FILE: E-6.2
TECHNOLOGY AND INTERNET USE
The Central Community School Board recognizes the role of educational technologies in stimulating innovative approaches to teaching and learning and shifting the way educators and students access and transmit information, share ideas, and contact others. In addition, technology is a key component in transacting the business of the school district and School Board.
Network resources and technology are provided for educational purposes and to carry out the legitimate business of the school district. The term educational purposes includes classroom activities and assignments, directed student research, interpersonal communication, professional development, collaborative projects, and dissemination of successful educational practices, methods, and materials. The School Board expects all employees, students, School Board members, and any other users, who use computing and network resources of the School Board, including electronic mail and telecommunications tools, to apply them in appropriate ways to the performance of responsibilities associated with their positions and assignments. The School Board directs the Superintendent or authorized designee(s) to specify those behaviors that are permitted and those that are not permitted as well as disseminate appropriate guidelines for the use of technology resources, including the Employee iPad Acceptable Use Regulations and Procedures handbook.
In compliance with the Children’s Internet Protection Act, the School Board shall use a technology protection measure that blocks and/or filters Internet access to Internet sites which contain harmful materials or information, such as sites that contain obscene, pornographic, pervasively vulgar, excessively violent, or sexually harassing material or information, or sites that may contain information on the manufacturing of bombs or incendiary devices. The technology protection measure that blocks and/or filters Internet access may be disabled by an authorized individual for bona fide research purposes with the permission of the Superintendent or authorized designee(s). This disabling is permissible only for a student seventeen (17) years of age or older or an authorized employee for the purpose as stated.
The network and Internet user shall be held responsible for his/her actions and activities. Responsibilities include efficient, ethical and legal utilization of network resources.
As a matter of public law, any document pertaining to the public business on a publicly funded system is a public record, unless specifically excepted by state law, and this law applies to records stored on district computers.
INTERNET USAGE
Any use of the Internet that adversely affects its operation in pursuit of teaching and learning or jeopardizes its use or performance for other community members shall be prohibited and may result in loss of Internet privileges, suspension or other appropriate disciplinary action. The provisions of this policy shall also apply to the use of private e-mail accounts when access is attained using School Board equipment or networks and to access attained through any authorized personal digital device while on School Board property. The Central Community School Board does not condone the use of the Internet for any illegal or inappropriate activities and shall not be responsible for any such use by staff or students.
ACCOUNTABILITY
Faculty and staff use of school computers or the Internet shall be reserved for educational purposes and the conducting of business aspects of the school system. All personnel using school computers or a computer network located on school property, or computers accessing the Internet shall be accountable for their use. Teacher or class files on the network shall be treated as district property subject to control and inspection by School Board personnel. Access codes or passwords shall be kept on file in a secured location by the principal or his/her designee in case an inspection is warranted. Use of the Internet, the School Board’s network, and/or any computers shall be considered a privilege and any inappropriate use may result in appropriate disciplinary action and loss of privileges to use the School Board’s technology network and computers.
The School Board does not guarantee the right of any user to use the Internet and reserves the right to suspend or terminate user privilege of any individual at its sole discretion without notice, cause, or reason. Failure to adhere to these regulations may result in the loss of computer privileges, access to the Internet and electronic mail account and may result in further disciplinary action up to and including termination. Furthermore, any activity that may be in violation of local, state, or federal laws shall be reported to the appropriate law enforcement agency.
Access to the information resources infrastructure, sharing of information, and security of intellectual products, all require that each and every user accept responsibility to protect the rights of the community. Any materials or files, such as, but not limited to, lesson plans, schedules, letters, memos, documents, programs, spreadsheets, databases, and/or presentations created with Central Community School Board equipment and/or facilities, or during periods for which the employee is compensated by the School Board becomes the intellectual property of Central Community School Board. Any employee of the School Board who, without authorization, accesses, uses, destroys, alters, dismantles or disfigures any School Board information technologies, properties or facilities, including those owned by third parties, thereby threatening the atmosphere of increased access and sharing of information, threatening the security within which members of the network may create intellectual products and maintain records, and shall be considered to have engaged in unethical and unacceptable behavior.
Users shall be responsible for the content of e-mail messages in their account. Communications on the network should be viewed as public in nature. E-mail is not a confidential medium for transmitting personal messages. School Board administrators may at any time review communications to maintain integrity system-wide and ensure that staff members are using the system responsibly. The School Board shall have access to all e-mail, which may be routinely and randomly checked. Inappropriate or profane messages, as well as messages that disrupt the educational and administrative goals of the School Board may result in loss of privileges and/or disciplinary action. Messages relating to, or in support of, illegal activities may be reported to the appropriate authorities. The School Board shall cooperate fully with any local, state, or federal officials in any investigation concerning or relating to any mail transmitted on School Board computers.
