Community Relations/Community Flyers

We are the Community Relations Office, and our mission is to build strong relationships with students, parents, community partners, and other key stakeholders.

We understand the importance of communication, which is why we use a variety of tools to keep everyone informed and engaged. Whether you're a student, parent, or community member, we are dedicated to keeping you up-to-date and involved.

Listen to the Emporia Showcase at 8:20 a.m. every third Tuesday on KVOE AM 1400 and FM 96.9.

Watch for stories and photos of school district activities in The Emporia Gazette.

Media Inquiries: 620-341-2200, community.relations@usd253.net

Lyndel Landgren

Director of Communications and Marketing

Phone: 620-341-2200
Fax: 620-341-2205

Mary Herbert Education Center
1700 W 7th Ave.
PO Box 1008
Emporia, KS 66801

Community Flyers

The Emporia Public Schools strives to ensure that students and families have access to information that highlights opportunities for educational and enrichment activities outside of the school day. We will work with non-profit organizations throughout our community to share information about events that benefit youth and families.

Community Flyers Approval Process
Kansas Open Records Act - KORA

Community Flyers Approval Process

In an ongoing effort to save paper and increase access to information for families, our district is moving from paper distribution to online posting of community flyers.

The Board of Education has established policies that limit the distribution of free materials in schools by outside groups. USD 253 Board of Education Policy KI-R Distribution in Schools states: No student shall be forced to participate in the distribution or receipt of any non-school materials in the schools.

Therefore, no materials subject to this policy will be distributed to every student in a school/grade/class. Materials subject to this policy will be posted on the district’s website and some paper copies will be placed in a location within the school that is accessible to all students and parents. No school will distribute items subject to this policy without first receiving notification of approval for distribution from the Central Office.

All requests to distribute/post materials must be made to the district along with a sample copy of the material prior to the date on which the distribution is requested. Once the request has been approved, copies of the flyer can be taken to each school. School office staff will accept the flyers and they will be placed in the school distribution box or distribution location.

An application to distribute materials is available at the Board of Education Office, 1700 W. Seventh Ave, or by filling out the Distribution Request Form.

Complete the application form and submit sample documents to community.relations@usd253.net or deliver them to Mary Herbert Education Center Room 115 at 1700 W. Seventh, Emporia, KS 66801. For information, call 620-341-2200.

Materials must be free of text, graphics, or other references to topics that are inappropriate for school-age children including, but not limited to, profanity; weapons; illegal activities; violence; obscenity; discrimination; or tobacco, alcohol or illegal drugs.
The flyer (in PDF format) should contain:
- Name of organization and contact information
- Date of event or activity
- Deadline for registration
If the flyer is approved, the District Community Relations Office will post it to our website.
Flyers will be posted for a maximum of 2 months and will be removed from the site once the information is out of date. Requests for approval or questions should be emailed to community.relations@usd253.net

The district reserves the right of final approval for the posting of any flyer and may deny permission for any reason consistent with federal or state law or district policy, procedures, or practices.

Kansas Open Records Act - KORA

The Kansas Open Records Act - KORA

Public Access

All records, except those subject to exception by the Kansas Open Records Act, shall be open to inspection by the general public during regular office hours of any school or the district office. The superintendent will establish procedures for making records available on normal business days when district offices are closed. The district may charge and require advance payment of a fee for providing access to or furnishing copies of public records.

Requests for access to open records shall be made in writing to an official custodian of district records. The official custodian shall examine each request to determine whether the record requested is an open record or is subject to an exception of the Kansas Open Records Act that would allow the record to remain closed. The custodian may also refuse to provide access to a public record or to permit inspection if a request places an unreasonable burden in producing public records or if the custodian has reason to believe that repeated requests are intended to disrupt other essential functions of the district. The custodian shall either grant or deny each request.

If the custodian does not grant the request, the person requesting the record shall receive a written explanation of the reason for the denial within three days of the request, if an explanation requested. If the requester disagrees with the explanation, the freedom of information officer shall settle the dispute.

Each request for access to a public record shall be acted upon as soon as possible, but not later than the end of the third business day following the date that the request is received. If the request is not acted on immediately, the custodian shall inform the requester within the three-day window, when and where the open record will be made available.

Each custodian shall file all requests and their dispositions in the appropriate office and make reports as requested by the superintendent or the board.

Copies of Records

Copies of open records shall be available upon written request unless otherwise specified in Kansas or federal law. Requestors may only make abstracts or obtain copies of public records to which they have access under the Kansas Open Records Act. The district shall not be required to provide copies of radio or recording tapes or discs, videotapes, films, pictures, slides, graphics, illustrations, or similar audio or visual items or devices unless such items or devices were shown or played during open session of a district board meeting. Similarly, the district shall not be required to provide such items or devices which are copyrighted by a person other than the board. Furthermore, nothing in the Kansas Open Records Act requires the district to electronically make copies available by allowing a requestor to obtain copies by inserting, connecting, or otherwise attaching an electronic device provided by the requestor to the computer or other electronic devices of the district.

Advance payment of the expense fo providing access to or furnishing copies of open records shall be borne by the requestor. Under no circumstances shall the documents the allowed out of their usual building location without approval of the official custodian.

The board may prescribe reasonable fees for providing access to or furnishing copies of public records, subject to the following:

in the case of fees for copies of records, the fees shall not exceed the actual cost of furnishing copies, including the cost of staff time required to make the information available and printing fees per page as applicable;
in the case of fees for providing access to records maintained on computer facilities, the fees shall include only the cost of any computer services, including staff time required.

Revenue from coping open records will be deposited in the district's general fund.

Disposition

All district office records shall be kept for at least the minimum length of time required by law.

The clerk or designee is designated as the official custodian of all board and district office records maintained by the district. Each building maintained at the building level. In addition to those records required by law, the clerk shall be responsible for preparing and keeping other records necessary for the district's efficient operation.

District employees shall follow the guidelines found in the student records policies.

KORA Requests should be submitted to KORA@usd253.net along with the Certification Document. Questions contact the Communications and Marketing Department at 620-341-2200.