815 - page 1 of 1

1 of 1

Page 1 of 10

EASTON AREA

SCHOOL DISTRICT

No. 815

SECTION:

OPERATIONS

TITLE:

ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY

ADOPTED:

July 20, 2006

REVISED:

815. ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY

Authority

Statement Of Objective

The Easton Area School District (EASD), in accordance with district policy,

supports the use of the Internet and other technologies in the district's instructional

program in order to facilitate learning and teaching through interpersonal

communications, access to information, research, and collaboration. The use of the

EASD technologies shall be consistent with and enhance the curriculum adopted by

the school district and consider the varied instructional needs, learning styles,

abilities, and developmental levels of students.

Organizational Responsibility And Privacy

Pol. 218, 317,

417, 517

The EASD establishes that use of the EASD technology is a privilege, not a right.

Inappropriate, unauthorized, and/or illegal use may result in cancellation of this

privilege and appropriate disciplinary action.

The electronic information available to students and staff does not imply

endorsement of the content by the school district, nor does the district guarantee the

accuracy of information received from the Internet.

The district shall not be responsible for any information that may be lost, damaged,

or unavailable when using the EASD technology. Backup of such materials shall be

the responsibility of the person creating/using them.

The school district shall not be responsible for any unauthorized charges or fees

resulting from access to the Internet.

The EASD shall not be responsible for any damages incurred by downloading

viruses and/or similar invasive technologies from the Internet.

The level of access that employees have to school computers, network, and Internet

services is based upon specific employee job requirements and needs.

815. ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY - Pg. 2

Page 2 of 10

20 U.S.C.

Sec. 1232g

EASD attempts to maintain the confidentiality of its users. All users must comply

with Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).

The EASD requires students and staff to sign, manually or electronically, an

acknowledgement that they received and read this policy. Users will be provided

with copies of any and all amendments and revisions of this policy upon receipt of

School Board approval.

The EASD shall make every effort to ensure that students and staff use this

educational resource responsibly.

P.L. 106-554

As required by the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) and the Neighborhood

Protection Act, the EASD has installed filtering software to restrict and monitor the

use of the Internet, e-mail, newsgroups, FTP and chat. However, no filtering

software is 100% effective. EASD reserves the right to disable the filtering software

to facilitate specific educational purposes from time to time. Requests to block or

unblock should be referred to the building Classroom Technology Coordinator.

Students and staff have the responsibility to respect and protect the rights of every

user in the district and on the Internet. All EASD staff and students are responsible

for reading and following this policy.

Users should understand that there is a distinct lack of confidentiality on the Internet.

EASD policy indicates the e-mail system is for business use only and prohibits any

business unrelated to district matters. The policy does recognize that employees may

use their e-mail for "incidental" personal use, but that they can expect no privacy.

The policy defines incidental use as casual, minor, insignificant or occasional that

does not impact an employee's duties or impede educational operations.

Users of the EASD technologies should not have an expectation of privacy in the

materials that are created, sent or received by them on EASD systems. To the extent

allowed by laws and regulations, EASD authorized personnel may examine all

material stored on EASD systems without prior notice.

Messages that are created, sent or received using the EASD e-mail system are the

property of the EASD. The EASD reserves the right to access and disclose the

contents of all messages created, sent or received using the e-mail system. The

e-mail system is strictly for official EASD messaging.

815. ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY - Pg. 3

Page 3 of 10

Subject to local laws and regulations, the EASD may monitor any aspects of its

computerized resources, including, but not limited to, monitoring sites visited by

users on the Internet, monitoring chat groups and newsgroups, reviewing material

downloaded or uploaded to the Internet by an EASD user, reviewing e-mail sent and

received by EASD users and to monitor fileserver space utilization by district and

outside users.

EASD reserves the right to amend and/or revise this policy at any time as the need

arises.

Delegation of

Responsbility

Personnel Responsibilities

EASD personnel are expected to be familiar with the school policies and rules

concerning student computer and Internet use and to enforce them. It is the

responsibility of EASD personnel to directly supervise students and monitor

computers in the use of the Internet and other EASD technologies. All EASD

personnel who utilize school technology for instructional purposes with students

have a professional responsibility to help students develop the skills necessary to

identify information sources appropriate to their age and developmental levels and to

evaluate the information needed to meet their educational goals. Students should not

utilize computers for any nonacademic purposes, and students are not permitted to

use the Internet without direct adult supervision. When, in the course of their duties,

personnel become aware of student violations, they are expected to stop the activity

and inform the building principal and Classroom Technology Coordinator

immediately.

