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