Communications

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

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

Hank Herald Newsletter

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 fall into one of the following categories in order to be approved:

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

If your news falls into one of these categories, please click here to complete the online Flyer Distribution Approval Form. All flyers must be provided in English and Spanish versions.

Electronic Distribution: You must provide a JPG or PDF document for electronic distribution. Flyers can be distributed electronically no more than two times at all schools at no cost.
Hard Copy Distribution: You must deliver hardcopies for every student in a selected school. Hard copy distribution is only available at the elementary schools. Hard copies of a particular flyer will only be distributed once.

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 and/or how many hard copies you need to deliver to the school(s). The school district reserves the right to not distribute flyers by individuals and organizations.

If you have any questions about the flyer distribution process, please email District Communications.

SOCIAL MEDIA

School 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.

Directory Information

CLICK HERE for the Student Directory Opt-Out Form

Organizations and/or any member of the public can request information about students attending West St. Paul-Mendota Heights-Eagan Area Schools (School District 197). “Directory information,” as it is known, is defined by School District 197 as a student’s name, date of birth, major field of study, participation in officially organized teams, weight and height as a member of athletic teams, dates of enrollment, dates of graduation or withdrawal, grade levels completed, degrees and awards, pictures of students for school-approved publications/newspapers, yearbooks, district-managed websites and district-managed social media, or for cable casts, bulletins, programs, or similar school-produced information pieces.

The district’s policy complies with state and federal laws, which require the school district to release information upon request. However, parents/legal guardians have the right to deny the release of their student’s directory information, except to school officials or as provided under federal law. To make directory information private, parents, legal guardians, or students who are 18 or older should complete the Student Directory Opt-Out Form and submit it to the district. Please see the form for all necessary information.

If you have any questions, please call 651-403-7008 or email district.communications@isd197.org.