Communications

DeSoto ISD's Communications, Marketing & Engagement department offers a full range of creative services, crisis communication and strategic planning designed to share the message of the DeSoto Independent School District. We work to communicate the mission and goals of the district as it seeks to raise the academic achievement of each student. DeSoto ISD Communication is committed to providing timely, effective communications that engage our students, parents, employees and community members.

The DeSoto ISD Communications team is focused on sharing, clarifying, and making accessible the vision, mission, goals, values, and commitments of DeSoto ISD.

DeSoto ISD Communications serves the district in the following capacities:



The work of the DeSoto ISD Communications Department is to ensure that the DeSoto ISD school community is informed, aware and has access to news and updates regarding the district while fostering a sense of pride, increasing engagement and elevating the visibility of the district’s programs, opportunities, and positive news.

Media Protocols

  • In order to request interviews involving DeSoto ISD students, teachers or staff, media are asked to contact the News and Information team in advance via email or by phone to secure the location and interview subjects for the appropriate story.

    Media should refrain from contacting DeSoto ISD students, teachers or staff without FIRST receiving approval from our media team, and is asked not visit campuses prior to receiving approval from the DeSoto ISD Communications Department.

  • Friendly reminders for media partners:

  • Every effort will be made to cooperate with news media representatives to ensure complete and accurate coverage of school events.

NEWS MEDIA REQUESTEvery effort will be made to cooperate with news media representatives to ensure complete and accurate coverage of school events.

Per Board policy, the official spokesperson for the DeSoto ISD is the superintendent of schools or a designee appointed by the superintendent of schools.

The Board President is the designated spokesperson for the District's Board. Individual Board members will not speak on behalf of the entire Board unless designated according to the Board's operating procedures.

If inquiries are made to district staff, staff should refer the reporter to the Communication Department for assistance. The staff should notify the Communications Department before granting an interview with the news media.

Communications will work with campus and departmental administrators to coordinate news media interviews and other coverage within individual schools and will cooperate when reasonable requests are made by news media representatives. The Communications Department should be notified before granting an interview with the news media.

NEWS RELEASES

The Superintendent of Schools has delegated the responsibility for news releases about overall District operations or activities to the Communications Department.

Each school principal is encouraged to appoint a communications contact for the school to help disseminate information quickly and accurately in the local school community. Communications contacts will be responsible for disseminating information on the local school through news releases and contact with news media representatives. They should also forward information on a regular basis to the Communications Department for use with internal audiences.

COVERAGE OF SCHOOL EVENTS

Parental permission is necessary before individual students are interviewed or photographed by news media representatives.

The staff of the Communications Department will be available to assist in working with the news media in crisis situations.

Here are some quick helpful points to note regarding some of DeSoto ISD Communications' more common practices:

  • DeSoto ISD welcomes members of the media into our schools and strives to provide the most accurate and timely information available. The DeSoto ISD Communications Department should be the first point of contact for all media inquiries for the district. News media will not be allowed on any district property without prior consent from Communications and must remain across the street from a campus on the sidewalk unless otherwise permitted by the department.
  • As the recipient of federal funds for various programs, the DeSoto Independent School District abides by the Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Under FERPA, parents and their children have certain protections with regard to the public release of education records, such as report cards, transcripts, disciplinary records, family information and class schedules.
  • DeSoto ISD does not comment on personnel matters. Texas law requires public employers to disclose certain personnel information, but it also provides for limitations to public access of personnel records to protect the privacy and security interests of public employees.



Media inquiries should be directed to the Chief Communications Officer.

STAFF TRAINING

Department Contact Information: 

Tiffanie Blackmon-Jones

Chief Communications Officer

O: (972) 223-6666 ext 8414 C: (214) 244-9627

E: [email protected]

Jacquinette Murphy

Assistant Director of Internal Communications

O: (972) 223-6666 ext 8445

E: [email protected]

 

Karmeda Mitchell

District Receptionist

O: (972) 223-6666 ext 8200

E: [email protected]