ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY FOR INTERNET AND NETWORK
ACCESS 2290
1. Introduction
1.1 Computer use is a valuable and necessary component of an employee's
work. School use must be in support of education and research and
consistent with educational objectives. In addition, varying work
responsibilities result in access to information sources such as software,
programs, the Internet, district network, etc.
1.2 Although employees may have access to these information sources, their
use must be authorized. Access and authorization to information and
equipment carry a corresponding responsibility to their appropriate use.
District equipment and access is intended to be used for educational and
professional or career development activities.
1.3 Outside of school, families can give the same guidance of Internet use as
they exercise with information sources such as television, telephones,
radio, movies, and other possibly offensive media.
1.4 All users and users’ families are hereby notified that some material
accessible via the Internet or which may be sent or received through
Internet email accounts 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 obligations for which a student's parent
or guardian would be liable.
1.5 The District’s Acceptable Use Policy is to prevent unauthorized access
and other unlawful activities by users online, prevent unauthorized
disclosure of or access to sensitive information, and to comply with the
Children’s Internet Protection Act (“CIPA”). As used in this policy, “user”
includes anyone using the computers, Internet, email, chat rooms and
other forms of direct electronic communications or equipment provided by
the District (the “network”) or of accounts established by or under the
direction of the District. Only current students and employees are
authorized to use the network or District accounts.
1.6 All users, including students, teachers, administrators, and educational
organizations are covered by this policy and are expected to be familiar
with its provisions.
2. Acceptable Uses of the Computer Network or the Internet
2.1 The resources available are for educational purposes. Personal files will
be subject to the same rules as educational files and become the property
of the school district.
2.2 Schools must verify each year that students using the computer network
and Internet access for that school year have a signed page
acknowledging this policy.
2.3 Students who are under 18 must have their parents or guardians sign this
page and schools must keep it on file. Once signed that
permission/acknowledgement page remains in effect until revoked by the
parent, or the student loses the privilege of using the District’s network due
to violation of this policy or is no longer a Sevier School District student.
Employees and other users are required to follow this policy. Even without
signature, all users must follow this policy and report any misuse of the
network or Internet or school accounts to a teacher, supervisor or other
appropriate District personnel. Access is provided for education and
District business. Users should take all reasonable precautions against
receiving or downloading messages, images, or other data not appropriate
for school use. Staff may use the Internet for incidental personal use
during duty-free time.
2.4 By using the network or District accounts, users have agreed to this policy.
If a user is uncertain about whether a particular use is acceptable or
appropriate, he or she should consult a teacher, supervisor or other
appropriate District personnel.
3. Unacceptable Use
3.1 Students shall not reveal on the Internet personal information about
themselves or other persons. For example, students should not reveal
their name, home address, telephone number, or display photographs of
themselves or others; Students should not meet in person anyone they
have met only on the Internet;
3.2 District resources or accounts shall not be used for:
3.2.1 gaining unauthorized access to computer or telecommunications
networks
3.2.2 attempting to gain unauthorized access to the network
3.2.3 intercepting communications intended for other persons
3.2.4 interfering with the operations of technology resources, including
placing a computer virus on any computer system
3.2.5 accessing or sharing sexually explicit, obscene, potentially
damaging, dangerous, disruptive, or otherwise inappropriate
materials false or defamatory information, personal or generalized
attacks or harassment or libelous material concerning a person or
group of people
3.2.6 logging in through another person’s account or attempting to
access another user’s password
3.2.7 accessing or modifying another person’s files when such access or
modification has not been authorized by that person
3.2.8 sending defamatory messages, furthering any illegal act, including
infringing on any intellectual property rights
3.2.9 downloading, uploading, or distributing any files, software, or other
material in violation of federal copyright laws
3.2.10 plagiarizing written work of others
3.2.11 creating, sending, or storing messages or other data that are
considered offensive, contain sexually explicit material, or otherwise
offensively address the age, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual
orientation, religious or political beliefs, national origin, or disability
of a person or a group of people
3.2.12 creating, sending, or storing threatening messages pertaining to
dangerous devices such as weaponry or explosive devices
3.2.13 violating any state or federal law or municipal ordinance, such as:
Accessing or transmitting pornography of any kind, obscene
