In order to maintain contact with students, clients, businesses, providers, and other stakeholders, it will be necessary to conduct meetings over the phone and/or virtually.  Options available to all VR staff include: Webex, FaceTime, Zoom, Go To Meeting, and video conferencing (when there is access to the Nebraska VR office and video conferencing equipment). 

To ensure security and privacy, the following steps must be followed when utilizing virtual meeting tools:

Hosting/Initiating the Virtual Meeting

• Whenever possible, passwords should be used to ensure only invited participants are included in the meeting.
• Whenever possible, the “waiting room” feature should be used with Zoom to monitor invitees and participants.
• Staff must familiarize themselves with Zoom’s settings and features to maximize security. Tutorials and training updates can be found at https://zoom.us. 
• Some staff may not be able to add the Zoom plug in to their Outlook, and in such a case, staff will need to copy/paste the zoom meeting information into their calendar invitation.
• A meeting link should be shared directly with the participant(s) and should not be posted publicly (e.g., social media).
• Unless a media release is obtained, staff must refrain from taking/posting screenshots of video sessions in order to protect privacy of students and clients.
• Staff must use screen sharing options with caution. In screen share mode, the entire computer screen is visible to participants including messages, notifications, and opened tabs.
• Whenever possible, manage screen sharing options by keeping screen share as “Host Only”.
• Sessions with clients/students should not be recorded.
  • Any recorded meeting may become a public record which then is subject to the records retention schedule requirements. Additionally, should the recording be requested as a public record, the details of the session would no longer be confidential.  Therefore, in an effort to preserve the confidentiality and security of VR clients, no sessions initiated by VR with clients and students will be recorded.
  • If a VR staff participates in a video conference session hosted/initiated by another partner and the host’s decision is to record the meeting, it is appropriate etiquette for all attendees to be notifed of the recording.
• The Violent and Disruptive Behavior chapter applies to virtual meetings.  Therefore, should an incident consistent with the chapter occur during a Webex, FaceTime, Zoom and/or video conferencing, applicable processes and documentation must be completed.
• The following content should be included in the electronic invite to all student and adult clients when a VR staff is arranging a virtual meeting.  Instructions for adding the content to the Outlook invite are also provided.

Nebraska VR is using video conferencing tools to stay connected.  I have invited you to participate in a virtual meeting using the link below.

Here are a few reminders for our upcoming virtual meeting:

• During our meeting, it will be possible to hear and see one another.
• Please be prepared for our virtual meeting as you would if we were meeting in person at an office, school, or community library.
• In order to use our time most efficiently, please set up in a space with limited/no distractions.

If you have questions about our meeting, please contact me. Thank you!

Instructions for developing an email template are attached to this chapter.