The District furnishes technology and provides access to the Internet (“technology”) to students, staff members, and guests, in order to enhance learning and support communication. This policy is intentionally broad in scope and may include references to resources, technology, and uses not yet available. By providing access to technology, the District intends to promote educational excellence and to prepare students for an increasingly technological world. This use should facilitate collaboration, resource sharing, research, innovation, and communication. The District also recognizes that with this access comes the availability of material which may be inappropriate for certain users.
For this reason, all District technology is to be used primarily for District/education related purposes. Incidental appropriate personal use of District technology must not interfere with the educational mission of the District. The responsibility for appropriate use of the District technology must rest on the user, whether student, staff member, or guest. Therefore, the District requires that users act responsibly by reading and following this policy. The District also requires that every staff member sign a consent form upon employment. The student’s parent/guardian and every student must also sign the consent form located on the Parent Portal. The District, at its discretion, may require contractors, vendors, consultants, and other users to sign the consent form. Access to District technology is a revocable privilege, and not a right. Use of District technology is monitored by the District and there is no expectation of privacy.
General Principles
This policy applies to all users of District technology. This includes, but is not limited to, any remote access which users may gain from off-site, such as the use of District servers, Intranet facilities, email accounts, or applications.
The primary access to and use of District technology must be for purposes of work, teaching, or scholarship consistent with the educational goals of the District. Users must make efficient, ethical, responsible, and legal utilization of District technology. Users must be aware that digital content created, stored, or transmitted on or via the system is not guaranteed to be private. The District network administrators may review the system at any time to ensure that it is working properly and in compliance with federal and state law, including, but not limited to, the Dignity for All Students Act, this policy, and the District Code of Conduct.
Access will be provided only to authorized users who agree to comply with this policy at the sole discretion of the District. Authorized users will be personally responsible for maintaining the integrity of District technology. The District prohibits the disclosure of usernames, passwords, account information, or any other unique identifiers to any third party.
The District makes no guarantees or warranties of any kind, whether express or implied, regarding the quality of the service it is providing. It is not responsible for any losses, damages or other obligations arising from the use of District technology, including:
loss of data resulting from delays, non-deliveries, mis-deliveries, or service interruptions, whether caused by the District’s negligence, or by a user’s errors or omissions;
service providers’ errors and omissions;
the accuracy, nature, or quality of information stored on District resources or gathered through District-provided technology access;
personal property used to access District technology; or
unauthorized financial obligations resulting from school access to District technology.
Any statement expressed and accessible through District technology is understood to be the author's individual point of view and not that of the District. Accordingly, anonymity is not allowed and all anonymous statements will be removed.
Prohibited Uses
1. Users may not add or modify any software or applications to District technology. Only members of the Technology Department are authorized to install or modify applications. Any software or applications that are to be used must be properly licensed from the copyright owner thereof, and any modifications must comply with the terms of the applicable license(s).
2. District technology will not be used for commercial purposes (except for approved commercial sponsorship of District programs), political advertising, campaigning or lobbying, or for personal gain. District technology may only be used for solicitation of funds upon the express permission of the Superintendent or designee. Technology will not be used for any activity or to transmit any material that violates Federal, State, or local laws.
3. The District is a place of tolerance, respect, civility and good manners. Use of technology for actions such as hate mail, defamatory statements/images, statements intended to injure or humiliate others (whether true or false), personal attacks on others, and statements expressing animus toward any person or group by reason of actual or perceived race, color, weight, religion, religious practice, national origin, ethnic group, gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, or other discriminatory classification is prohibited. Users will not use profanity, vulgar, derogatory, or obscene language.
4. Users will not post anonymous messages, forge e-mail or other messages, participate in spamming or electronic chain letters or impersonate another. Users will not try to gain unauthorized access (“hacking”) to the files or computer systems of any other person or organization. Users will not attempt to bypass district Internet filters including, but not limited to, the use of proxy websites. Users will not access web content and websites that contain material that is obscene, pornographic, or that promote violent or illegal acts.
5. Users will not maliciously access, alter, delete, damage or destroy any District technology or intentionally disrupt or degrade network traffic. Users will not remove District equipment without prior authorization or it will be treated as theft.
6. Based on curricular and/or communication needs, users may be given authorization to use their own equipment and allowed access to the District wireless network only (“Bring Your Own Technology” program “BYOT”). The District is not responsible for the maintenance, repair, or replacement of any user owned equipment. Antivirus software/applications must be current. Wireless Internet use for curricular and/or District communication activities on user owned equipment must be via the District’s filtered Internet portal.
7. Users will not disclose or share student records, student related information, personnel information, including photos or images, or confidential records or information to any third party (including social media) without prior written authorization of the District. If the District believes a user’s activity on a personal social media site violates the District’s policies, the District may request the user cease such activity. The user may be subject to disciplinary action in an appropriate case.
8. Users must comply with the “fair use” provisions of the United States Copyright Act of 1976, as amended. “Fair use” in this context means that the copyrighted materials of others will be used only for scholarly purposes, and that the use must be limited to brief excerpts and short segments of multimedia. Users will not copy, delete, alter, or reconfigure any copyrighted or licensed software from the Internet, from the network or from another user without the express permission of the copyright holder; applications must be purchased or licensed before they can be legally used.
Violations and Consequences
Violations of this policy will result in consequences including, but not limited to:
Suspension or revocation of access to or use of District technology;
Financial restitution as appropriate;
Report to law enforcement agencies as appropriate;
The commencement of legal proceedings as appropriate;
For staff members, disciplinary action in accordance with law and any applicable collectively negotiated agreement, up to and including termination of employment;
For students, disciplinary action in accordance with law and the District Code of Conduct;
Repeated or serious violations will result in more serious penalties than a one-time or minor infraction.
This Responsible Use Policy is subject to change. Access to District technology for students will terminate upon student graduation or withdrawal from the District. Access for staff members will cease upon termination of employment or suspension. The Principals and Director of Human Resources will notify the Director of Technology of any changes in student and staff member status, respectively. The District reserves the right to restrict or terminate technology access at any time for any reason. The District further reserves the right to monitor network and domain activity as it sees fit in order to maintain the integrity of the systems and to monitor responsible use. School and Districtwide administrators will make the final determination as to what constitutes unacceptable use.
Cross Reference: YCSD Social Media Responsible Use Guidelines for Employees
0115, Student Harassment and Bullying Prevention and Intervention
1130, News Media Relations
4526.1, Internet Safety
5300, Code of Conduct
Adoption date: May 21, 2012
Amended date: July 10, 2017
Amended date: March 4, 2024