Policy and Procedure Manual
Created By:
Sandy Heisler
Policy and Procedure Manual
July 2015
2
Table of Contents
Contents
1. Acceptable Use Policy
Page
3
2. Copyright Policy
6
3. Plagiarism
7
4. Selection & Deselection of Library Materials
8
5. Interlibrary Loan
9
6. Preservation and Repair of Books
9
7. Challenged Materials, Controversial Materials, Reconsideration and/or
Complaints
10
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July 2015
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Acceptable Use Policy
Computer network resources, provided by the Murphy Public School District facilitate
communication with electronic communities. These computer network resources include
Internet, e-mail, mainframe, and all other Internet service providers, when used in an educational
setting.
The use of these electronic resources shall be consistent with the purpose, mission, and goals of
the Murphy Public School District and used for educational and professional purposes. The
rationale in providing these services is to facilitate access to information and resources, facilitate
educational excellence, and enhance communication between schools and the community.
The Murphy Public School District filters web sites thought to be inappropriate for students.
However, no filtering system is perfect. The District cannot and does not guarantee that
inappropriate or objectionable material can be completely filtered. Parent(s) and guardian(s)
must consider this in deciding whether to permit their children access to the District's computer
network resources.
This Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) is provided so that staff, students, and members of the
community using the Murphy Public School District's computer network resources are aware of
their responsibilities. The use of these network resources is a privilege, not a right.
Access to District Network Resources
Staff, students, and members of the community may be permitted access to the District's
computer network resources. This access, including account and password, must not be shared,
assigned, or transferred to another individual.
The District will periodically require new registration and account information from school and
staff members. Adult users must notify the system administrators of any changes in account
information (address, phone, name, etc.) within fifteen (15) business days.
Access to the District's computer network resources may be suspended or terminated if terms and
conditions of this AUP are violated. Prior to a termination of access to the District's computer
network resources, the user will be informed of the suspected violation and given an opportunity
to present an explanation. The user may request a hearing with an appointed hearing officer
within seven (7) days of notification if the user feels that such action is unjust. After the review,
access may be terminated if the hearing officer denies the appeal.
Each student must have a signed Parent/Guardian Permission Agreement before access is granted
to the District's computer network resources. A signed agreement must be renewed on an annual
basis. The parent(s) or legal guardian(s) can withdraw their approval at any time, upon written
request.
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System Security
Computer users may not run applications or files that create a security risk to the District's
computer network resources. If users identify a security problem, they must report it to
appropriate administrators immediately.
Any user reasonably deemed to be a security risk, or discovered to have a proven history of
problems with other computer networks, may be denied access to the District's computer
network resources.
Users should immediately notify the system administrators if they believe that someone has
obtained unauthorized access to their private account.
Respecting Resource Limits
Staff, students, and community members will not post chain letters or engage in spamming.
Spamming is sending messages to a large number of people, or sending a large number of
messages to a single person, with the intent of annoying users or to interrupt the system.
The system administrators reserve the right to set a limit on disk storage for network users.
Unless previously approved, users are responsible for any phone charges including, but not
limited to, long distance charges, per minute (unit) surcharges and/or equipment or line costs,
incurred by user while accessing computer network resources.
Illegal Activities
The District will cooperate fully with local, state, or federal officials in any investigation related
to illegal activities.
It is prohibited to sell or purchase goods and services without prior approval of the appropriate
administrator.
Attempting to gain unauthorized access to the District's network resources or go beyond
authorized access is prohibited. This includes attempting to log in through another person's
account or accessing another person's files.
Vandalism will result in cancellation of privileges to the District's computer network resources.
Vandalism is defined as any malicious attempt to harm or destroy data or equipment on any
computer network.
It is prohibited to use the District's computer network resources with the intent of denying others
access to the system.
Advertising will be permitted on the District's computer network resources with the prior
approval of the appropriate administrator.
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Software
Only public domain files, and files that the author has given written consent for online
distribution, may be uploaded to the District's software libraries.
Software having the purpose of damaging the District's network resources or other systems is
prohibited.
Users may be required to use a District approved Internet browser or other software to access the
computer network resources.
Language
Polite and appropriate language is required at all times. Abusive messages are prohibited.
Harassment is prohibited. Harassment is conduct which is sufficiently severe, persistent, or
pervasive that it adversely affects, or has the purpose of interfering with a user's educational
program, or creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive environment. Behavior that continues
after an individual is informed of its offensiveness may constitute evidence of an intent to harass.
If told by a person to stop sending messages, the sender must
Liability
The Murphy Public School District does not warrant the functions or services performed by the
District's computer network resources. Resources are provided on an "as is, as available" basis.
Opinions, advice, services and all other information supplied by third parties is for informational
purposes only. It is not guaranteed to be correct. Users are urged to seek professional advice for
specific individual situations.