Accordingly:
E-mail shall not be left on the server. Users shall
be expected to remove old messages on their computers in a timely
fashion (monthly) and School Board administrators shall be authorized
to remove such messages if not attended to regularly and properly
by the user.
E-mail chain letters and joke lists shall be expressly forbidden and should immediately be deleted.
An employee who encounters a problem with a School Board computer, the School Board’s network or his/her assigned e-mail accounts, shall immediately report the problem to the Superintendent or his/her designee. Anyone witnessing an employee or student abusing a School Board computer and/or the School Board’s network shall report such information immediately to the Superintendent or his/her designee.
UNAUTHORIZED AND ILLEGAL USE
While using School Board computers and the technology network, faculty and staff shall not be under direct supervision, but shall abide by School Board policy.
Tampering with selection menus, procedures, or icons for the purpose of misleading or confusing other users shall be prohibited. Any use by any person of the School District's internal network that incurs expenses to the school other than the monthly user fees and rates shall be strictly prohibited. Furthermore, the computer system shall not be used for commercial, political or religious purposes.
Use of the network for any illegal activities shall also be prohibited. Illegal activities may include but are not limited to: (a) tampering with computer hardware or software, (b) unauthorized entry into computers and files (hacking), (c) knowledgeable vandalism or destruction of equipment, and (d) deletion of computer files. Such activity is considered a crime under state and federal law.
SECURITY
Teachers and other personnel who have computers in their charge shall be responsible for the security of those computers in terms of both hardware and software. Computers must be secured such that students acting without the consent or supervision of a teacher or administrator cannot enter the network or access the Internet.
Employees should not allow others to have access to or use their e-mail accounts or disclose their, or others’ passwords. All employee passwords shall be on file with the employee’s immediate supervisor. Should a password be changed, the employee shall notify their supervisor immediately.
Employee’s e-mail accounts shall not be readily accessible by students.
REGULATIONS FOR COMPUTER USE
The following regulations, terms, and conditions for the use of computers and other technology equipment and the School Board’s network and Internet resources are not all-inclusive, but are only representative and illustrative. A user who commits an act of misconduct or inappropriateness which is not listed may also be subject to disciplinary action or suspension, or termination, or be subject to appropriate criminal or civil prosecution.
The Superintendent or his/her designee shall be responsible for developing and maintaining pertinent administrative regulations and procedures for the proper maintenance and monitoring of computers and the School Board’s technology network’s resources, including confidentiality and security, all in accordance with School Board policy.
The user shall abide by such laws, School Board policies, regulations,
and procedures concerning technology use within the schools.
In general, employees are expected to communicate in a professional manner consistent with state laws governing the behavior of school employees and with federal laws governing copyright. Electronic mail and telecommunications shall not be utilized for unauthorized disclosure, inappropriate contact with employees or students, use and dissemination of personal identification or confidential information regarding any student or employee.
Employees shall not post any e-mail or other messages or
materials on school or district networks or the Internet that
are indecent, vulgar, lewd, slanderous, abusive, threatening,
sexually harassing, or terrorizing, or considered inappropriate
by School Board standards.
Employees shall not abuse or waste network resources through frivolous and non-educational use or send chain letters or annoying unnecessary letters to large numbers of people.
The Central Community School Board reserves the right to review
any stored record files or programs to which users have access and
shall edit or remove any material which the School Board, through
its Superintendent, or his/her designee, believes is in violation
of its policies, regulations, and procedures. As a user
of the School Board's technology and networks, including but not limited
to the Internet, the user shall consent to the monitoring, access
and review by the Superintendent or his/her designee of any stored
electronic communications, including but not limited to e-mail transmission.
Any software not created by the user is copyrighted. A
user shall not copy or distribute copyrighted or proprietary material
without the written consent of the copyright holder nor violate copyright
or patent laws or the license concerning computer software, documentation
or other tangible assets.
The user shall not install any software without consent from
the appropriate supervisor.
In consideration for the privilege of using the system, the
user shall release the Central Community School Board from any and
all claims arising from the use/inability to use the technology systems
and networks.
The user shall agree to indemnify the Central Community School
Board for any loss suffered by the School Board for any improper use
of the School Board’s technology network, and to compensate anyone
harmed by its improper use of the technology system.
