AUP_1: Regulations
CQ (REGULATION) Electronic Communication and Data Management (Adopted by Board of Trustees: 07/10/11)
The technology director will oversee the District’s technology resources, meaning electronic communication systems and electronic equipment.
The District will provide training in proper use of the system and will provide all users with copies of acceptable use guidelines. All training in the use of the District’s system will emphasize the ethical use of any electronic/digital device within the school boundaries.
FILTERING
The District will develop and implement acceptable use guidelines (AUP) and an Internet safety plan (ISP). All users and parents will be provided copies of acceptable use guidelines. All students will receive training in proper use of the District’s technology resources, Internet safety, and anti-bullying policies. The AUP training will emphasize ethical and safe use of district Internet resources.
The technology director will work through committees to select, implement, and maintain appropriate technology tools for the purpose of filtering materials considered inappropriate or harmful to minors. Internet access will be filtered for minors and adults on the District’s network and computers with Internet access provided by the school.
The categories of material considered inappropriate and to which access will be monitored and as possible blocked will include, but not be limited to: nudity/pornography; images or descriptions of sexual acts; promotion of violence, illegal use of weapons, drug use, discrimination, or participation in hate groups; instructions for performing criminal acts (e.g., bomb making); and online gambling. The district will use URL filters to block inappropriate content. The district will maintian updates for the filters, but cannot quarrantee that all inappropriate sites will be blocked. Additional monitoring is required by classroom teachers and instructional aides. All inappropriate sites accessed by students should be reported immediately to the Tech Dept for corrective action. Maintaning safe browsing and access will be a constant and on-going process.
REQUESTS TO DISABLE FILTER
The technology director will consider requests from users who wish to use a blocked site for bona fide research or other lawful purposes. An online form is provided for users to petition for a site to be unblocked, and for the span of time and purpose of the filter being unblocked. All professional educators have the ability to bypass the filter as necessary for instructional purposes. The events are logged.
ACCESS
Access to the District’s technology resources will be governed as follows:
1. Students in grades Pre-K through 12th grades will be granted access to the District’s technology resources by the technology director when all completed training and paperwork is turned into the technology department.
Students in grades 2nd-12th grades will be assigned individual accounts.
1. Students granted access to the District’s technology resources must complete any applicable user training.
2. As appropriate and with the written approval of the immediate supervisor and completion of District network training, District employees will be granted access to the District’s technology resources.
3. A Pre-K through 2nd grade teacher may apply for a class account and in doing so will be ultimately responsible for use of the account.
4. The District will require that all passwords be changed when they are deemed compromised or possibly could have been compromised. All passwords must remain confidential and should not be shared.
5. Any user identified as a security risk or as having violated District and/or campus use guidelines may be denied access to the District’s technology resources.
6. All students, employees, and Board members will be required to sign an acceptable use agreement annually for issuance or renewal of an account.
7. All nonschool users will be required to sign an acceptable use agreement before being granted access.
8. Resources are to be used mainly for educational and administrative purposes, but some limited personal use is permitted.
STUDENT PARTICIPATION IN SOCIAL MEDIA
Participation in any social media using the District’s technology resources is not permissible for students except those resources provided by the district and protected by the district: blog, chat, email, and forums through TigerTube or Epsilen, All such communication must be hidden and/or password protected from the public.
Social media not protected by the District includes text messaging, instant messaging, electronic mail (e-mail), Web logs (blogs), electronic forums (chat rooms), video-sharing Web sites (e.g., YouTube), editorial comments posted on the Internet, and social network sites (e.g., Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, LinkedIn). The Arp ISD Social Media Policy --DH(LOCAL) covers communication between employees and students using electronic social media.
No personally identifying information should be published. Students should not respond to requests for personally identifying information or contact from unknown individuals. Information about the date, time, and location of District field trips should not be shared.
[See REPORTING VIOLATIONS, below]
TECHNOLOGY COORDINATOR RESPONSIBILITIES
The District has designated the following staff person as the technology director and coordinator for students:
Name: __Dr Joy Rousseau_______
Position: __Technology Director____
Telephone: ___903 859-8482_____
The technology coordinator for the District’s technology resources will:
1. Assist in the development of acceptable use guidelines and the District’s Internet safety plan.
2. Be responsible for disseminating and enforcing applicable District policies, the Internet safety plan, and acceptable use guidelines for the District’s technology resources.
3. Ensure that all users of the District’s technology resources annually complete and sign an agreement to abide by District policies and administrative regulations regarding such use. All agreements will be maintained on file in the technology director’s office.
4. Ensure that all users of the District’s wireless Internet service acknowledge use terms.
1. Provide ongoing training to all users regarding safe and appropriate use of the District’s technology resources, including cyber bullying awareness and response.
