FILE: G-10.3
ACCESS TO ELECTRONIC INFORMATION, SERVICES, AND NETWORKS
Freedom of expression is an inalienable human right and the foundation for self-government. Freedom of expression encompasses the right to freedom of speech and the corollary right to receive information. Such rights extend to minors as well as adults. Schools facilitate the exercise of these rights by providing access to information regardless of format or technology. In a free and democratic society, access to information is a fundamental right of citizenship.
In making decisions regarding student access to the Internet, Central Community School Board considers its own stated educational mission, goals, and objectives.
Electronic information research skills are now fundamental to preparation of citizens and future employees. Access to the Internet enables students to explore thousands of libraries, databases, bulletin boards, and other resources while exchanging messages with people around the world. The School System expects that faculty will blend thoughtful use of the Internet throughout the curriculum and will provide guidance and instruction to students in its use. As much as possible, access from school to Internet resources should be structured in ways which point students to those which have been evaluated prior to use. While students will be able to move beyond those resources to others that have not been previewed by staff, they shall be provided with guidelines and lists of resources particularly suited to learning objectives.
Outside of school, families bear responsibility for the same guidance of Internet use as they exercise with information sources such as television, telephones, radio, movies, and other possibly offensive media.
Students utilizing School Board-provided Internet access and technology must first have the permission of and must be supervised by the School Board’s professional staff. Students utilizing school-provided Internet access are responsible for good behavior on-line just as they are in a classroom or other area of the school. The same general rules for behavior and communications apply.
Age and grade appropriate classroom instruction shall be provided regarding Internet and cell phone safety. Such instruction shall include appropriate online behavior, interacting with other individuals on social networking websites and in chat rooms, and cyberbullying awareness and response, as well as areas of concern as authorized in state and federal law.
In addition, the School Board, in conjunction with local law enforcement agencies, shall develop and distribute age and grade appropriate information to each student regarding Internet and cell phone safety and online content that is a threat to school safety. The information shall include the following:
Instruction on how to detect potential threats to school safety exhibited online, including posting on any social media platform.
Visual examples of possible threats.
The process for reporting potential threats, which shall be in accordance with the procedures referenced in policy E-1.1g, School and Student Safety.
Such information shall be either distributed to or explained to students and school personnel at the beginning of each school year and shall be posted on an easily accessible page of the School Board’s website and the website of each school.
If information reported to a school is deemed a potential threat to school safety, the school shall present the written form and any further evidence to local law enforcement.
The purpose of School Board-provided Internet access and technology is to facilitate communications in support of research and education. To remain eligible as users, students' use must be in support of and consistent with the educational objectives of the Central Community School Board. Access is a privilege, not a right. Access entails responsibility.
In addition to the provisions included in this policy, students who receive School Board-provided iPads shall abide by the iPad Acceptable Use Regulations and Procedures.
Users should not expect that files stored on school-based computers will always be private. Electronic messages and files stored on school-based computers may be treated like school lockers. Administrators and faculty may review files and messages to maintain system integrity and ensure that users are acting responsibly.
The following uses of school-provided Internet access shall not be permitted:
To access, upload, download, or distribute pornographic, obscene or sexually explicit material
To transmit obscene, abusive, or sexually explicit language
To violate any local, state, or federal statute
To vandalize, damage, or disable the property of another individual or organization
To access another individual's materials, information, or files without permission
To violate copyright or otherwise use the intellectual property of another individual or organization without permission
Guidelines are provided so that Internet users are aware of the responsibilities they are about to assume. Responsibilities include efficient, ethical, and legal utilization of network resources. All users, including students, employees, or any other users of School Board computers, hardware, and School Board network shall abide by all policies of the School Board and any applicable administrative regulations and procedures. Any violation of School System policy and rules may result in loss of School Board-provided access to the Internet. Additional disciplinary action may be determined at the building level in keeping with existing procedures and practices regarding inappropriate language or behavior. When and where applicable, law enforcement agencies may be involved.
The Central Community School Board makes no warranties of any kind, neither expressed nor implied, for the Internet access it is providing. The School Board will not be responsible for any damages users suffer, including -- but not limited to -- loss of data resulting from delays or interruptions in service. The School Board will not be responsible for the accuracy, nature, or quality of information stored on School Board diskettes, hard drives, or servers; nor for the accuracy, nature, or quality of information gathered through School Board-provided Internet access. The System will not be responsible for personal property used to access School Board’s computers or networks or for School Board-provided Internet access. The School Board will not be responsible for unauthorized financial obligations resulting from School Board-provided access to the Internet.
Parents of students in the Central Community schools shall be provided with the following information:
The Central Community School Board is pleased to offer its students access to the Internet. The Internet is an electronic highway connecting hundreds of thousands of computers and millions of individual users all over the world. This computer technology will help propel our schools through the communication age by allowing students and staff to access and use resources from distant computers, communicate and collaborate with other individuals and groups around the world, and significantly expand their available information base. The Internet is a tool for life-long learning.
Families should be aware that some material accessible via the Internet may contain items that are illegal, defamatory, inaccurate, or potentially offensive to some people. In addition, it is possible to purchase certain goods and services via the Internet which could result in unwanted financial obligation for which a student's parent or guardian would be liable.
While the School Board's intent is to make Internet access available in order to further educational goals and objectives, students may find ways to access other materials as well. Even should the School Board institute technical methods or systems to regulate students' Internet access, those methods could not guarantee compliance with the School Board’s acceptable use policy. That notwithstanding, the School Board believes that the benefits to students of access to the Internet exceed any disadvantages. Ultimately, however, parents and guardians of minors are responsible for setting and conveying the standards that their children should follow when using media and information sources. Toward that end, the School Board makes the School Board’s complete Internet policy and procedures available on request for review by all parents, guardians, and other members of the community; and provides parents and guardians the option of requesting for their minor children alternative activities not requiring Internet use.
NOTICE
This policy and all its provisions are subordinate to local, state, and federal statutes.
Revised: November, 2012
Revised: October, 2013
Revised: November 12, 2018
Ref: 47 USC 254, (Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA))
La. Rev. Stat. Ann. §§17:81, 17:100.7, 17:280, 17:410
Board minutes, 1-14-13, 8-12-13, 11-21-13, 11-12-18
Central Community School Board