Return to FCSU Technology Integration Resources Page INTERNET & OTHER TELECOMMUNICATION ACCESS ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY CODE: H 7 It is the policy of the St. Albans Town School District that if students, staff and community members have access to the Internet and other modes of telecommunications, the school will follow age appropriate guidelines and procedures that govern the use of the telecommunications. The board recognizes that citizens have a right to information, but in the school setting the use of telecommunications is a privilege. Employees will use the Internet in an effective, ethical and lawful manner. Students, staff and community members may be denied this privilege based on inappropriate use or abuse of the system. Procedures and agreements in the school district will specify the following: 1. Communication to parents indicating telecommunications will be used in school as well as advising parents that there are areas of the internet and other on-line services that contain inappropriate information for school-age children. The school procedures will not condone the use of such material. 2. Supervision of students. 3. Rules for use that are consistent with school goals. 4. Procedures for classroom and school accounts will be established by the St. Albans Town School District. 5. Procedures for ensuring that communication is polite, decent, and ethical, and it is not used for private chatting and "non-educational" game playing. 6. The prohibition of commercial and product use or political lobbying. 7. Consequences for vandalizing, abusing by inappropriate use, uploading viruses or violating state and federal laws. 8. Copyrighted material belonging to entities other than St. Albans Town School may not be transmitted on the Internet or downloaded into any C.P.U. 9. Procedures for file transfer. 10. Procedures for inappropriate use that has caused an expense to the school district. 11. Harassment of any kind is prohibited. No message with inflammatory remarks about an individual's or groups race, religion, national origin, physical attributes, disability or sexual preference will be transmitted.   NETWORK (Internet E-Mail Access) 1. The use of networks is to promote the exchange of information to further education and research and must be consistent with the mission of the St. Albans Town School District. 2. The network is not for private or commercial business use, political or religious purposes. 3. Any use of the network for illegal activity is prohibited. 4. Using programs that harass network users or infiltrate a computing system and/or damage the software components is prohibited. 5. Make the most efficient use of network resources to minimize interference with others. 6. Any use of the network that accesses outside resources must conform to this "Acceptable Use Policy". 7. Subscription to List Serves via bulletin boards and on-line services must be pre-approved by the Principal or designee.   SECURITY 1. Respect the rights and property of others and do not improperly access, misappropriate or misuse the files, data, or information of others. 2. Do not share your account, leave the account open or unattended. 3. Keep all accounts and passwords confidential and not accessible to others. 4. Change passwords as needed, using combinations of letters and numbers. Avoid using the number of years and months and English words and names. 5. Users are responsible for making backup copies of their documents. 6. The school will purchase system software to filter student access to the Internet.   SOFTWARE 1. The St. Albans Town School District is responsible for taking precautions to prevent viruses on equipment. 2. The illegal installation of copyrighted software or files for use on district computers is prohibited. 3. All software on St. Albans Town School District computers will be installed by the school's system manager or designee.   E-MAIL 1. E-mail is provided for the purpose of exchanging information consistent with the mission of the St. Albans Town School District. a. The network may not be used for private or commercial offerings of products or services for sale or to solicit products or services. b. E-mail may be used to communicate with others for issues related to educational and school activities. c. All messages created, sent or received over the Internet shall become the property of the St. Albans Town School District. d. E-mail messages are subject to district review at any time. E-mail messages are public communication and are not private. e. All communications including text and images can be disclosed to law enforcement or other third parties without prior consent of the sender or receiver. 2. Mail should be deleted regularly from the E-mail directory to conserve the file space. Interpretation, application, and modification of this Acceptable Use Policy is within the sole discretion of the St. Albans Town School District. Any questions or issues regarding this policy should be directed to the school principal. Return to FCSU Technology Integration Resources Page