KEYSTONE SCHOOL DISTRICT

 

STUDENT ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY

Computer Technology and Internet

You have access to the Keystone School District computer network. This access includes connections to computers throughout the school itself as well as to the Internet, which connects you with educational resources all over the world. Our goal in providing this service is to promote educational excellence at Keystone by facilitating resource sharing, innovation, and communication. The system hardware is District property. All material/messages created, composed, sent, or received on the system are and remain the property of the District and are not the private property of any person.

While there are filters and security measures built into the system, you must exercise responsible use of the technology and systems to which you have access. The use of this technology is a privilege, not a right. If you violate this policy or use the system for any improper purposes, you shall be subject to discipline as deemed appropriate by the administration, up to and including suspension, expulsion, and suspension of system privileges.

Please read the following policies that govern the use of computer equipment, computer software, and the Internet in the Keystone School District. When using the District’s computer network, you accept the responsibility of using the network in an appropriate manner. It is important that your parents or guardians understand your responsibilities as well. This policy is applicable at all times, which includes class time, break time, work time, after hours, and on weekends, and applies whether you are on or off District premises during the use.

A. Educational Purpose

The Keystone School District computer network has been established for a limited educational purpose. The term "educational purpose" includes classroom activities and career development activities.

The Keystone computer network has not been established as a public access service or a public forum. The Keystone School District has a right to place reasonable restrictions on the material you access or post through the system. You are expected to follow the rules set forth in the Student Handbook, as well as the law, in your use of the Keystone computer network.

You may not use the Keystone computer network for commercial purposes. This means you many not offer, provide, or purchase products or services through the network.

You may not use the Keystone computer network for political lobbying. But you may use the system to communicate with elected representatives and express your opinion on political issues.

B. Student Internet Access

1. All students will have access to Internet World Wide Web information resources through their classroom, library, or school computer lab.

 

2. The District will utilize filtering software or other technologies to prevent students from accessing visual depictions that are (1) obscene, (2) child pornography, or (3) harmful to minors. Educational staff will, to the best of their ability, monitor minors' use of the Internet in school, and will take reasonable measures to prevent access by minors to inappropriate material on the Internet and World Wide Web, and restrict their access to materials harmful to minors.

C. Unacceptable Uses

Personal Safety

a. You will not post personal contact information about yourself or other people. Personal contact information includes your address, telephone, school address, work address, social security number, credit card number, etc.

b. You will not agree to meet with someone you have met online without your parent’s approval. Your parent should accompany you to this meeting.

c. You will promptly disclose to your teacher or other school employee any message you receive that is inappropriate or that makes you feel uncomfortable.

d. Personally identifiable information concerning students will not be disclosed or used in any way on the Internet without the permission of a parent or guardian.

Illegal Activities

a. You will not attempt to gain unauthorized access to the Keystone computer network or to any other computer system through the Keystone computer network or go beyond your authorized access ("hacking"). This includes attempting to log in through another person’s account or accessing another person’s files. These actions are illegal, even if only for the purpose of "browsing."

b. You will not make deliberate attempts to disrupt the computer system or destroy data by spreading computer viruses or by any other means. These actions are illegal.

c. You will not use the Keystone computer network to engage in any other illegal act, such as arranging for a drug sale or the purchase of alcohol, engaging in criminal gang activity, threatening the safety of a person, etc.

System Security

a. You are responsible for your individual account and should take all reasonable precautions to prevent others from being able to use your account. Under no conditions should you provide your password to another person.

b. You will immediately notify a teacher or the system administrator if you have identified a possible security problem. Do not go looking for security problems, because this may be construed as an illegal attempt to gain access.

Inappropriate Language

a. Restrictions against inappropriate language apply to public messages, private messages, and material posted on Web pages.

b. You must not use the system to create, send, receive, or use any offensive or disruptive materials or messages. Messages which are considered to be offensive include, but may not be limited to, those which contain sexual implications, racial slurs, gender-specific comments, or any other comments that offensively address someone’s sex, sexual orientation, religious or political beliefs, national origin, or disability. Also considered offensive are messages or materials which are fraudulent, harassing, or obscene, and those which contain abusive, profane, or offensive language. Persons who wish to express personal opinions on the Internet must obtain their own user names on non-Institute-owned systems.

c. You will not post information that could damage or endanger another’s reputation.

d. You will not engage in personal attacks, including prejudicial or discriminatory attacks.

e. You will not harass another person. Harassment is persistently acting in a manner that distresses or annoys another person. If you are told by a person to stop sending them messages, you must stop.

f. You will not knowingly or recklessly post false or defamatory information about a person or an organization.

Respect for Privacy

a. You will not repost a message that was sent to you privately without permission of the person who sent you the message.

b. You will not post private information about another person.

