File: IKL
POCAHONTAS COUNTY SCHOOLS TECHNOLOGY POLICY
Pocahontas County Schools is providing employees and students with access to the electronic communication system, which includes Internet access.
The Pocahontas County Schools’ electronic communication system has a limited educational purpose. The purpose of the Pocahontas County School technology program 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 and the ability to communicate with people from throughout the world. Additionally, the system will be used to increase Pocahontas County School’s intra-communication, enhance productivity, and assist Pocahontas County School employees in upgrading their skills through greater exchange of information with their peers. Pocahontas County Schools will also assist the schools in sharing information with the local community, including parents, social service agencies, government agencies and businesses.
Users may not use Pocahontas County School technology for commercial purposes, defined as offering or providing goods or services or purchasing goods or services for personal use. Pocahontas County School’s acquisition policies will be followed for school purchase of goods or services through the Pocahontas County Schools.
Users may not use technology for political lobbying. County employees and students may use the technology to communicate with their elected representatives and to express their opinions on political issues.
The term “educational purpose” includes use of the system
for classroom activities, professional or career development, and limited
high-quality self-discovery activities.
Students will limit their use of the
system for self-discovery purposes to no more than is developmentally
appropriate.
The superintendent will serve as the coordinator to oversee the Pocahontas County School Technology Program and will work with other regional or state organizations as necessary.
The building principal will serve as the building-level coordinator for the Pocahontas County Schools, will approve building-level activities, ensure teachers receive proper training in
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the use of the equipment and the requirements of this policy, establish procedures to ensure adequate supervision of students using the system, maintain executed user agreements, and be responsible for interpreting the Pocahontas County Schools Acceptable Use Policy for students and employees at the building level.
The technology coordinator will establish a process for setting-up individual and class accounts, set quotas for disk usage on the system, establish a retention schedule, establish a Pocahontas County School System virus protection process and arrange professional development activities.
E-mail – E-mail will allow employees and students to communicate with people from throughout the world. Users will also be able to subscribe to mail lists to engage in group discussions related to educational subjects.
World Wide Web – The Web provides access to a wide range of information in the form of text, graphics, photographs, video, and sound, from throughout the world. The Web is a valuable research tool for students and employees.
Telnet – Telnet allows the user to log in to remote computers.
File Transfer Protocol (FTP) – FTP allows users to download large files and computer software.
Newsgroups – Newsgroups are discussion groups that are similar to mail lists. The Pocahontas County School System will provide access to selected newsgroups that relate to subjects that are appropriate to the educational purpose of the system.
Internet Relay Chat (IRC) – IRC provides the capability of engaging in “real-time” discussions. The Pocahontas County School System will provide access to IRC only for specifically defined and supervised educational activities.
Blocking Software –Pocahontas County Schools will use State acquired software designed to block access to certain sites as it is made available.
The Pocahontas County Schools Acceptable Use Policy, set forth in Policy IKL, IKL-a and
IKL-b will govern all use of the Pocahontas County School Technologies. Student use will also be governed by Policy IKL-a. Employee use will also be governed by Policy IKL-b.
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World Wide Web – All Pocahontas County employees and students will have access to the Web through the Pocahontas County Schools computers. An acceptable use agreement will be required. Parents may specifically request that their child(ren) not be provided such access by notifying the Pocahontas County School System in writing.
Classroom Accounts – Elementary age students may be granted e-mail access only through a classroom account. Elementary students may be provided with an individual account under special circumstances at the request of their teacher and with the approval of their parent. Parents may specifically request that their child(ren) not be provided access through the classroom account by notifying the Pocahontas County Schools in writing.
Individual E-mail Accounts for Students – Secondary students may be provided with individual e-mail accounts. An agreement will be required for an individual e-mail account. This agreement must be signed by the student and his/her parent.
Individual E-Mail Accounts for Pocahontas County School Employees - may be provided with an account. An acceptable use agreement will be required.
Guest Users – Guests may use with the approval of a Pocahontas County School administrator if there is a specific, school-related purpose requiring such access. Use of the system by a guest must be specifically limited to the school-related purpose. An agreement will be required and parental signature will be required if the guest is a minor (e.g., schools may allow home schoolers to obtain access through the Pocahontas County School network).