2. Ensure that employees supervising students who use the District’s technology resources provide training emphasizing safe and appropriate use.
3. Collect and maintain evidence related to incidents involving the District’s technology resources, as requested by the administration.
4. Notify the appropriate administrator of incidents requiring District response and disciplinary measures, including incidents of cyberbullying.
5. Ensure that all software loaded on computers in the District is consistent with District standards and is properly licensed. [See CY]
6. Be authorized to disable a filtering device for bona fide research or another lawful purpose.
7. Be authorized to monitor or examine all system activities, including electronic mail transmissions, as deemed appropriate to ensure student safety online and proper use of the District’s technology resources.
8. Coordinate with the District’s record management officer to develop and implement procedures for record retention of electronically stored records.
9. Coordinate with the District Webmaster to maintain District Web sites.
10. Be authorized to establish a retention schedule for messages that are considered local governmental records and to remove messages from District, campus, and classroom Web sites that are deemed to be inappropriate, consistent with the District’s record management program. [See BBE, CPC, and CQA]
11. Set limits for data storage, as needed.
INDIVIDUAL USER RESPONSIBILITIES
The following standards will apply to all users of the District’s technology resources:
ONLINE CONDUCT
1. The individual in whose name an account is issued will be responsible at all times for its proper use and for not sharing the password for that account with others.
2. The District’s technology resources may not be used for illegal purposes, in support of illegal activities, or for any other activity prohibited by District policy or guidelines.
3. Users may not damage or vandalize electronic communication systems or electronic equipment, including knowingly or intentionally introducing a virus to a device or network, or not taking proper security steps to prevent making a device or network vulnerable, such as opening e-mail messages from unknown senders and loading data from unprotected sources.
4. Users may not disable, or attempt to disable, any filtering device used by the District unless given permission by the technology coordinator.
5. Communications may not be encrypted so as to avoid security review by system administrators.
6. Users may not use another person’s account without written permission from the District technology director.
7. Users may not pretend to be someone else when posting, transmitting, or receiving messages.
8. Users may not attempt to read, delete, copy, modify, or interfere with another user’s posting, transmittal, or receipt of electronic media.
9. Users may not engage in conduct that harasses or bullies others. [See DIA, FFH, and FFI]
10. Users may not purposefully transmit or access materials that are abusive, obscene, pornographic, sexually oriented, threatening, harassing, damaging to another’s reputation, or illegal. Users who access such material are expected to discontinue the access as quickly as possible and to report the incident to a supervising teacher and/or technology coordinator.
11. Users may not use inappropriate language such as swear words, vulgarity, ethnic or racial slurs, or any other inflammatory language.
12. Students may not distribute personal information about themselves or others by means of the District’s technology resources; this includes, but is not limited to, personal addresses and telephone numbers.
13. Students may not respond to requests for personally identifying information or contact from unknown individuals.
14. Students should never make appointments to meet people whom they meet online and should report to a teacher or administrator if they receive any request for such a meeting.
15. Users may not post or transmit pictures of students without obtaining prior permission from all individuals depicted, or from parents of depicted students who are under the age of 18. [See CQA (EXHIBIT) for release forms for the electronic display of original work and personal information]
16. Users must not violate other users’ intellectual property rights by redistributing copyrighted programs or data except with the written permission of the copyright holder or designee. Such permission must be specified in the document or must be obtained directly from the copyright holder or designee in accordance with applicable copyright laws, District policy, and administrative regulations. [See CY]
17. With prior permission from the technology coordinator, users may upload public domain programs to the system. Users may also download public domain programs for their own use or may noncommercially redistribute a public domain program. Users are responsible for determining whether a program is in the public domain. [See CY]
18. Users should be mindful that use of school-related electronic mail addresses might cause some recipients or other readers of that mail to assume they represent the District or school, whether or not that was the user’s intention.
19. Users may not waste the District’s technology resources, including sending spam.
20. Users must purge electronic records in accordance with established retention guidelines. [See BBE and CPC]
21. Users may not gain unauthorized access to resources or information.
VANDALISM
Any malicious attempt to harm or destroy District equipment or data or the data of another user of the District’s technology resources or of any of the agencies or other networks that are connected to the Internet is prohibited. Deliberate attempts to degrade or disrupt system performance are violations of District policy and administrative regulations and may constitute criminal activity under applicable state and federal laws. Such prohibited activity includes, but is not limited to, the uploading or creating of computer or network viruses.
ETIQUETTE
In addition to the standards for online conduct, users of the District’s technology resources are expected to observe the following standards for etiquette:
1. Be polite; messages typed in capital letters are the computer equivalent of shouting and are considered rude.
2. Avoid sending email attachments. Send the link where the attachment is stored on the network. If attachments are necessary, be considerate when sending e-mail attachments by taking into account whether a file may be too large to be accommodated by the recipient’s technology resources or may be in a format unreadable by the recipient.
