Acceptable+Use+of+Internet+Policy

Access to the School's equipment and system is a privilege, not a right and is exclusively for instructional use. Failure to follow these guidelines may result in suspension or termination of privileges and other disciplinary action consistent with District policies and the Student Code of Conduct. Violations of law may result in criminal prosecution as well as disciplinary action by the District. Most situations will already be covered by the Student Code of Conduct. Purpose: ** The District system (and other equipment) has a limited educational purpose. The purpose of the District system is to assist in preparing students for success in life and work in the 21st century by providing them with electronic access to a wide range of information. The term "educational purpose" includes use of the system for classroom activities and limited high-quality self-discovery activities under appropriate supervision and as part of the curriculum consistent with the mission and goals of the school. Students must always use school equipment in a way that preserves and provides the equipment for all students within the framework of the legal requirements. Copyrighted software or data (including personally-owned software of data) is not to be placed on the District system without permission of the holder of the copyright and in accordance with the copyright/license of the software or data. If a student wants to use personal equipment or software on school equipment, she/he must first secure a written letter of approval from the District technology coordinator. The student's parents and the school have the right to investigate the contents of his/her files at any time. Students may not use the system for any illegal purpose or use another person's account, files, or data without permission. The student may not use the system for commercial purposes. Students must not attempt to harm, destroy District equipment or materials, or another user's data. The student must not attempt to disrupt the system's performance or operation. Students must not attempt to upload or create computer viruses or similar programs. If damage results, it may result in cancellation of privileges and may require restitution. Student-owned media are subject to interrogation and search as delineated in the Student Code of Conduct. Students must not attempt to gain unauthorized access to the District system or to any other computer system through the District system, or go beyond authorized access. This includes attempting to log in through another person's account or access another person's files, including so-called "hacking." These actions are illegal, even if only for the purposes of "browsing." Pretending to be someone else when sending/receiving messages is unacceptable. Unauthorized disclosure, use, and dissemination of personal information regarding minors is prohibited. Students must not use obscene, profane, lewd, vulgar, rude, inflammatory, threatening, ethnic or racial slurs, or disrespectful language. Students must not engage in personal attacks, including prejudicial or discriminatory attacks. Students must not post information that, if acted upon, could cause damage or a danger of disruption. If a student has any questions about the acceptability of any specific use of the system or equipment, contact the campus technology coordinator for clarification. Internet use: ** Students should be aware that the use of the system may provide access to other electronic communications systems in the global electronic network that may contain inaccurate and/or objectionable material. The District Acceptable Use Policy contains restrictions on accessing inappropriate material. There is a wide range of material available on the Internet, some of which may not be fitting with the particular values of the families of the students. It is not practically possible for the District to monitor and enforce a wide range of social values in student use of the Internet. Further, the District recognizes that parents bear primary responsibility for transmitting their particular set of family values to their children. The District encourages parents to specify to their child(ren) what material is and is not acceptable for their child(ren) to access through the District system. When using electronic data, students should make a standard practice of requesting permission from the holder of the work if use of the material has the potential of being considered an infringement. Always use appropriate citation and Fair Use practices. If students have access to the Internet (email, chat rooms, instant messaging, and other forms of electronic communication), they must not post personally identifiable information about themselves or other people such as names, home addresses, telephones, school addresses, work addresses, etc., except as below. Names and photos of students or groups of students in grades pre-K through 8 will not be placed on the district’s public web pages. Names and photos of students in grades 9-12 may, with written parent/guardian permission, be placed on the district’s public web pages. Information will be provided to staff concerning secure web pages. Students must agree not to meet with someone they meet online without parent/guardian approval and participation. They must promptly disclose to their parents and teacher or other school employee any message received that is inappropriate or makes them feel uncomfortable. Participation in chat rooms, bulletin board posting, newsgroups and messaging accessed on the Internet is permissible for students under appropriate supervision only when used for educational purposes and when it is a part of the curriculum. Employee participation on school equipment is to be consistent with the mission and goals of the school. Students will not plagiarize works that they find on the Internet. Plagiarism is taking the ideas or writings of others and presenting them as if they were original to the user. They must respect the rights of copyright owners. Copyright infringement occurs when an individual inappropriately reproduces a work that is protected by a copyright. If a work contains language that specifies acceptable use of that work, the user should follow the expressed requirements. Students must not use the District system to access or transmit material that is profane or obscene (pornography), that advocates illegal acts, or that advocates violence or discrimination towards other people (hate literature). A special exception may be made for hate literature if the purpose of such access is to conduct research and access is approved by both the teacher and the parent. If they inadvertently access such information, they should immediately disclose the inadvertent access to the supervising teacher, lab aide, librarian, or campus technology coordinator. This will protect them against an allegation that they have intentionally violated the Acceptable Use Policy. To the extent practical, technology protection measures (or Internet "filters" will be used to block access to inappropriate information, as required by the Children's Internet Protection Act. Users must not disable or attempt to disable filtering devices. Students are responsible for the use of their individual access and should take all reasonable precautions to prevent others from being able to use their access. They must not provide their password to another person. They must avoid the inadvertent spread of computer viruses by following the District virus protection procedures. They must immediately notify the technology coordinator if they identify a possible security problem. They must not go looking for security problems, as this may be construed as an illegal attempt to gain access.
 * Acceptable Use of Technology: **
 * User Responsibilities:**
 * Plagiarism and Copyright Infringement:**
 * Inappropriate Access to Material:**
 * System Security:**


 * Policy taken from Dripping Springs Independent School District Library Media Services Handbook: http://www.dripping-springs.txed.net/hslibrary/page12.html