Copyright

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Library media staff members communicate to students and other school staff members about copyright infringement and the ethical issues involved in copyright protection.

• Policy:  Guidelines for Educational Copyright MCPS EGB-EA.

• Regulation: Using Copyright Materials MCPS EGB-RA.

• Additional Copyright Resources:

• • U.S. Copyright Office: A Department of the Library of Congress

    • How Do I…?

    • U.S. Copyright Office Fair Use Index

  • American Library Association

  • Copyright Kids!

MCPS Form 203-1: Evaluation and Selection of Instructional Materials, is used to obtain permission to use copyrighted work for educational purposes.

Instructional Use of Motion Picture Association of American Rated Films -- School library media specialists should refer to Evaluation Process charts for restrictions and procedures for showing at each service level for G, PG, PG-13, and R films rated by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA).  These charts can be found on the SLMP Google Site.

 

Any questions about these procedures should be referred to the appropriate content area supervisor.

 

Films or film clips that do not comply with MPAA guidelines but are felt to be essential to instruction, may be reviewed for waiver by submitting MCPS Form 365-21: Request for Waiver for the Instructional Use of Film, to the appropriate program supervisor or coordinator for approval.  In addition to the MPAA age-rating, the request must include information about the rationale for showing the film and specific performance indicators within the identified content standard that the film or film segment will support, as well as information about its impact on instructional time, copyright date, and cost.

 

The program supervisor or coordinator convenes an E & S committee to review the request and to consider using the following criteria outlined in Regulation IIB-RA:  Evaluation and Selection of Instructional Materials and Library Books:

• Direct support of curriculum standards (i.e., content standards and performance indicators demonstrating that the film or film segment is essential to the understanding of the course content).

• Authenticity.

• Impact on instructional time.

• Frequency -- copyright date.

• Clarity, conciseness, and comprehension.

• Value in terms of purchase price.

• Compliance with MCPS hardware and network standards.

 

The supervisor or coordinator submits the evaluation information to the E & S Unit using MCPS Form 365-25, Record of Evaluation for Instructional Materials, for inclusion in DAE.  The form includes a note that MPAA guidelines have been waived for use in a specific unit of a course, subject, or grade and that written permission must be sought and received from parents before the film or clip is shown to students.  See Sample Letter—Parent Notification of MPAA Film Use:  School Letterhead on the SLMP Google Site and MPAA Ratings, which must accompany the Parent Notification of MPAA Film Use.  Any questions should be referred to the content area supervisor or coordinator related to the film.

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Students Rights and Responsibility & Copyright Guideline

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For more information on Student Rights and Responsibilities 

click on the website below 

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*Policies and Procedures Handbook. School Library Media Programs, MCPS. 2017.