Documentation with Digital Cameras

West Lafayette Community School Corporation has purchased several digital cameras for use by school employees. The purpose of the cameras is to document injuries and other physical situations for incident reports, Department of Child Services (DCS) reports, and similar purposes where photographic evidence will be helpful in documentation. Further, the cameras are meant to be used so that school employees need not use personal devices to capture images. That said, the cameras should only be used for the above-described purposes, and not for capturing personal memories.

School staff are reminded that Indiana law requires immediate reporting of suspected child abuse and neglect. If a school employee feels alleged abuse or neglect should be photographed, school employees are advised to make the appropriate report to DCS or local law enforcement before taking photographs of the alleged abuse or neglect.

School staff assigned a digital camera are responsible for maintaining the camera in good working order and storing it in a safe location. When taking photos, school staff should capture multiple angles and contexts to provide a comprehensive understanding of the situation. And if the camera has a timestamp feature, school staff should ensure the time and date stamp are correct.

After pictures are taken, school staff should transfer the photo(s) to a computer as soon as practicable and delete it off the camera’s storage card. Thereafter, photos should be stored electronically in a way that only those school employees with a need to access the photos have access to the photos.

West Lafayette Community School Corporation

Adopted: October 20, 2025

Revised: [date]