Policy JS - STUDENT USE OF THE INTERNET AND ELECTRONIC
COMMUNICATIONS
The Internet, a global computer network referred to as the
World Wide Web, and electronic communications (e-mail, chat rooms and other
forms of electronic communication) have vast potential to support curriculum and
student learning. The Board of
Education (Board) believes they should be used in schools as a learning resource
to educate and to inform.
The Board believes the educational opportunities inherent in
these tools far outweigh the possibility that users may procure material not
consistent with the education goals of the District. However, the Internet and electronic
communications are fluid environments in which students may access materials and
information from many sources, including some that may be harmful to
students. The Board acknowledges
that while it is impossible to predict with certainty what information students
might locate or come into contact with, it desires to take all reasonable steps
to protect students from accessing material and information that is obscene,
child pornography or otherwise harmful to minors, as defined by the Board. Students shall take responsibility for
their own use of District computers and computer systems to avoid contact with
material or information that may be harmful to
minors.
BLOCKING OR FILTERING OBSCENE, PORNOGRAPHIC, AND HARMFUL
INFORMATION
All District computers having Internet or electronic
communications access shall be subject to software that is designed to block or
filter material and information that is obscene, pornographic, or otherwise
harmful to minors, as defined by the Board. Students shall report access to
material and information that is obscene, pornographic, harmful to minors, or
otherwise in violation of this policy to the supervising personnel. If a student becomes aware of other
students accessing such material or information, he or she shall report it to
the supervising personnel.
NO EXPECTATION OF PRIVACY
District computers and computer systems are owned by the
District and are intended for educational purposes at all times. Students shall have no expectation of
privacy when using the Internet or electronic communications. The District reserves the right to
monitor, inspect, copy, review, and store (at any time and without prior notice)
all usage of District computers and computer systems, including all Internet and
electronic communications access and transmission/receipt of materials and
information. All material and
information accessed/received through District computers and computer systems
shall remain the property of the School District.
UNAUTHORIZED AND UNACCEPTABLE USES
Students shall use District computers and computer systems in
a responsible, efficient, ethical, and legal manner.
Because technology and ways of using technology are
constantly evolving, every unacceptable use of District computers and computers
systems cannot be specifically described in policy. Therefore, examples of unacceptable uses
include, but are not limited to, the following.
No student shall access, create, transmit, retransmit, or
forward material or information:
·
that promotes violence or advocates destruction
of property including, but not limited to, access to information concerning the
manufacturing or purchasing of destructive devices or weapons
· that
contains pornographic, obscene, or other sexually oriented materials, either as
pictures or writings, that are intended to stimulate erotic feelings or appeal
to prurient interests in nudity, sex, or excretion
· that
harasses, threatens, demeans, or promotes violence or hatred against another
person or group of persons with regard to race, color, sex, religion, national
origin, age, marital status, disability, or handicap
· for personal profit, financial gain, advertising, commercial
transaction, or political purposes
·
that plagiarizes the work of another without
express consent
·
that uses inappropriate or profane language
likely to be offensive to others in the school community
·
that is knowingly false or could be construed as
intending to purposely damage another person's reputation
· in
violation of any federal or state law, including but not limited to, copyrighted
material and material protected by trade secret
·
that contains personal information about
themselves or others, including information protected by confidentiality
laws
·
using another individual’s Internet or electronic communications account
without written permission from that individual
·
that impersonates another or transmits through
an anonymous remailer
·
that accesses fee services without specific
permission from the building
technology specialist or the site administrator
SECURITY
Security on District computer systems is a high
priority. Students who identify a
security problem while using the Internet or electronic communications must
immediately notify the supervising personnel. Logging onto the Internet or
electronic communications falsely acting as a system administrator is
prohibited.
Students shall not:
· use
another person's password or any other inaccurate or deceptive identifier
·
gain or attempt to gain unauthorized access to
District computers or computers systems
·
read, alter, delete or copy, or attempt to do so, electronic
communications of other system users
Any user may be denied access to the Internet and electronic
communications for any reason considered appropriate by the
administrator/supervisor.
SAFETY
Students shall not reveal personal information, such as home
address or phone number, while using the Internet or electronic
communications. Without first
obtaining permission of the supervising personnel, students shall not use their
last name or any other information that might allow another person to locate him
or her. Students shall not arrange
face-to-face meetings with persons met on the Internet or through electronic
communications.
VANDALISM
Vandalism will result in cancellation of privileges and may
result in school disciplinary action and/or legal action. Vandalism is defined
as any malicious or intentional attempt to harm, destroy, modify, abuse, or
disrupt operation of any network within the School District or any network
connected to the Internet, operation of any form of electronic communications,
the data contained on any network or electronic communications, the data of
another user, usage by another user, or District-owned software or
hardware. This includes, but is not
limited to, the uploading or creation of computer viruses and the use of
encryption software.
UNAUTHORIZED SOFTWARE
Students are prohibited from using or possessing any software
that has been downloaded or is otherwise in the user's possession without
appropriate registration and payment of any fees owed to the software owner.
ASSIGNING STUDENT PROJECTS AND MONITORING STUDENT USE
The District will make every effort to see that the Internet
and electronic communications are used responsibly by students. Administrators, teachers, and other
District personnel have a professional responsibility to work together to
monitor students' use of the Internet and electronic communications, help
students develop the intellectual skills needed to discriminate among
information sources, to identify information appropriate to their age and
developmental levels, and to evaluate and use information to meet their
educational goals.
Opportunities shall be made available for parents to observe
student use of the Internet and electronic communications in schools.
STUDENT USE IS A PRIVILEGE
Use of the Internet and electronic communications demands
personal responsibility and an understanding of the acceptable and unacceptable
uses of such tools. Student use of
the Internet and electronic communications is a privilege, not a right. Failure to follow the use procedures
contained in this policy will result in the loss of the privilege to use these
tools and may result in school disciplinary action and/or legal action. The School
District may deny, revoke, or suspend access to District technology
or close accounts at any time for any reason considered appropriate by the
administrator/supervisor or for regular maintenance or improvement of the
District’s system.
SCHOOL DISTRICT MAKES NO
WARRANTIES
The School District makes no
warranties of any kind, whether expressed or implied, related to the use of
District computers and computer systems, including access to the Internet and
electronic communications services.
Providing access to these services does not imply endorsement by the
District of the content, nor does the District make any guarantee as to the
accuracy or quality of information received. The School
District shall not be responsible for any damages, losses, or costs
a student suffers in using the Internet and electronic communications. This
includes loss of data and service interruptions. Use of any information obtained
via the Internet and electronic communications is at the student's own risk.
See JS-E for form
Attention! Please Read!
The official copy of the Board of Education Policy Manual is
Located in the office of the Superintendent at the
Weld
County
School District 6 Administration
Building located at
1025 9th Avenue,
Greeley, CO
80631