depictions, harmful materials, materials that encourage others to
violate the law, confidential information or copyrighted materials
3.2.14 engaging in criminal activities that can be punished under law
3.2.15 selling or purchasing illegal items or substances
3.2.16 obtaining and/or using anonymous email sites; spamming;
spreading viruses
3.2.17 causing harm to others or damage to their property
3.2.18 posting personal contact information for themselves or others
3.2.19 deleting, copying, modifying, or forging other users' names, emails,
files, or data (except for authorized use of shared files); disguising
one's identity, impersonating other users, or sending anonymous
email
3.2.20 damaging computer equipment, files, data or the network in any
way, including intentionally accessing, transmitting or downloading
computer viruses or other harmful files or programs, or disrupting
any computer system performance
3.2.21 using any District computer to pursue “hacking,” internal or external
to the District, or attempting to access information protected by
privacy laws
3.2.22 accessing, transmitting or downloading large files, including "chain
letters" or any type of "pyramid schemes"
3.2.23 engaging in uses that jeopardize access or lead to unauthorized
access into others’ accounts or other computer networks
3.2.24 using another’s account password(s) or identifier(s)
3.2.25 interfering with other users' ability to access their account(s)
3.2.26 disclosing anyone’s password to others or allowing them to use
another’s account(s)
3.2.27 using the network or Internet or District account for Commercial
purposes
3.2.28 using the Internet for personal financial gain, personal advertising,
promotion
3.2.29 conducting for-profit business activities and/or engaging in non-
government related fundraising or public relations activities such as
solicitation for religious purposes or lobbying for personal political
purposes using the Internet to bully, intimidate, harass and/or
mislead any person.
3.3 These are examples of inappropriate activity on the District web site, but the
District reserves the right to take immediate action regarding activities:
3.3.1 that create security and/or safety issues for the District, students,
employees, schools, network or computer resources
3.3.2 that expend District resources on content the District in its sole
discretion determines lacks legitimate educational content/purpose
3.3.3 that are determined by District as inappropriate
4. User Responsibilities:
4.1 It is the responsibility of any person using Sevier School District resources
to read, understand, and follow these guidelines. In addition, users are
expected to exercise reasonable judgment in interpreting these guidelines
and in making decisions about the appropriate use of Sevier School
District resources. Any person with questions regarding the application or
meaning of these guidelines should seek clarification from his or her
Sevier School District administrator, as appropriate. Use of Sevier School
District resources shall constitute acceptance of the terms of these
guidelines.
4.2 Users shall not go beyond their authorized access to the District network
or other computer equipment or software including the files or accounts of
others. Users shall not disrupt or attempt to damage or disrupt any
computer system, system performance, or data. Users shall not use
District resources to engage in illegal acts.
5. Administrator Responsibilities:
5.1 The administrator is responsible for making certain that the educators and
students in the district or organization understand and abide by the
Acceptable Use Policy as stated in this document. If a Sevier School
District administrator has reason to believe that a user (educator or
student) is misusing the system, the administrator has the right to access
to the user’s account in order to review the use of Sevier School District
tools by the user. It is also the responsibility of the administrator to report
any misuse of the system to Sevier School District.
6. Educator Responsibilities:
6.1 Employees who supervise students with access to computer equipment
shall be familiar with the Sevier School District Acceptable Use Agreement
and enforce its provisions.
6.2 It is the responsibility of educators who are using Sevier School District
tools with students to teach students about safe and responsible use of
the Internet. Educators are responsible for monitoring students’ use of
these resources, and to intervene if students are using them
inappropriately. Educators should make sure that students understand and
abide by the Acceptable Use Agreement policy as stated in this document.
If an educator has reason to believe that a student is misusing the system,
he or she has the right to access the student’s account in order to review
the use of Sevier School District tools by the student. It is also the
responsibility of the teacher to report any misuse of the system to his/her
administrator or directly to Sevier School District.
6.3 Employees are responsible for the security of their computer equipment,
files and passwords. Employees shall promptly notify the District of
security problems. Employees with access to student records may not
use, release, or share these records except as authorized by Federal and
State law.
7. Student Responsibilities:
7.1 It is the responsibility of students to learn about safe and responsible use
of the Internet. They are responsible to use these resources
appropriately. Students using school resources must abide by the
Acceptable Use Agreement as stated in this document. If a student is
misusing resources, the district has the right to discontinue his/her use.