Pocahontas County Schools will notify the parents about the network and the policies governing its use. Parents must sign an agreement to allow their student to have an individual account. Parents may request alternative activities for their child(ren) that do not require Internet access.
Parents have the right at any time to investigate the contents of their child(ren)’s e-mail files. Parents have the right to request the termination of their child(ren)’s individual account at any time. Pocahontas County Schools will direct parents to the appropriate E-Mail provider who would assist them in gaining access to their child’s account.
The Pocahontas County Schools’ Acceptable Use Policy contains restrictions on accessing inappropriate material. There is a wide range of material available on the Internet, some of
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which may not be fitting with the particular values of the families of the students.
It is not practically possible for the Pocahontas County Schools to monitor and enforce a wide range of social values in student use of the Internet. Further, Pocahontas County Schools recognize that parents bear primary responsibility for transmitting their particular set of family values to their children. Pocahontas County Schools will encourage parents to specify to their child(ren) what material is and is not acceptable for their child(ren) to access through the Internet at home.
The Pocahontas County Schools will provide students and parents with guidelines for student safety while using the Internet at home. Pocahontas County Schools are not responsible for monitoring student’s use of the Internet when they are accessing the Internet from home. Parents are responsible for monitoring their children’s use of the Internet when they are accessing the Internet from home.
Pocahontas County Schools makes no warranties of any kind, either express or implied, that the functions or the services provided by or through the Pocahontas County School network will be error-free or without defect. Pocahontas County Schools will not be responsible for any damage users may suffer, including but not limited to, loss of data or interruptions of service. Pocahontas County Schools are not responsible for the accuracy or quality of the information obtained through Internet use. Pocahontas County Schools will not be responsible for financial obligations arising through the unauthorized use of the system.
Pocahontas County Schools will cooperate fully with local, state, or federal officials in any investigation concerning or relating to any illegal activities conducted through the computer network.
In the event there is an allegation that a student has violated the Pocahontas County Schools Acceptable Use Policy, the student will be provided with a written notice of the alleged violation and an opportunity to present an explanation before a neutral administrator.
Disciplinary actions will be tailored to meet specific concerns related to the violation and to assist the student in gaining the self-discipline necessary to behave appropriately on an electronic network. If the alleged violation also involves a violation of other provisions of the disciplinary step plan, the violation will be handled in accord with the applicable provision of Policy JDD.
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Employee violations of the Pocahontas County Schools’ Acceptable Use Policy will be handled in accord with Pocahontas County Board Policy and pursuant to the West Virginia State Code.
Any school administrator may terminate the account privileges of a guest user by providing notice to the user.
Computer users have a limited privacy expectation in the contents of their personal files on the Pocahontas County Schools computers. Routine maintenance and monitoring of equipment may lead to discovery that the user has or is violating the Pocahontas County Schools Acceptable Use Policy, the disciplinary code, or the law.
An individual search will be conducted if there is a reasonable suspicion that a user has violated the law or Policies IKL, IKL-a and IKL-b. The nature of the investigation will be reasonable and in the context of the nature of the alleged violation.
Pocahontas County School employees should be aware that their personal files are subject to administrative review.
Pocahontas County School’s policies on copyright will govern the use of material accessed through the Pocahontas County School networks. Because the extent of copyright protection of certain works found on the Internet is unclear, employees will make a standard practice of requesting permission from the holder of the work if their use of the material has the potential of being considered an infringement. Teachers will instruct students to respect copyright and to request permission when appropriate. Pocahontas County School’s policies on plagiarism will govern use of material accessed through the Pocahontas County School Network. Teachers will instruct students in appropriate research and citation practices.
ACADEMIC FREEDOM, SELECTION OF MATERIAL, STUDENT RIGHTS TO FREE SPEECH
Board policies on Academic Freedom and Free Speech will govern the use of the Internet.
When using the Internet for class activities, teachers will select material that is age appropriate, and that is relevant to the course objectives. Teachers will preview the materials and sites they recommend students access to determine the appropriateness of the material contained on or accessed through the site.
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Teachers will provide guidelines and lists of resources to assist their students in channeling their research activities effectively and properly. Teachers will assist their students in developing the skills to ascertain the truthfulness of information, distinguish fact from opinion, and engage in discussions about controversial issues while demonstrating tolerance and respect for those who hold divergent views.