Guidelines

ACCEPTABLE USE

Network

System security is protected through the use of district-provided passwords, which

shall not be changed by users. Failure to adequately protect passwords could result

in unauthorized access to personal or district files. To protect the integrity of the

system, the following guidelines shall be followed:

Staff and students shall not reveal their passwords to another individual.

Users are not to use a computer that has been logged in under another user’s

name.

Users are not to use a computer that has been logged in under a teacher’s name

without the teacher’s specific permission.

815. ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY - Pg. 4

Page 4 of 10

Any user identified as a security risk or having a history of problems with other

computer systems may be denied access to the network.

Users are required to log off of the network when finished.

Users may not use the network to intentionally obtain or modify files, passwords,

and data belonging to other users.

Students may not install or use unauthorized games, applications, files, or other

electronic media.

Users may not use the network in such a way as to disrupt the work of other

users.

Users may comply with EASD network storage limitations.

10. No attempt should be made to store inappropriate materials on the network.

Internet

In making decisions regarding student access to the Internet, EASD considers its

own educational mission, goals, and objectives. Electronic information research

skills are now fundamental to the preparation of citizens and future employees.

EASD expects that faculty will blend thoughtful use of the Internet throughout the

curriculum and will provide guidance and instruction to students in its use. Students

and staff are expected to act in a responsible, ethical, and legal manner in accordance

with district policy and federal and state law.

Specifically, the following uses are prohibited:

Using the Internet for commercial or for-profit purposes.

Using the Internet for product advertisement or political lobbying.

Unauthorized or illegal downloading, installation, distribution, reproduction, or

use of copyrighted materials from the Internet.

Accessing, uploading, downloading, or distributing pornographic, obscene, or

sexually explicit material.

Using the Internet to violate any local, state, or federal statute.

Using the Internet to communicate with persons unknown.

815. ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY - Pg. 5

Page 5 of 10

Giving personal information in e-mail, blogs, instant messages, chat rooms or

other Internet communication devices. This includes, but is not limited to, full

names, friends’ names, addresses, phone numbers, school, and activities.

E-Mail

EASD expects the users of the district electronic mail system to follow these

accepted guidelines:

Correspond with the understanding that e-mail is not guaranteed to be private.

Never send chain letters.

Be polite. Your message should never be abusive to others.

Use appropriate language. Do not swear or use vulgarities.

Mail should be used for academic, work-related correspondences, but “incidental

personal use” is allowed.

Use mixed case. UPPER CASE LOOKS AS IF YOU’RE SHOUTING.

Mail should have a subject heading which reflects the content of the message.

Group mail is to be used only for communications directly relating to district

professional responsibilities.

Never impersonate another user, send mail anonymously, or use a pseudonym.

10. Do not open e-mail of unknown origin.

11. Check e-mail often and remain within your limited quota.

Hardware And Software

In order to maintain adherence to copyright law and to increase security and

reliability of systems, users are expected to utilize hardware and software in a

manner that enables its ongoing usage. To this end, EASD staff and students are

responsible for informing the technical support staff immediately if, at any time, the

hardware and/or software does not work properly. EASD technical staff and

815. ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY - Pg. 6

Page 6 of 10

students must respect computer equipment and all peripherals. No attempt should be

made to store any inappropriate materials on any EASD technologies. Users are,

under no circumstances, to attempt to repair or reconfigure a district-owned

computer in any way.

Printing

All the items in this policy apply to printers and the jobs that users send to the

printers, including but not limited to, copyright, excessive use, personal use,

inappropriate material and monitoring. Users can also refer to the Guidelines for

Printing Services found in 815 Attachment 1 for specifics on photocopying.

Home Use

This policy for the EASD applies to both in school and at-home use.

To ensure that students and staff use these educational resources responsibly while at

home, it is imperative that the following provisions are understood:

Absolutely no one other than the district employee or student uses his/her district

issued laptop or equipment.

District policy for behavior and communication apply when using the Internet,

according to the stipulations of this policy.

Users should have no expectation of privacy while utilizing the computer at

home.

At-home technology support should not be expected from EASD; it is the users’

responsibility to report any problems with equipment immediately to the building

Classroom Technology Coordinator.

Any and all costs incurred by the EASD for repairs caused by negligent use may

be the financial responsibility of the user who has created the problem. Under no

circumstances should the user attempt to take district owned technology to local

service providers nor should the user attempt to repair technology him/herself.

When at home, the computer should always be located in common family area

with adult supervision.

815. ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY - Pg. 7

Page 7 of 10

Additionally, families should be aware that some material accessible via the Internet

might contain items that are illegal, defamatory, inaccurate, or potentially offensive

to some people. Also, 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/guardian would be liable.

