FILE:  EFA

Cf:  EFB, IFBGA

ACCEPTABLE COMPUTER AND INTERNET USE

The Monroe City School Board recognizes the role of educational technologies in stimulating innovative approaches to teaching and learning and shifting the way educators and students access and transmit information, share ideas, and contact others.  In addition, technology is a key component in transacting the business of the system and Board.  The connection of schools and offices to the global online community brings new responsibilities as well as opportunities.

Network resources are provided for educational purposes and to carry out the legitimate business of the school district.  The term educational purposes includes classroom activities and assignments, directed student research, interpersonal communication, professional development, collaborative projects, and dissemination of successful educational practices, methods, and materials. The Board expects all employees, students, and Board members who use computing and network resources, including electronic mail and telecommunications tools, to apply them in appropriate ways to the performance of responsibilities associated with their positions and assignments.  The Board directs the Superintendent or authorized designee(s) to specify those behaviors that are permitted and those that are not permitted as well as disseminate appropriate guidelines for the use of technology resources.  The Board expects that faculty will blend thoughtful use of the district network and Internet resources throughout the curriculum and will provide guidance and instruction to students in their use.

The network and Internet user shall be held responsible for his/her actions and activities.  Responsibilities include efficient, ethical and legal utilization of network resources.

As a matter of public law, any document pertaining to the public business on a publicly funded system is a public record, and this law applies to records stored on district computers.

INTERNET ACCESS AND ACCOUNTS

The Monroe City School Board has set forth the following guidelines for the assignment and use of Internet accounts.

• Any employee of the district may request and receive an e-mail account.  Monitored student e-mail accounts may be provided by the district through a third party host.  These accounts are for educational purposes only and are issued by the teacher or technology administrator for classroom projects or assignments.
   

• Home page development is encouraged for individual classes; school organizations; special class, school, or district projects; and professional development activities or projects.  However, the posting of student personal information is strictly prohibited.
   

• Under no circumstances shall the Monroe City School Board permit the posting of personal home pages not directly related to educational purposes. The Technology Supervisor or designee reserves the right to remove inappropriate pages from the server.
   

ACCOUNTABILITY

Faculty and staff use of school computers or the Internet shall be reserved for educational purposes and the conducting of business aspects of the school system.  All personnel using school computers or a computer network located on school property, or computers accessing the Internet shall be accountable for their use.  Teacher or class files on the network shall be treated as district property subject to control and inspection by School Board personnel.

The Board does not condone any illegal or inappropriate activities and shall not be responsible for such use by staff.  The Board does not guarantee the right to use the Internet and reserves the right to suspend or terminate the privilege of any individual at its sole discretion without notice, cause, or reason.  Failure to adhere to these regulations may result in the loss of computer privileges, access to the Internet and electronic mail account and may result in further disciplinary action up to and including termination.  Furthermore, any activity that may be in violation of local, state, or federal laws shall be reported to the appropriate law enforcement agency.

UNAUTHORIZED AND ILLEGAL USE

Faculty and staff shall not be under direct supervision but must abide by Board policy.

Tampering with selection menus, procedures, or icons for the purpose of misleading or confusing other users shall be prohibited.  Any use by any person of the District's internal network that incurs expenses to the school other than the monthly user fees and rates shall be strictly prohibited.  Furthermore, the computer system shall not be used for commercial, political or religious purposes.

Use of the network for any illegal activities shall also be prohibited.  Illegal activities may include but are not limited to: (a) tampering with computer hardware or software, (b) unauthorized entry into computers and files (hacking), (c) knowledgeable vandalism or destruction of equipment, and (d) deletion of computer files.  Such activity is considered a crime under state and federal law.

SAFETY AND SECURITY

In compliance with the Children’s Internet Protection Act and the Protecting Children in the 21st Century Act, the School Board shall institute measures that educate, guide, and/or protect faculty and/or students in the following areas:

• technology protection;
   

• access to inappropriate matters on the Internet;
   

• safety and security when using electronic communication;
   

• unauthorized network access;
   

• disclosure/dissemination of personal information; and
   

• appropriate online behavior including interacting with others and cyber bulling awareness and response.

The technology protection measure that blocks and/or filters access to Internet sites which contain harmful materials or information, such as sites that contain obscene, pornographic, pervasively vulgar, excessively violent, or sexually harassing material or information, or sites that may contain information on the manufacturing of bombs or incendiary devices. The technology protection measure that blocks and/or filters Internet access may be disabled by an authorized individual for bona fide research purposes with the permission of the Superintendent or authorized designee(s).

Teachers and personnel who have computers and other peripheral and electronic devices in their charge shall be responsible for the security of them.  Reasonable precautions must be taken to ensure safe use and storage.

Users shall immediately report any actual or suspected:

• security violations or breaches, including, but not limited to:

1. • improper transmission of confidential information;

   • compromised passwords or access codes

   • receipt of messages containing suspected virus content;

• theft or loss of computer resources including portable devices
   

• unacceptable use of the network or computer resources; and
   

• any other violation of this Policy.

