Vol. 8 2022
Do
• Act in a professional manner at all times
• Keep open communication with adviser, editors and other staff members
• Give up personal time to work on publications (after school, weekends, holidays)
• Use computers for journalism use only (see use of computers section)
• Always check out equipment and report its condition to adviser or editor staff
• Keep a notebook (this staff manual must be included) of quotes
• Keep food or drinks away from computers
• Keep all journalism materials in classroom and in proper location
• Return at end class and check in when off campus for journalism reasons
• Constantly clean and maintain Journalism room
• Know the proper way to enter another teacher’s classroom
• Introduce yourself
o Ask if it’s a good time to interview _____
o (Do not say “Can I borrow _______”)
o Thank the teacher and the student
• Keep chairs in proper location (There are too many to let float!)
• Be on time. Like you, Mr. Mallett has rules to follow. You must be in the journalism room when the door closes.
• Dress professionally when representing journalism
o Polo shirt is required for UIL meets and must be packed for all trips for award ceremonies
o Photographers must always wear toed shoes, and a journalism shirt (polo preferred)
• Students must always sign out (and check with the assistant editor) when leaving the journalism room
• Phones must be in your pocket, purse or backpack
• Keep a quote book (either in dropbox or binder)
Do Not
• Lie – Use the truth always
• Leave the classroom without proper permission from editor or adviser (must have press pass to leave)
• Line up at the door!
• Change settings, backdrops, screensavers, download programs, or alter the computer in any fashion
• Enter office without solicited permission from Mr. Mallett or Editors
• Use your phone during meetings or instruction time
• Use Mr. Mallett’s computer or the editors’ computers
• Interrupt other teacher’s classes for non-journalism business
• Never miss a deadline
• Curse, slander, provoke or use any other language not becoming of a professional
• Write on the whiteboard
• Use your music player without permission from Mallett
• Play any game on the computer (or stream video or music at any time for any reason)
• Use other people’s materials without asking
• Cause drama
• Interrupt a teacher’s class more than once in a class period (see assistant editor)
• Click the PUBLISH button on the online paper
• Take photos or video of students in classrooms (per district policy)
• Misspell names – the adviser may fine students for misspelling a name
• Post journalism photos on social media or blog sites
Discipline Procedures
The following actions will be taken by any staff member, editor, assistant editor, and business manager if the above responsibilities are not met:
Missed Deadlines
• First offense- Editor will set up a conference for the breach of contract with the adviser
• Second offense- Adviser will put on probation for two weeks (use of daily timesheets)
• If after two weeks, the staff member does not comply with specific outlined responsibilities, the adviser will set up a parent/teacher conference
• Third offense- The student will be permanently removed from the production staff
Behavior Problems
Any staff member who cannot act properly with other staff members, advisers, or act professionally when representing the journalism staff will be on probation for two weeks where if the problem is not corrected the student will be removed from the staff immediately. A parent conference will also take place at the beginning of the probation period.
Computer Infractions
• Any student not using journalism computers for academic purposes will be placed on a two-week probation from computer privileges and must be accompanied by an editor or adviser to complete required tasks
o i.e. games, personal items, Internet “surfing”
• A student accessing content from the Internet prohibited by the Mansfield Independent School District will be removed from the class immediately
o i.e. sites containing violence, gang-gelated activates, pornography, or other offensive content
Definition of probation- Probation will consist of a daily log sheet of all activities and the staff member on probation is responsible for reporting into an assigned editor or in some cases the adviser