3.	Handbooks

	4.	Curriculum guides

	5.	Policies

	6.	Programs

	7.	Staff/Administration

		a.	Principal welcome

		b.	Directory (name, position, contact info)


	8.	Teacher pages

		Directory (name, position, contact info)

	9.	Class or Grade Level Pages

		a.	Classroom

		b.	Projects

		c.	Assignments

		d.	Themes

		e.	Field trips

G.	Support Departments

	1.	Content area departments

	2.	Library/Media

	3.	Technology

	4.	Health Services

	5.	Art and Music

	6.	Sports

	7.	Clubs

	8.	After school programs

	9.	Special programs (special education, etc.)


H.	Curriculum Connections

	1.	Student resources

		a.	Assignments

		b.	Course information

		c.	Projects

		d.	Popular/relevant links (developmentally appropriate, curriculum relevant content)

	2.	Teacher resources

		a.	Professional development

		b.	Popular/relevant links

	3.	Parent resources

		a.	Parenting resources

		b.	Popular/relevant links

	4.	Curriculum Materials

		Online curriculum materials – lessons, activities, homework

	5.	Grades


I.	Community Information and Outreach

	Local Information

		Events

Neither staff nor students may publish on the District's website personal pages or pages for individuals or organizations not directly affiliated with the District.

Website/Page Evaluation

Before releasing or publishing a website/page, Director of Public Information shall conduct a website/page evaluation to assess the following criteria: age appropriateness (appealing and readable); content (relevant, accurate, complete, objective, current, clear and concise, informative, appropriate, links working); intellectual property issues (sources cited; sponsoring organization identified [i.e. class, school, activity]; releases obtained); format (accessible, navigation, searchable, functional/useable, download speed, pages dated as to creation/updated).

The Technology Director will also assess the web pages/site’s accessibility.

Disclaimers

Links to the following disclaimers shall be utilized as appropriate on the District's Web pages:

Links:

"The links in this area will let you leave the District's website(s). The linked sites are not under the control of the District and the District is not responsible for the contents of any linked sites, or any links contained in a linked site, or any changes or updates to such sites. The District is providing these links to you only as a convenience and the inclusion of any link does not imply endorsement of the site by the District."

Student Developed Web Pages: "All web pages created by students and student organizations on the District's computer system will be subject to treatment as School-sponsored publications. As such, the District reserves the right to exercise editorial control over such publications in accordance with Policy 5722 - School-Sponsored Publications and Productions."

Domain Name and Copyright: "The District has registered its domain name(s) for the purpose of exclusive Internet identification. The District asserts copyright, trademark and/or other intellectual property rights in its domain name, district identification, district logo, and all content on the District's website(s). All rights are reserved. Outside parties, including parents, patrons, or outside organizations may not use District and/or school domain names in connection with the publication of web content. Under no circumstances shall any party use District and/or school domain names to promote political issues, causes or candidates."

General Disclaimer: "Information provided on the website carries no express or implied warranties as to accuracy, timeliness, or appropriateness for a particular purpose; in addition, the Board disclaims owner responsibility for content errors, omissions or infringing material, and disclaims owner liability for damages associated with user reliance on information provided at the site."

Events: "Visitors rely on information on the website at their own risk. Times and dates are subject to change and spectators or audiences are strongly encouraged to contact the school for the most recent schedule."

Examples of Disabilities and How they Affect People's Abilities to Perceive and Use Websites/Pages.

Visual Disabilities

Blindness – People with no sight typically browse the Internet using voice-output software or refreshable Braille hardware. Such devices "read" what is on the screen to the user.

Low vision – Individuals who have limited vision may use screen-enlarging software.

Color blindness – To perceive color differences on a computer monitor, individuals with color blindness need high contrast. Also, designers/developers/authors should be mindful of the forms of color blindness when choosing color schemes. Typical color blindness involves the inability to distinguish between red and green, blue and green, or blue and yellow; some people see black and white only.

Auditory Disabilities

Deafness – People who cannot hear, experience a website/page only through its text, graphics/images and video.

Hard of hearing – Individuals with limited hearing may use sound-enhancing peripherals.

Physical/Motor Disabilities

People with physical disabilities or limited fine motor skills may have difficulty with the following computer-related tasks:

	-	Detailed manipulation of input devices such as a mouse or roller ball.

	-	Holding down multiple keyboard keys simultaneously.

Cognitive/Language Disabilities

Typical problems for people who have cognitive disabilities or disabilities that affect their language skills include the following:

	-	Difficulty with spatial reasoning and/or visualization skills.

	-	Difficulty reading and/or understanding written text (e.g. persons with dyslexia).

Persons wanting to learn more about web accessibility standards and guidelines should consult the following Internet sources:

The Access Board (www.access-board.gov) - Federal agency dedicated to accessible design.

World Wide Web Consortium (www.w3.org) – organization developed "Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0" and the "Web Accessibility Initiative Accessible Rich Internet Applications Suite (WAI-ARIA) 1.0."

Approved 3/03
Revised 1/24/17