3. Do not use the District’s technology resources in such a way that would disrupt use for others.
REPORTING VIOLATIONS
Students and employees must immediately report any known violation of the District’s applicable policies, Internet safety plan, or acceptable use guidelines to a supervising teacher or the technology coordinator.
Students and employees must report requests for personally identifying information or contact from unknown individuals, as well as any content or communication that is abusive, obscene, pornographic, sexually oriented, threatening, harassing, damaging to another’s reputation, or illegal.
SANCTIONS
Inappropriate use of the District’s technology resources may result in suspension or revocation of the privilege to use these resources, as well as other disciplinary or legal action, in accordance with applicable laws, District policies, the Student Code of Conduct, and District administrative regulations. [See DH, FN Series, and FO series]
TERMINATION/REVOCATION of USE
Termination of access for violation of District policies or regulations will be effective on the date the principal or District coordinator receives notice of withdrawal or of revocation of system privileges, or on a future date if so specified in the notice.
DISCLAIMER
The District’s technology resources are provided on an “as is, as available” basis. The District does not make any warranties, whether express or implied, including, without limitation, those of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose with respect to any services provided by the District’s technology resources and any information or software contained therein. The District does not warrant that the functions or services performed by, or that the information or software contained as part of the District’s technology resources will meet the user’s requirements, or that the District’s technology resources will be uninterrupted or error free, or that defects will be corrected.
Opinions, advice, services, and all other information expressed by users, information providers, service providers, or other third-party individuals are those of the providers and not the District.
The District will cooperate fully with local, state, or federal officials in any investigation concerning or relating to misuse of the District’s technology resources, and will cooperate fully with law enforcement in response to any investigation or valid subpoena. [See GR series]
ISSUING EQUIPMENT TO STUDENTS
The following rules will apply to all campuses and departments regarding loaning technology devices and equipment to students under provisions of law cited at CQ(LEGAL):
1. Proposed projects to distribute devices and equipment to students must be submitted to the technology director for initial approval.
2. A student is eligible to receive devices and equipment under the rules and guidelines of the computer checkout policies of the District.
3. In loaning devices and equipment to students, the District will give preference to educationally disadvantaged students.
4. Before loaning devices and equipment to a student, the campus technology coordinator must have clearly outlined:
a. A process to determine eligibility of students;
b. An application process that identifies the responsibility of the student regarding home placement, use, and ownership of the device or equipment;
c. A process to distribute and initially train students in the setup and care of the device or equipment;
d. A process to provide ongoing technical assistance for students using the device or equipment;
e. A process to determine ongoing student use of the device or equipment;
f. A process to determine any impact on student achievement the use of this device or equipment may provide; and
g. A process for retrieval of the device or equipment from a student, as necessary.
USE OF PERSONAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS OR OTHER ELECTRONIC DEVICES FOR INSTRUCTIONAL PURPOSES
The following rules will apply to student use of personal telecommunications or other electronic devices for on-campus instructional purposes:
1. Requests to use personal telecommunication or other electronic devices for on-campus instructional purposes must be submitted to the technology director for initial approval. [See FNCE]
2. Agreements for acceptable use of the District’s technology resources and personal telecommunication or other electronic devices for on-campus instructional purposes must be signed annually by both the student and the parent. [See CQ (EXHIBIT)]
3. When using devices for instructional purposes while on campus, students must use the District’s wireless Internet services and are prohibited from using a personal wireless service.
4. When not using devices for instructional purposes while on campus, students must follow the rules and guidelines for noninstructional use as published in the student handbook and policy FNCE, which both require the District’s wireless network system to be disconnected from the device when the device is not being used for instructional purposes and for the device to be turned off.
5. The District is not responsible for damage to or loss of devices brought from home.
Violation of these rules may result in suspension or revocation of system access and/or suspension or revocation of permission to use personal electronic devices for instructional purposes while on campus, as well as other disciplinary action, in accordance with the Student Code of Conduct.
CONSENT REQUIREMENTS
Copyrighted software or data may not be placed on any system connected to the District’s system without permission from the holder of the copyright. Only the owner(s) or individual(s) the owner specifically authorizes may upload copyrighted material to the system.
No original work created by any District student or employee will be posted on a web page under the District’s control unless the District has received written consent from the student (and the student’s parent) or employee who created the work and the work complies with the district's Media Publishing and Posting Policies.
No personally identifiable information about a District student will be posted on a web page under the District’s control or provided by the district for posting elsewhere unless the District has received written consent from the student’s parent. An exception may be made for "directory information" as allowed by the Family Education Records Privacy Act and District policy.