Parents and students are advised that some material accessible via the
Internet may contain items that are illegal, defamatory, inaccurate, or
potentially offensive to some people. The District cannot guaranty that
filtering software will in all instances successfully block access to
inappropriate materials. When the Internet is accessed using a District
account from locations other than school, such access does not go
through the filtering software used by the District’s network. Parents and
students are therefore encouraged to take appropriate steps to limit
access to inappropriate materials (such as home filtering software,
parental monitoring, or other means). The District’s filtering software is not
able to check or limit email communication using an Internet-based email
account and will not prevent inappropriate communications from being
sent with such accounts.
8. No Expectation of Privacy
8.1 Employees have no expectation of privacy in files, disks, documents, e-
mail, web sites, etc; which have been created in, entered in, stored in,
downloaded from, or used on District equipment, nor in District Internet
accounts.
8.2 The District reserves the right to monitor users' online activities and to
access, review, copy, and store or delete any electronic communication or
files and disclose them to others as it deems necessary.
8.3 Users shall have no expectation of privacy regarding their use of District
property, network and/or Internet access or files, including email and Web
site access.
8.4 District resources are the property of the District and are to be used in
conformance with these guidelines. Sevier School District retains the right
to inspect any district computer, Virtual Hard Drive (VHD), Internet
account, District provided cell phone, and the files they contain. Sevier
School District also has the right to give permission to the teachers, the
school administrators, and the parents of any student to review the use of
resources and tools used by a student for any reason.
8.5 Users are advised that messages in discussion forums, including deleted
messages, can be archived and can be retrieved. In addition, an Internet
firewall automatically checks all data moving between the local area
network and the Internet and logs the sending and receiving destinations.
8.6 Use of technology resources constitutes consent for the Sevier School
District staff to monitor and/or inspect any files that users create, any
messages they post or receive, and any web sites they access.
9. Passwords
9.1 Each user shall be required to use and maintain passwords and shall be
required to provide such passwords to the designated District
administrator, including giving notice of any password changes. The users
must take precautions to maintain the secrecy of their password so that
other users will not be able to utilize that password for any purpose. If a
user suspects that someone has discovered the user’s password, the user
should change the password immediately and provide the updated
password to the designated District administrator. Users are responsible
for all activity under their accounts.
10. Violations
10.1 Failure to observe these guidelines may subject users to termination of
their accounts. The use of Internet is a privilege, not a right, and inappropriate
use may result in a cancellation of those privileges. The district will notify school
or organization administrators of any inappropriate activities by the users. It will
also advise law enforcement agencies of illegal activities and will cooperate fully
with local, state, and/or federal officials in any investigation related to illegal
activities.
10.2 The District may deny, revoke, or suspend specific user access. Misuse
may also lead to further disciplinary and/or legal action for both students
and employees, including suspension, expulsion, dismissal from District
employment, or criminal prosecution by government authorities.
10.3 The District will attempt to tailor any student disciplinary action to the
specific issues related to each violation and assist the student in gaining
the self-discipline necessary to behave appropriately.
11. Due Process
11.1 In the event there is an allegation that a user has violated this agreement,
the user will receive notice of the alleged violation and an opportunity to
present an explanation.
11.2 Disciplinary actions, in harmony with Corrective Discipline procedures, will
be tailored to meet the specific concerns related to the violation.
Deliberate violations of this agreement (e.g. malicious acts or omissions;
searching for, viewing or otherwise visiting pornographic or sexually
explicit sites) may be cause for immediate termination of employment.
12. Disclaimers
12.1 Sevier School District makes no warranties of any kind, either expressed
or implied, for computer services and resources. The district is not
responsible for any damages incurred, including, but not limited to: loss of
data resulting from delays or interruption of service, loss of data, or
damage to personal property; for the accuracy, nature, or quality of
information stored or gathered; for unauthorized financial obligations
incurred through provided access. Any statement, accessible on the
computer network or the Internet, is understood to be the author's
individual point of view and not that of the District, its affiliates, or
employees.
12.2 Further, even though the district may use technical or manual means to
limit student access, these limits do not provide a foolproof means for
enforcing the provisions of this policy. All provisions of this agreement are
subordinate to local, state and federal statutes.
Approved 04/08/96
Revised 09/10/02
Revised 01/16/13
I agree to use Sevier School District resources subject to the above Acceptable Use Agreement. |
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Print Name:
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Signature:
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Date:
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School: |
I have read, understood and discussed the above Acceptable Use Agreement with my student and give permission for my student to use Sevier School District resources subject to these provisions. |
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Parent/Guardian signature
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