BOARD POLICY
ACCEPTABLE
USE POLICY
STUDENT
ACCESS TO NETWORKED INFORMATION RESOURCES
The Board recognizes that as telecommunications and other new technologies shift the ways that information may be accessed, communicated and transferred by members of the society, those changes may also alter instruction and student learning. The Board generally supports access by students to rich information resources along with the development by staff of appropriate skills to analyze and evaluate such resources.
Telecommunications, electronic information sources and
networked services significantly alter the information landscape for schools by
opening classrooms to a broader array of resources. In the past, instructional and library media
materials could usually be screened – prior to use – by committees of educators
and community members intent on subjecting all such materials to reasonable
selection criteria. The Board recognizes
that all such materials be consistent with district-adopted guides, supporting
and enriching the curriculum while taking into account the varied instructional
needs, learning styles, abilities and developmental levels of the students.
Telecommunications, because they may lead to any publicly available fileserver
in the world, will open classrooms to electronic information resources which
have not been screened by educators for use by students of various ages. The
Electronic information research skills are now fundamental
to preparation of citizens and future employees during an Age of
Information. The Board expects that
staff will blend thoughtful use of such information throughout the curriculum
and that the staff will provide guidance and instruction to students in the
appropriate use of such resources.
Students are responsible for good behavior on school
computer networks just as they are in a classroom or a school hallway. Communications on the network are often
public in nature. General school rules
for behavior and communications apply.
The network is provided for students to conduct research and communicate
with others. Access to network services
will be provided to students who agree to act in a considerate and responsible
manner.
Network storage areas may be treated like school
lockers. Network administrators may
review files and communications to maintain system integrity and insure that
users are using the system responsibly.
Users should not expect that files stored on district servers will
always be private.
Access to telecommunications will enable students to explore
thousands of libraries, databases, and bulletin boards while exchanging
messages with people throughout the world.
The Board believes that the benefits to students from access in the form
of information resources and opportunities for collaboration, exceed the
disadvantages. But ultimately, parents
and guardians of minors are responsible for setting and conveying the standards
that their children should follow when using media and information sources.
The following are not permitted:
Any user violating these provisions, applicable state and federal laws or posted classroom and district rules is subject to loss of network privileges and any other District Disciplinary options, including criminal prosecution. School and district administrators will make the final determination as to what constitutes unacceptable use and their decision is final.
1)
Acceptable Use
a.
Must be in support of education and research
consistent with district policy
b.
Must be consistent with the rules appropriate to any
network being used/accessed
c.
Unauthorized use of copyrighted material is
prohibited
d.
Threatening or obscene material is prohibited
e.
Distribution of material protected by trade secret is
prohibited
f.
Use for commercial activities is not acceptable
g.
Product advertisement or political lobbying is
prohibited
2)
Privileges
a.
Access to the Internet is not a right, but a
privilege
b.
Unacceptable usage will result in cancellation of
account
c.
Training will be provided for each individual
applying for an account
3)
Netiquette
a.
Be polite
b.
Do not use vulgar or obscene language
c.
Use caution when revealing your address or phone
number (or those of others)
d.
Electronic mail is not guaranteed to be private
e.
Do not intentionally disrupt the network or other
users
f.
Abide by generally accepted rules of network
etiquette
4)
Security
a.
If you identify a security problem, notify a system
administrator immediately
b.
Do not show or identify a security problem to others
c.
Do not reveal your account password or allow another
person to use your account
d.
Do not use another individual’s account
e.
Attempts to log on as another user will result in
cancellation of privileges
f.
Any user identified as a security risk or having a
history of problems with other computer systems may be denied access
g.
User must notify the district system administrator of
any change in account information
h.
User may be occasionally required to update
registration, password and account information in order to continue Internet
access
5)
Vandalism/Harassment
a.
Vandalism and/or harassment will result in the
cancellation of the offending user’s account
b.
Vandalism is defined as any malicious attempt to harm
or destroy data or another user, the Internet or other networks. This includes, but is not limited to,
creating and/or uploading computer viruses
c.
Harassment is defined as the persistent annoyance of
another user or the interference in another user’s work. This includes, but is not limited to, the
sending of unwanted mail
BOARD POLICY
ACCEPTABLE
USE POLICY (Amendment)
Responsible use
All users are expected to use computing resources in a
responsible and efficient manner consistent with the instructional, research
and administrative goals of the school district. Users are expected to refrain from engaging
in deliberate wasteful practices such as sending chain letters through
electronic mail, printing unnecessary listings, printing multiple copies of files,
performing unnecessary file downloads, or unnecessarily using workstations for
long periods of time when others are waiting for these resources. In addition, the playing of games or using
computer networks for purely recreational purposes during the instructional
day, may compromise network performance and represent irresponsible use of
equipment and resources.
The