Any software available from the District's network resources is not guaranteed as to suitability,
legality, or performance by the Murphy Public School District.
Staff, students, and community members agree to hold harmless the Murphy Public School
District for any liability arising out of any violation of this AUP.
Electronic Mail and Real-Time Conferencing
It is not the intention of the system administrators to inspect or disclose the contents of electronic
mail or computer files sent by one user to another, without consent from either party, unless
required to do so by the Murphy Public School District, local, state, or federal officials.
However, electronic mail is not private. As with written communication, users should recognize
there is no expectation of privacy for electronic mail.
Users are expected to remove e-mail messages in a timely manner.
All users must promptly report inappropriate messages received to a teacher, supervisor, or the
system administrators.
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Students should not reveal personal information such as addresses, phone numbers, passwords,
or financial information to others. Private information may not be posted about another person.
A cancelled account will not retain electronic mail.
The system administrators reserve the right to terminate access to the District's computer
network resources if this AUP is violated while using real-time chat features, including video
conferencing.
Incidental Personal Use of Technology Resources
Technology resources may be used by district personnel for personal purposes provided that the
use does not interfere with the Murphy Public School District’s ability to carry out District
business, does not interfere with the employee's duties, does not subject the Murphy Public
School District to increased costs or risks, and does not violate the terms of the Acceptable Use
Policy.
The use of computer network technology resources shall be consistent with all Murphy Public
School District policies and regulations including.
Prior to receiving access to the District's network resources, students, parents, and educators
must submit a completed Network Access Form to the appropriate administrator at their home
school.
Copyright Policy
All employees of Murphy Public School District shall follow copyright laws and publisher
license agreements.
Employees who use school district equipment are responsible for taking all reasonable
precautions to prevent copying or the use of unauthorized copies on school district equipment.
The principal is responsible for enforcing the district policy and terms of licensing agreements at
the school site level.
Teachers and library media specialists have responsibility for educating pupils about the legal,
ethical, and practical problems caused by illegal use of materials.
Illegal copies of copyrighted materials shall not be made or used on school district equipment or
used in any instructional program.
Legal or insurance protection of the district shall not be extended to employees who violate
copyright laws.
Plagiarism
Under Murphy Public School District, all academic misconduct, plagiarism, and forgery are all
considered major infractions and will be dealt with by Building Administration. If a student is
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caught engaging in any of these acts, they will be removed from class and sent to the building’s
Main Office. Following the Murphy Public School District guidelines, Administration will
decide what the appropriate response will be.
Examples of plagiarism include but are not limited to:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Turning in work that is not your own
Using cheat sheets when not permitted
Copying on tests or exams
Claiming someone else’s work as your own (plagiarism)
Doing work for others
Copying homework answers from another student
Obtaining test or exam materials in advance
If plagiarism is suspected, students may be asked to defend or verify their work as their own in
one of the following ways:
1. present notes, drafts, or works cited;
2. produce an on-demand work sample;
3. present an oral defense of work in question.
Penalties for Plagiarism:
If plagiarism is determined, one or more of the following penalties will result:
1. Student may receive a failing grade on the assignment/paper/test.
2. Student may be asked to resubmit the assignment/paper/test for partial credit at the
discretion of the teacher.
3. Parent(s)/guardian(s) will be contacted and informed of the occurrence of plagiarism and
the resulting penalty.
4. A Discipline Referral will be filed indicating the occurrence of plagiarism and the
resulting penalty. Multiple referrals for plagiarism may result in a meeting between
parent(s)/guardian(s) and teacher, counselor, and/or administrator.
5. A second occurrence of plagiarism within a course may result in a failing grade for the
quarter and/or semester.
6. Plagiarism may be noted in a college recommendation.
7. If the student is a member of the National Honor Society, the advisor(s) of NHS will be
notified.
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Selection & Deselection of Library Materials
Selection
Material selection shall be a continuing process in which curricular requests from administrators,
teachers and students are taken into consideration. The library media specialist, as a trained
professional, will evaluate the existing collection and the curriculum needs of the school and will
be responsible for the final selection of materials.
Deselection
Material selection is an ongoing process which includes the removal of materials that no longer
meet the selection criteria and the replacement of lost and worn materials still of educational
value. Thus, books and other materials will be retained or withdrawn with the same care with
which they are added. Materials no longer factually accurate or useful, works in little demand,
and books in poor condition that do not warrant reordering will make space for new titles.
The process of de-selection is an integral part of assessing the collection and therefore should be
conducted only by a certified library media specialist. It helps keep collections relevant, accurate,
and useful; and it facilitates more effective use of space in the library media center.
