Communications

STAFF
Carrie Ardito
Director of Communications
651-403-7008 | carrie.ardito@isd197.org

Michelle Graff
Communications Specialist
651-403-7022 | michelle.graff@isd197.or g

It is the mission of the Communications Department to serve as a liaison between district administration and the community in an effort to promote the offerings of the district and keep open the lines of communication with all stakeholders.

The Communications Department works under the direction of the Superintendent and oversees the district's website, community and media relations, strategic marketing, social media, the weekly e-News, and other publications.

What We Do

district update newsletter

Every Thursday, School District 197 sends out the District Update, an electronic newsletter containing news about School District 197's students, staff, and upcoming events. The updates are sent to district staff, parents/guardians, and community members who have subscribed to receive it. To subscribe to receive the District Update, please click here.

Recent Communication

COMMUNITY FLYER DISTRIBUTION PROCESS

To distribute a flyer electronically or hard copy to School District 197 students and their families, you must receive prior approval from the school district. Due to the number of requests we receive from businesses, organizations, and individuals, all flyers distributed to our students and their families must fit into one of the following categories in order to be approved:

1.) School news
2.) District news
3.) News from one of our city/county partners and their affiliated organizations
4.) News from local non-profit organizations that provide programs and services for our students and their families

If you are one of these organizations, please click here, which will take you to a form to provide information about your organization and your distribution preferences. All flyers must be provided in English and Spanish versions. Flyers can be distributed electronically no more than two times at all schools at no cost and/or hard copy one time at our elementary schools. You are responsible for delivering hard copies to the schools.

If your flyer is approved, you will receive an email confirmation within 48 hours that will include information where to send a PDF of your flyer. If you have any questions about the flyer distribution process, please call Carrie Ardito at 651-403-7008.

SOCIAL MEDIA

District 197 uses Facebook pages to keep families updated on news and announcements.

COMMUNITY CABLE CHANNELS

The District has a presence on two local cable channels:

Townsquare TV, Channel 20 - serving residents of Inver Grove Heights, Lilydale, Mendota, Mendota Heights, South St. Paul, Sunfish Lake and West St. Paul
Eagan Television (eTV), Channel 15 - serving residents of Eagan

Regular business meetings of the School Board are video recorded for playback on local cable and online streaming. Find more information about School Board Meetings.

Emergency Closings Due to Weather

The decision to close on days of inclement weather or in an emergency is always challenging, Student safety is always our primary concern, so we want to make sure parents and guardians are fully aware of our procedures.

All delays in school opening, early dismissal of school, or emergency school closings will be announced over the WCCO radio station (830 on the AM dial). Channel 4 (WCCO), Channel 5 (KSTP), Channel 9 (Fox 9/KMSP), and Channel 11 (KARE) will also be notified. The district will be listed as: West St. Paul-Mendota Heights-Eagan Area.
In the event of a delay in school opening or an emergency school closing, the media will be contacted by 5:30 a.m. When there is a delay in opening schools, the school starting time will always be delayed at least two (2) hours. However, we cannot control when the announcement will actually be broadcast.
Families will be alerted through the parent notification system and information will be posted on the district and school websites.
Students and parents should be sure to keep emergency contact information updated with their school office.