Guidelines for Showing Films in the Classroom

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Non-print materials, such as videos, have become increasingly valuable sources of information and creative expression.  Springfield Township High School supports the use of media in the instructional program. Springfield Township High School faculty are expected to use sound professional judgment in the selecting of video and other media resources used with students, and are to be aware of both the Federal Copyright Law and Fair Use practices as they apply to the use of such media in the classroom.

By law, when a teacher shows any video that does not include “public performance rights” he or she must comply with the “Fair Use” provision and Chapter 1, Section 110 of the Copyright Law.  The following is a summary of the guidelines from those documents.  Videos shown in school should:

• be used with students in “face to face” instruction with the teacher
• be directly related to the curriculum and the current instruction
• be correlated to instructional objectives
• be shown in the normal instructional setting, not in such large group settings as the auditorium
• not be used for extra-curricular, reward or recreational use
• not be used for fundraising.  No admission should be charged for a film showing
• be “lawfully made.” That means that the teacher has not duplicated a copy in violation of Fair Use, without the knowledge of the copyright holder or that the teacher has not knowingly purchased an illegal copy.  It is reasonable to assume that videos acquired from rental stores and libraries are lawfully made copies.

So what does this mean for my classroom?

Videos borrowed from the High School Library:

Follow the above provisions when using videos from the library. Note that the library is careful to purchase video materials from vendors offering public performance rights. If the video is R-Rated, remember to prepare a letter home for parents.  See sample letter.

Privately purchased videos:

Most privately purchased videos are sold with a “home use only” agreement, not with public performance rights.  However, these videos may be used in a school if the above guidelines are met.  If the video is R-Rated, remember to follow procedures for showing R-Rated videos in the classroom.

Rented videos:

Rented videos may be used in schools, even if they are labeled “For Home Use Only,” if the above guidelines are met.  If the video is R-Rated, remember to follow procedures for showing R-Rated videos in the classroom.

Off-air taping:

If you tape a video from a regular, commercial, or “free” network you must apply the Fair Use guidelines.  You may show the video once and repeat that showing once within ten consecutive school days of the broadcast. The tape may NOT be used in school after the forty-five day period outlined in the fair-use guidelines.  For the following 35 days, teachers may keep the tape for evaluation purposes only.  The copied video must be destroyed after forty-five days. Special permission must be obtained to show any videotapes from a cable or satellite television, such as HBO or Disney.  If the taped video is R-Rated, remember to follow procedures for showing R-Rated videos in the classroom.

It is not necessary to show off-air recordings in their entirety, but recorded programs should not be physically or electronically combined or merged to constitute teaching anthologies or compilations.

Please note: copies of videos shown in our school should be obtained legally. Even if you use a film for clear educational purposes, if it is a bootleg copy, it is illegal. Use of copied materials should not substitute for purchasing the work. Consider whether your continued use of the resource dilutes the market or potential sales of the copyright holder.  If it does, then suggest that the school library or your department purchase a legally obtained copy.

Cable in the Classroom magazine and CIC Online (http://www.ciconline.com) offers a wealth of information about off-air copying of videos, monthly schedules of educational broadcast resources, and descriptions of the generous extended rights offered by many broadcasters. 

Works Consulted

• US Copyright Law, Chapter 1, Section 110 http://www.copyright.gov/title17/92chap1.html#110

• Fair Use: US Copyright Office http://www.copyright.gov/fls/fl102.html 

• Video and Copyright (American Library Association) http://www.ala.org/library/fact7.html

• Stanford University: Copyright and Fair Use http://fairuse.stanford.edu/library/faq.htm

• University of California: Using the Copyrighted Works of Others http://www.ucop.edu/ott/crothers.html

• Cable in the Classroom Online http://ciconline

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