REGULATIONS FOR COMPUTER USE

The following regulations, terms, and conditions for the use of computers and other technology equipment and the School Board’s network and Internet resources are not all-inclusive, but are only representative and illustrative.  Any user who commits an act of misconduct or inappropriateness which is not listed may also be subject to disciplinary action or suspension, or termination, or be subject to appropriate criminal or civil prosecution.  Other unacceptable uses shall include but not be limited to those listed below.

1. Uses that violate any state or federal law or municipal ordinance are unacceptable.  Such uses may include:

1. • Selling or purchasing any illegal substance;
      

   • Accessing, transmitting, or downloading child pornography, obscene depictions, harmful materials, or materials that encourage others to violate the law; or
      

   • Transmitting or downloading confidential information or copyrighted materials.

2. Uses that involve the accessing, transmitting or downloading of inappropriate matters on the Internet, as determined by the School Board, local educational agency or other related authority.
    

3. Uses that involve circumvention of district network security measures and/or district network devices such as content filtering and firewall.
    

4. Uses that involve connecting non-district owned equipment to the network.
    

5. Uses that involve obtaining and/or using anonymous email sites.
    

6. Uses that cause harm to others or damage to their property are unacceptable. Such unacceptable uses may include:

    

1. • Deleting, copying, modifying, or forging other users' e-mails, files, or data;
      

   • Plagiarizing another’s work or idea;
      

   • Accessing another user’s email without his/her permission, and as a result of that access, reading or forwarding the other user's e-mails or files without that user's permission;
      

   • Damaging computer equipment, files, data or the network;
      

   • Using profane, abusive, or impolite language;
      

   • Disguising one's identity, impersonating other users, or sending anonymous e-mail messages;
      

   • Making threatening, harassing, tormenting, bullying, humiliating, embarrassing, and/or defamatory or false statements about others;
      

   • Accessing, transmitting, or downloading offensive, harassing, or disparaging materials;
      

   • Accessing, transmitting or downloading computer viruses or other harmful files or programs, or in any way degrading or disrupting any computer system performance; or
      

   • Using any district computer to pursue "hacking," internal or external to the district, or attempting to access information that is protected by privacy laws.

2.  

7. Uses that jeopardize access or lead to unauthorized access into accounts or other computer networks are unacceptable.  Such unacceptable uses may include, but are not limited to the following:
    

1. • Using other users' account passwords or identifiers;
      

   • Disclosing one's account password to other users or allowing other users to use one's accounts;
      

   • Getting unauthorized access into other users' accounts or other computer networks; or
      

   • Interfering with other users' ability to access their accounts.
      

8. Commercial and political uses are unacceptable.  Such unacceptable uses may include, but are not limited to the following:
    

1. • Selling or buying anything over the Internet for personal financial gain;
      

   • Using the Internet for advertising, promotion, or financial gain;
      

   • • Conducting for-profit business activities and engaging in non-government related fundraising; or
        

     • Public relations activities such as solicitation for religious purposes, lobbying for political purposes, or soliciting votes.

CONSEQUENCES OF INAPPROPRIATE USE

The use of the Internet is a privilege, not a right, and inappropriate use may result in the temporary or permanent cancellation of that privilege and/or other disciplinary action (including suspension, expulsion, or legal action) as deemed appropriate by administration, faculty, and staff.  Inappropriate use of the network may also result in legal action and/or prosecution, and may require restitution for costs associated with system restoration, hardware, or software costs. 

No information on the network (including email and personal files) is guaranteed to be private.  Information relating to or in support of illegal activities must be reported to the authorities.

Users bringing illegal and/or inappropriate materials onto the network shall be subject to disciplinary action.

DISCLAIMER

The Monroe City School Board technology network and computer system is provided on an "as is, as available" basis.  The School Board does not make any warranties, whether expressed or implied, including, without limitation, those of fitness for a particular purpose with respect to any services provided by the system and any information or software contained therein.  The School Board uses a variety of vendor-supplied hardware and software.  Therefore, the School Board does not warrant that the functions or services performed by, or that the information or software contained on the system will meet the user’s requirements.  Neither does the School Board warrant that the system will be uninterrupted or error-free, nor that defects will be corrected.

The School Board shall not be responsible for any damage users may suffer, including, but not limited to, loss, damage or unavailability of data stored on school district diskettes, tapes, hard drives or servers, or for delays or changes in or interruptions of service or misdeliveries or nondeliveries of information or materials, regardless of the cause.  The School Board shall not be responsible for the accuracy or quality of any advice, service, or information obtained through or stored on school district computers and technology network.  The School Board shall not be responsible for financial obligations arising through unauthorized use of the School Board technology network or the Internet.

Opinions, advice, services, and all other information expressed by system users, information providers, service providers, or other third party individuals in the system are those of the providers and not necessarily the School Board.

Ref:    20 USC 7131 (Internet Safety)

47 USC 254 (Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA))

La. Rev. Stat. Ann. §§17:81, 17:100.7, 17:280

Board minutes, 2-6-03, 1-26-10

Monroe City School Board