Respecting Resource Limits

a. You will use the system only for educational activities.

b. You will not download any files. Loading or use of unauthorized games, programs, files, or other electronic media is prohibited. No software is to be installed onto the network by students at any time for any purpose.

c. You will not post chain letters or engage in "spamming." Spamming is sending an annoying or unnecessary message to a large number of people.

d. You will be responsible for damages done to the equipment, system, and software. Vandalism will result in a cancellation of privileges. "Vandalism" is defined as any malicious attempt to harm or destroy data of another user, the Internet, or any of the agencies that are connected to the Internet backbone.

Plagiarism and Copyright Infringement

a. You will not plagiarize works that you find on the Internet. Plagiarism is taking the ideas or writings of others and presenting them as if they were yours.

b. You will respect the rights of copyright owners. Copyright infringement occurs when you inappropriately reproduce a work that is protected by a copyright. If a work contains language that specified appropriate use of that work, you should follow the expressed requirements. If you are unsure whether or not you can use a work, you should request permission from the copyright owner. Copyright law can be very confusing. If you have questions, ask a teacher.

Inappropriate Access to Material

a. You will not use the Keystone computer network to access 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 your access is to conduct research and both your teacher and parent have approved.

b. If you mistakenly access inappropriate information, you should immediately tell your teacher or another District employee. This will protect you against a claim that you have intentionally violated this Policy.

c. Your parents should instruct you if there is additional material that they think would be inappropriate for you to access. The district fully expects that you will follow your parents’ instructions in this matter.

D. Your Rights

1. Search and Seizure

a. The District reserves and intends to exercise the right to review, audit, intercept, access, and disclose all uses of the system. The contents of electronic communications may be disclosed within the District or to law enforcement officials without the permission of the author. You should not assume confidentiality of any material produced. Even when the material is erased from the system, it is usually possible to retrieve that material. Further, the use of passwords for security does not guarantee confidentiality or privacy.

b. Routine maintenance and monitoring of the Keystone computer network may lead to discovery that you have violated this Policy, the provisions of the Student Handbook, or the law.

c. An individual search will be conducted if there is reasonable suspicion that you have violated this Policy, the provisions of the Student Handbook, or the law. The investigation will be reasonable and related to the suspected violation.

d. Your parents have the right at any time to request to see the contents of your files.

2. Due Process

a. The District will cooperate fully with local, state, or federal officials in any investigation related to any illegal activities conducted through the Keystone computer network.

b. If the violation also involves a violation of other provisions of the Student Handbook, it will be handled in a manner described in the Student Handbook. Additional restrictions may be placed on your use of your Internet account.

E. Limitation of Liability

The District makes no guarantee that the functions or the services provided by or through the District computer system will be error-free or without defect. The District will not be responsible for any damage you may suffer, including but not limited to, loss of data or interruptions of service. The District is not responsible for the accuracy or quality of the information obtained through or stored on the system. The District will not be responsible for financial obligations arising through the unauthorized use of the system.

F. Personal Responsibility

When you are using the Keystone computer network, it may feel like you can more easily break a rule and not get caught. This is not really true because whenever you do something on a network, you leave little "electronic footprints," so the odds of getting caught are really about the same as they are in the real world.

But the fact that you can do something or think you can do something without being caught does not make it right to do so. Even if you don’t get caught, there is always one person who will know whether you have done wrong—and that person is you. Your use of the Internet can be a mirror that will show you what kind of person you are.

Revised August 2001.

Students and Parents/Guardians: Please sign this page in the appropriate places, detach it, and return it to the homeroom teacher as soon as possible.

Students: Your signature indicating that you have read and agreed to our Student Acceptable Use Policy is necessary before you can have access to the Keystone computer network.

I have read the Student Acceptable Use Policy and agree to use the school network as outlined in the policy.

Name (please print) ____________________________________ Grade ______ Homeroom _____

Signature _____________________________________________ Date _____________________

 

Parents/Guardians: Please read the following information, initial all statements that apply, and sign and date below.

The Keystone School District has established an Internet web site at http://www.keyknox.org. This site will serve as an outlet for high-quality work produced by students and staff.

Students will have the opportunity to publish documents and projects on the World Wide Web as part of their educational program. This work might include a story or poem, a graphic design, a science or research project, a group photograph from an activity or club, or a collaborative project with other students. Individual student pictures with first names only may be used with parental permission.

When published, any person who has access to the Internet will be able to see and read your child’s work. However, students’ last names and other personal identification information will not be posted on open networks. Before the work of any student is published on the Internet, parent or guardian permission is required.

 

Please initial all of the following statements that apply:

_____ I have read the Keystone School District "Student Acceptable Use Policy" for Computer Technology and the Internet.

_____ My child has my permission to access the Internet from the Keystone School District.

_____ I give permission for my child’s work to be published on the Internet and his/her first name only to be published as the author/creator of the work.

_____ I give permission for my child’s picture to be used on the Keystone web site when he/she has earned special recognition, has participated in a special project, is part of a group picture, etc. I understand that my child’s last name will never be used to identify him/her in the picture. (Similar pictures often appear in local newspapers.)

Parent/Guardian Name (please print) ___________________________________________

Parent/Guardian Signature _________________________________ Date _____________

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