The information provided through the technology systems and
networks shall be offered as a service and shall not be a substitute
for individual professional consultation.
The proper use of any user ID/password which may be assigned
is the ultimate responsibility of the individual to whom it has been
assigned. User ID's and passwords shall not be shared under
any circumstances.
The use of technology is a privilege which may be revoked at any time for any violation of laws, policies and procedures. The Superintendent shall decide what is inappropriate use and such decision shall be final. Such violations would include, but not be limited to,
submits, publishes, or displays on School Board owned or
maintained resources any material that is illegal, defamatory,
inaccurate, abusive, violent, profane, sexually oriented, racially
offensive, obscene, encourages the use of controlled substances,
or is otherwise offensive to users,
violates such matters as institutional or third party copyright,
license agreements and other contracts,
interferes with the intended use of electronic information
resources,
seeks to gain or gains unauthorized access to information
resources,
uses or knowingly allows another to use any computer, network,
system, program, or software to conduct any commercial or personal
business or activity, or solicit the performance of any activity
which is prohibited by law,
uses or knowingly allows another to use any computer, network,
system, program, or software to devise or execute any artifice
or scheme to defraud or obtain money, property, services, or other
things of value by false pretenses, promises, or representations,
uses or knowingly allows another to use any computer, network,
system, program, or software for commercial purposes, product
advertisement, solicitation of other staff or students to use
goods or services, or political lobbying,
without authorization, destroys, alters, dismantles, disfigures,
prevents rightful access to, or otherwise interferes with, the
integrity of computer-based information and/or information resources,
without authorization, engages in the use of real-time conference
features (talk/chat/internet relay chat),
without authorization, utilizes newsgroups,
without authorization, utilizes guest books allowing comments
on their web site,
engages in unbridled and open-ended use of the network in
terms of access time, performing activities that limit, waste,
or prevent other users from accessing finite resources,
refuses to develop, implement, or maintain security procedures
that ensure the integrity of individual and institutional files,
uses or knowingly allows another to use any computer, network, or system to contact by electronic means any student or employee that would be considered unacceptable in content by a reasonable person.
No personal or student information which is protected by the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act shall be disseminated on or through the School Board's technology systems and networks, including but not limited to the Internet.
CONSEQUENCES OF INAPPROPRIATE USE
The use of the Internet is a privilege, not a right, and inappropriate use may result in the temporary or permanent cancellation of that privilege and/or other disciplinary action (including suspension, termination and/or legal action) as deemed appropriate by the Superintendent or designated personnel. Inappropriate use of the network may also result in legal action and/or prosecution, and may require restitution for costs associated with system restoration, hardware, or software costs.
No information on the network (including e-mail and personal files) is guaranteed to be private. Information relating to or in support of illegal activities must be reported to the authorities.
Users bringing illegal and/or inappropriate materials onto the network shall be subject to disciplinary action.
DISCLAIMER
The Central Community School Board technology network and computer system is provided on an “as is, as available” basis. The School Board does not make any warranties, whether expressed or implied, including, without limitation, those of fitness for a particular purpose with respect to any services provided by the system and any information or software contained therein. The School Board uses a variety of vendor-supplied hardware and software. Therefore, the School Board does not warrant that the functions or services performed by, or that the information or software contained on the system will meet the user’s requirements. Neither does the School Board warrant that the technology network and any components will be uninterrupted or error-free, nor that defects will be corrected.
The School Board shall not be responsible for any damage users may suffer, including, but not limited to, loss, damage or unavailability of data stored on school district diskettes, tapes, hard drives or servers, or for delays or changes in or interruptions of service or misdeliveries or nondeliveries of information or materials, regardless of the cause. The School Board shall not be responsible for the accuracy or quality of any advice, service, or information obtained through or stored on school district computers and technology network. The School Board shall not be responsible for financial obligations arising through unauthorized use of the School Board technology network or the Internet.
Opinions, advice, services, and all other information expressed by system users, information providers, service providers, or other third party individuals in the system are those of the providers and not necessarily the School Board.
The School Board shall cooperate fully with local, state, or federal officials in any investigation concerning or relating to misuse of the School Board’s computer systems and networks.
Revised: October, 2013
Ref: 20 USC 7131 (Internet Safety)
47 USC 254 (Children’s Internet Protection Act)
La. Rev. Stat. Ann. §§17:81, 17:100.7, 17:280
Board minutes, 8-12-13, 11-21-13
Central Community School Board