Library media materials may be de-selected if they:
 Are in poor physical condition;
 Have not been circulated in the last five years;
 Are outdated in content, use, or accuracy (Copyright date should be considered.
Some older material may be considered classic or may be of great historical value to
the collection.)
 Are mediocre or poor in quality;
 Are inappropriate in reading level;
 Duplicate information that is no longer in heavy demand;
 Are superseded by new or revised information;
 Are outdated and unattractive format, design, graphics, and illustrations;
 Contain information that is inaccessible due to lack of table of contents, adequate
indexing, and searching capabilities
 Were not selected in accordance with approved selection criteria
Although the final decision to withdraw materials from the library media collection is one which
is made by the library media specialist, school faculty, the building principal and the Director of
Curriculum may be invited to review the items marked for withdrawal. Withdrawn materials will
be transferred to another school if needed, donated where appropriate or discarded when
necessary.
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Interlibrary Loan
Murphy Public School District students, teachers, and faculty in good standing may place an
interlibrary loan request after consultation with a library media specialist. This consultation will
determine whether or not interlibrary loan service (ILL) is the best method to assist that user with
their need for information or materials.
The library media specialist will place interlibrary loan requests for books, audio books
(CD/cassette), DVDs, VHS tapes, music CDs, microform, and photocopies. Libraries will not
borrow software, downloadable content and electronic resources. Libraries will not borrow
materials from outside the United States.
Users are limited to ten (10) interlibrary loan requests/loans in process at any one given
time. “In process” is defined as requests pending, items awaiting check-out by the customer and
items currently checked out. As ILL items are returned by the user, additional interlibrary loan
requests may be placed.
The check-out duration for interlibrary loan materials is at the discretion of the lending library
and when that item is due back to them. For this reason, ILL materials may have shorter checkout periods than traditional library materials or may be checked out for longer periods of time. It
will vary and is dependent upon the lending library. Failure to return interlibrary loan materials
on time and to follow interlibrary guidelines can result in the loss of interlibrary loan borrowing
privileges for the user. For this reason, materials borrowed through interlibrary loan require
special attention on the part of both the user and the library staff. Customer abuse of interlibrary
loan due dates, accepted conditions on loans or damage to ILL materials will result in fine.
Preservation and Repair of Books
The Murphy Public School District makes efforts to preserve and repair library materials within
district. Control of the physical environment is an import aspect of collects maintenance.
Optimum temperature and humidity levels must be monitored for library material preservation.
Light levels must be managed to avoid fading of print and bindings as well as weakening of cloth
and paper fibers.
All personnel who regularly handle library materials should be prepared to identify damage and
to route damaged items to repair. Repairs to damaged items should be carried out by library
media specialists only.
a.
The library media specialist will flag a book in need of repair. Libraries will be
provided with a kit of basic tools and supplies needed for repairs. Libraries that
perform in-house repairs are asked to report monthly statistics (a simple count of
the number of volumes treated).
b. Any book that is wet or shows active mold growth or insect infestation should be
treated as urgent.
c. Items in need of repair beyond the scope on in-house repairs will be sent to a third
party repair center.
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Proper shelf preparation helps users locate library materials and speeds the procedures used by
circulation and shelving personnel. Spine labels, property stamps, check-out slips, and security
targets all identify and track library materials and ensure efficient circulation between patrons,
personnel, and shelving.
Challenged Materials, Controversial Materials, Reconsideration and/or Complaints
Any person having a complaint about textbooks, media center or other instructional materials
shall meet with the principal. If the matter cannot be resolved, the principal shall notify the
superintendent and ask the complainant to use a Request for Review form which is available
through building principals or at the district office. After receiving the completed form, the
superintendent shall meet with the complainant to discuss the complaint.
If the complaint is not resolved at the meeting with the superintendent, the complainant may
request that the board consider the complaint. If the board chooses to consider the complaint, it
shall forward all appropriate written materials to a review committee.
Review Committee
When a review committee is established by the board to handle complaints concerning
textbooks, media center or instructional materials, the review committee shall be composed of:
the building principal, the library media specialist, two subject area specialists and two
community members.
The committee's charge shall be:
1. to review the material and prepare a written report containing conclusions and
recommendations within 30 days;
2. to direct a written report to the board; and
3. to send the complainant a copy of the report.
The Review Committee shall examine and evaluate the material as a whole; consider the
district's policy, procedure and philosophy for selection of textbook, instructional materials and
media center materials; and weigh strengths and weaknesses and form opinions based upon the
selection criteria.
If the complainant is dissatisfied with the committee's recommendation, an appeal of the decision
may be made to the board for a hearing and final decision. If an appeal is requested by the
complainant, the superintendent shall request that the board schedule an appeal and shall prepare
in advance of the appeal all appropriate documentation for the board's study.