Students, faculty, staff, or community network users may not distribute personal information about themselves or others by means of the electronic communication system unless a written release form is obtained.
FORGERY PROHIBITED
Forgery or attempted forgery of electronic mail messages is prohibited. Attempts to read, delete, copy, or modify the electronic mail of other system users, deliberate interference with the ability of other system users to send/receive electronic mail, or the use of another person’s user ID and/or password is prohibited.
INFORMATION CONTENT/THIRD-PARTY SUPPLIED INFORMATION
System users and parents of students with access to the District’s system should be aware that use of the system may provide access to other electronic communications systems in the global electronic network that may contain inaccurate and/or objectionable material.
A student who gains access to such material is expected to discontinue the access as quickly as possible and to report the incident to the supervising teacher.
A student knowingly bringing prohibited materials into the school’s electronic environment will be subject to suspension of access and/or revocation of privileges on the District’s system and will be subject to disciplinary action in accordance with the Student Code of Conduct.
An employee knowingly bringing prohibited materials into the school’s electronic environment will be subject to disciplinary action in accordance with District policies. [See DH]
PARTICIPATION IN CHAT ROOMS AND NEWSGROUPS
Participating in chat rooms and newsgroups accessed on the Internet is only permissible for students under the appropriate supervision of a sponsoring teacher. The sponsoring teacher must gain written permission for such activities from her campus technology coordinator.
DEVELOPMENT OF WEB PAGES
Students and staff may develop Web pages for the District’s Web server following the Media Posting Policies set by the District as follows:
Promote successful students and educational practices
Provide educational and technical awareness to parents, community, faculty, students, and all stakeholders
Allow students the opportunity to develop ethical and technical expertise in the fields of communications, broadcasting, and telecommunications
Provide a learner-centered environment for:
Provide a forum for the ethical exchange of knowledge and educational objectives
Allow students & teachers to gain recognition for successful practices.
NETWORK ETIQUETTE
System users are expected to observe the following network etiquette:
1. Be polite; messages typed in capital letters are the computer equivalent of shouting and are considered rude.
2. Use appropriate language; swearing, vulgarity, ethnic or racial slurs, and any other inflammatory language are prohibited.
3. Pretending to be someone else when sending/receiving messages is considered inappropriate
4. Transmitting obscene messages or pictures is prohibited.
5. Using the network in such a way that would disrupt the use of the network by other users is prohibited.
MAINTENANCE OF CLASSROOM ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT
Teachers requesting electronic devices in their classrooms agree to maintain the devices by keeping the area around them free of dust and clutter. The Arp ISD School Board has approved a policy which prohibits maintenance personnel from cleaning around classroom electronic devices. The policy was a result of major damages done by a cleaning crew in the past. Teachers are the most qualified to maintain their classroom electronic devices. The best way to clean around electronic devices is with a Swiffer Duster:http://podcast.arpisd.org/users/joy/weblog/c9188/Swiffer_Man.html All teachers have gained instructions as to how to keep their electronic devices clean using the following practices:
SCREENS
Do not spray anything around a computer or on a computer. To clean an LCD screen use lint free wipes or special screen cleaning wipes.
You may turn off LCD screens at night, over weekends, and during vacations.
iPad, Netbook, & PC Tablet screens should only be cleaned with dry lint free cloths.
KEYBOARDS
Do not spray anything on a keyboard (including canned air). To clean a keyboard use antiseptic wipes making sure they are not wet enough to "drip" into the keyboard.
Do not eat or drink over a keyboard.
CPU and Desktop Cases
Use a Swiffer to clean around and behind a computer. Do not spray or use any excessively wet cloth. You may lightly dampen a paper towel and clean around your desk.
Keep clutter, paper, books, etc. away from the CPU and other components. These can block the CPU fans and cause over heating.
Do NOT pump or move a computer while it is turned on!! You can destroy data on your hard drive by jarring the hard drive.
CABLES
Do not kink, twist, bind, or lay heavy objects on the computer cables (including keyboard and mouse cables).
DOCUMENT CAMERAS
Use a Swiffer to clean around your camera. Do not use anything moist.
Set your camera in a CLEAN area without clutter and keep it way from the edge of a desk. They can easily be knocked off a desk or table.
PRINTERS
Clean your printers frequently. The Tech Dept is not responsible for anything dealing with your classroom printer. We can help you load the initial driver.
PROJECTORS
Make sure you TURN OFF your projector when not in use. Your campus principal is responsible for purchasing replacement bulbs or projectors so conserve your bulb!
On occasion you will see a "clean filter" warning on your projector. You may contact the Tech Dept for assistance to service the projector filter.
(last edited: 05/10/17)