1.
Purpose: The Board supports use of the Internet and
other computer networks in the district's instructional program in order to
facilitate learning and teaching through interpersonal communications and
access to information, research, and collaboration. The use of network
facilities shall be consistent with the curriculum adopted by the school
district as well as the varied instructional needs, learning styles, abilities,
and developmental levels of students.
2.
Authority: The electronic information available to
students and staff does not imply endorsement by the district of the content,
nor does the district guarantee the accuracy of information received on the
Internet. The district shall not be responsible for any information that may be
lost, damaged or unavailable when using the network or for any information that
is retrieved via the Internet.
The district
shall not be responsible for any unauthorized charges or fees resulting from access
to the Internet. The district reserves the right to log network use and to
monitor fileserver space utilization by district users, while respecting the
privacy rights of both district users and outside users. The Board establishes
that use of the Internet is a privilege, not a right; inappropriate,
unauthorized and illegal use will result in cancellation of those privileges
and appropriate disciplinary action.
3.
De1egation of Responsibility: The district shall
make every effort to ensure that this educational resource is used responsibly
by students and staff. Administrators, teachers and staff have a professional
responsibility to work together to help students develop the intellectual
skills necessary to discriminate among information sources, to identify
information appropriate to their age and developmental levels, and to evaluate
and use the information to meet their educational goals. Students and staff
have the responsibility to respect and protect the rights of every other user
in the district and on the Internet. The building administrator shall have the
authority to determine what is inappropriate use.
4.
Guidelines: Network accounts shall be used only by the
authorized owner of the account for its authorized purpose. All communications
and information accessible via the network should be assumed to be private
property and shall not be disclosed. Network users shall respect the privacy of
other users on the system.
Students and
staff are expected to act in a responsible, ethical, and legal manner in
accordance with district policy, accepted rules of network etiquette, and
federal and State law. Specifically, the following uses are prohibited:
1. To
facilitate illegal activity.
2. Commercial
or for-profit purposes.
3. Non-work or
non-school related work.
4. Product
advertisement or political lobbying.
5. Hate mail,
discriminatory remarks, and offensive or inflammatory communication.
6. Unauthorized
or illegal installation, distribution, reproduction, or use of copyrighted
materials.
7. To access
obscene or pornographic material.
8.
Inappropriate language or profanity.
9. To transmit
material likely to be offensive or objectionable to recipients.
10.
Intentionally obtain or modify files, passwords, and data belonging to other
users.
11.
Impersonation of another user, anonymity, and pseudonyms.
12. Fraudulent
copying, communications, or modification of materials in violation .of
copyright laws.
13. Loading or
use of unauthorized games, programs, files, or other electronic media.
14. To disrupt
the work of other users.
15. Destroying,
modifying, or abusing network hardware and software.
16. Quoting
personal communications in a public forum without the original author's prior
consent.
17. The use of
Chat Rooms, Bulletin Boards, etc. is prohibited.
System security
is protected through the use of passwords. Failure to adequately protect or
update passwords could result in unauthorized access to personal or district
files. To protect the integrity of the system, the following guidelines shall
be followed:
1. Employees
and students shall not reveal their passwords to another individual.
2. Users are
not to use a computer that has been logged in under another student's or
teacher's name.
3. Any user
identified as a security risk or having a history of problems with other
computer systems may be denied access to the network.
To the greatest
extent possible, users of the network will be protected from harassment and
unwanted or unsolicited communication. Any network user who receives
threatening or unwelcome communications immediately shall bring them to the
attention of a teacher or administrator. Network users shall not reveal
personal addresses or telephone numbers to other users on the network.
The network
user shall be responsible for damages to the equipment, systems, and software
resulting from deliberate or willful acts. Illegal use of the network;
intentional deletion or damage to files of data belonging to others; copyright
violations; and theft of services will be reported to the appropriate legal
authorities for possible prosecution.
General rules
for behavior and communications apply when using the Internet, in addition to
the stipulations of this policy. Loss of access and other disciplinary actions
shall be consequences for inappropriate use.
Vandalism will
result in cancellation of access privileges. Vandalism is defined as any
malicious attempt to harm or destroy data of another user, Internet or other
networks; this includes but is not limited to uploading or creating computer
viruses.
The illegal use
of copyrighted software by students and staff is prohibited. Any data uploaded
to or downloaded from the network shall be subject to fair use guidelines.
[P.L.
94-553 Sec. 107 Pol.815]
Adopted September
21, 1999
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