Sharing of student photos during field trips

In previous years, we have shared photos with families during field trips. We know these updates have reassured you that your children are safe and happy and have given you a glimpse into their trip experiences. However, due to shifting logistical and legal complexities outlined below, we can no longer continue this real-time practice. We will still share these afterwards.

As an institution, ISL’s handling of data and imagery is strictly governed by the Swiss Federal Law on Data Protection. To share any student photographs with our community, best practice requires us to obtain explicit permission from each family for every child. Over the past year, an increasing number of families have opted not to grant this permission, a preference that now applies to approximately 20% of the ISL student population.

Previously, when this applied to only one or two students per year group, trip leaders could manage the process by omitting those specific children from photos. However, with a fifth of our students now opting out, it has become functionally impossible for staff to manually cross-reference photo permissions while actively supervising students in the field. This decision is driven by two key factors:

1. Logistics: Managing complex permission lists in real time detracts from staff focus on trip execution.

2. Inclusion: Excluding a large, visible group of children from group photos or activities creates an unwelcome environment of division.

We will continue to capture photos during school trips. Upon returning to ISL, we will use our secure internal software to process and share these images. This system filters photos to ensure they only include students from families who have granted the necessary permissions. Because this requires considerable administrative time, photos will now be shared after the trip concludes, rather than in real time. We will continue to provide our standard text-based updates each evening during trips to keep you informed of our daily adventures.

While providing real-time updates has been valuable, we fully respect our families' choice to maintain the privacy of their children's images, a choice that is becoming increasingly common worldwide.
Thank you for your understanding and partnership as we navigate these regulations to keep our community safe and maintain the school's legal compliance.

Simon Foley

Interim Director