Pocahontas County School Systems Web Site – Pocahontas County Schools may establish a Web site and will develop Web pages that will present information about the school system. The technology coordinator will be designated as the Webmaster, responsible for maintaining the Pocahontas County Schools Web site.
School or Class Web Pages – Schools and classes may establish Web pages that present information about the school or class activities. The building principal will designate an individual to be responsible for managing the school Web site. Teachers will be responsible for maintaining their class site.
Independent Student Web Pages – With the approval of the building principal, students may establish personal Web pages. The principal will establish a process and criteria for the establishment and posting of material, including pointers to other sites, on these pages. Material presented in the student’s Web site must be related to the student’s educational and career preparation activities. Student Web pages must include the following notice: “This is a student Web page. Opinions expressed on this page shall not be attributed to the Pocahontas County School System.”
Independent Extracurricular Organization Web Pages – The building principal will approve and monitor all Web Pages. These Web pages must follow school guidelines for confidentiality issues. The principal will establish a process and criteria for the establishment and posting of material, including pointers to other sites, on these pages. Material presented on the organization Web page must relate specifically to organization activities and will include only student-produced material. Organization Web pages must include the following notice: “This is a independent extracurricular organization Web page. Opinions expressed on this page shall not be attributed to the Pocahontas County School System.”
Illegal Activities – Users will not attempt to gain unauthorized access to the Pocahontas County School network or to any other computer system through Pocahontas County School equipment, or go beyond their authorized access. 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 purposes of “browsing.”
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Users will not make deliberate attempts to disrupt the
computer system performance or destroy
data by spreading computer viruses or by any other means. These actions are illegal. Users will not use the Pocahontas County
Schools equipment to engage in any other illegal act.
System Security – Users are responsible for the use of their individual account and should take all reasonable precautions to prevent others from being able to use their account. Under no conditions should a user provide his/her password to another person. Users will immediately notify the superintendent of schools if they have identified a possible security problem. Users will not go looking for security problems, because this may be construed as an illegal attempt to gain access. Users will avoid the inadvertent spread of computer viruses by following the Pocahontas County School System’s virus protection procedures if they download files.
Inappropriate Language – Restrictions against Inappropriate Language apply to public messages, private messages, and material posted on Web pages. Users will not use obscene, profane, lewd, vulgar, rude, inflammatory, threatening, or disrespectful language. Users will not post information that, if acted upon, could cause damage or a danger of disruption. Users will not engage in personal attacks, including prejudicial or discriminatory attacks.
Users will not harass another person. Harassment is persistently acting in a manner that distresses or annoys another person. If a user is told by a person to stop sending them messages, he/she must stop. Users will not knowingly or recklessly post false or defamatory information about a person or organization.
Respect for Privacy – Users will not repost a message that was sent to them privately without permission of the person who sent them the message. Users will not post private information about another person.
Respecting Resource Limits – Users will use the system only for educational and professional or career development activities, and limited, high-quality, self-discovery activities. For students, the limit on self-discovery activities will be set by individual schools and be developmentally appropriate. Users will not download large files unless absolutely necessary. If necessary, users will download the file at a time when the system is not being heavily used and immediately remove the unneeded file from the system computer to their personal computer. Users will not post chain letters or engage in “spamming.” Spamming is sending an annoying or unnecessary message to a large number of people. Users will check their e-mail frequently, delete unwanted messages promptly, and stay within their e-mail quota. Users will subscribe only to high quality discussion group mail lists that are relevant to their education or professional/career development.
Plagiarism and Copyright Infringement – Users 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.
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Users will 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. If the user is unsure whether or not they can use a work, they should request permission from the copyright owner.
Inappropriate Access to Material – Users will not use Pocahontas County Schools equipment to access material that is profane or obscene, that advocates illegal acts, or that advocates violence or discrimination towards other people. For students, a special exception may be made for hate literature if the purpose of such access is to conduct research and access is approved by the teacher. Pocahontas County School employees may access the above material only in the context of legitimate research.
If a user inadvertently accesses such information, he/she should immediately disclose the inadvertent access in a manner specified by his/her school. This will protect users against an allegation that they have intentionally violated the Acceptable Use Policy.
Adopted: 6/15/01
Reference: State Board of Education Policy 2460
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