P.L. 94-553

Sec. 107

Pol. 814

The illegal use of copyrighted software by students and staff is prohibited. Any data

uploaded to or downloaded from the network shall be subject to the guidelines put

forth in the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (HR2281), October 1998 and the

Technology, Education, and Copyright Harmonization (TEACH) Act.

(See Technology and Learning Guidelines for Administrators chart to learn what is

permissible under the law. See 815 Attachment.)

WEBPAGE GUIDELINES

All EASD-sponsored and maintained web sites (which includes all school, teacher,

or classroom WebPages for educational purposes) must be hosted from district

owned and operated computer server(s) on school property and must adhere to

procedures and guidelines of this policy.

Rationale

School WebPages are public documents welcoming the outside world to the school

and linking students and staff to outside sources of information. Guidelines are

required in the construction of school WebPages to ensure that information on the

pages is appropriate for any Internet user to access and is free from advertising or

news items which may not be appropriate for students. The content of school

WebPages must be consistent with the educational mission, goals, strategic plan and

objectives of the EASD and School Board policies. All district-sponsored and

maintained web sites are property of Easton Area School District.

Disclaimer Of Liability

The EASD Technology Department does not warrant nor guarantee access or data

integrity of student developed web content. Any and all web content created for

class projects or course work should be backed up frequently using local resources.

The EASD Technology Department reserves the right to immediately stop access to

or from any site which may be in violation of this policy or otherwise poses a risk to

the district’s network, personnel or other technology resources.

815. ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY - Pg. 8

Page 8 of 10

Requirements/Goals

In producing informational/educational WebPages, the following goals will be

considered:

Guidelines

All web sites will conform to district guidelines. Each site must contain the

following:

The date of the last revision.

Author’s contact information.

A link back to www.eastonsd.org.

Each school’s Classroom Technology Coordinator shall approve all teacher

WebPages.

There should be no advertisement on the web site.

Content

Material placed on WebPages is expected to meet academic standards for proper

conventions and accuracy of information:

All links must be functional.

All pages must have accurate spelling and grammar.

The subject matter must be appropriate for school.

All content must be accurate.

No web sites shall be created to sell items or promote a cause.

815. ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY - Pg. 9

Page 9 of 10

Student Safety

When posting information to the web, it is important to consider that anyone can

view that information. Special care should be taken when posting student

information to the web:

No web page content should allow people accessing the page to contact any

student directly.

If a student’s picture or project is to be published on the Internet or

transmitted outside of the district, a signed parent/guardian permission

release form is required. NOTE: Only one (1) form needs to be signed per

year and can be used throughout the year to post photos and projects on the

web.

Public WebPages and other forms of electronic data transferred outside of

the district’s digital network shall not contain any personal student

information. Schools should proceed with caution and sensitivity in this

area.

Student photographs, drawings, and written work that are published on a

class or school page may NOT contain any personal information that can be

linked to the student.

Teachers may use first names and last initials or other codes, such as the

teacher’s name and a number for each student within the web page and with

all file names.

Respecting Copyright

materials without permission.

Style Guide

The following items are recommended:

Avoid “Under Construction” signs on a home page; construct the page

before placing it on the web. If under construction graphics are necessary on

sub-pages, please do not keep them on any page longer than four (4) weeks.

Avoid making pages that require unusual plug-ins.

815. ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY - Pg. 10

Page 10 of 10

Make sure that your WebPages are easy to use.

Web Content Developed By Students

As part of class/course projects, students may be developing and publishing

content on WebPage(s) for the Internet. Publishing WebPages is similar to

publishing a newspaper with text and pictures. The following procedures apply:

Student WebPages (WebPages profiling a student) are prohibited. No web

page shall contain a student’s phone number, address, e-mail address,

club/team membership, opinions, or other personal profile information.

Students who create Blogs, and content of Pod Casting files must comply

with this policy, follow the direction and supervision of their instructor and

be used for educational purposes.

BLOGS in use by the EASD must be registered with their school with an

EASD faculty member/administrator who is responsible for all content

posted to the BLOG.

Students are not authorized to share or post personal photos and other profile

information to public web sites (or school district web sites) when using

district or personal electronic devices on school property or during any

school-sponsored activities.

PENALTIES FOR IMPROPER USE

Violations of this policy may result in the loss of access, additional disciplinary

action consistent with existing practice and policy, and/or appropriate referral to the

police. Anyone witnessing a violation of this policy must report the violation to the

appropriate authority.