No. 815
ROSE TREE MEDIA
SCHOOL DISTRICT
SECTION:
OPERATIONS
TITLE:
ACCEPTABLE USE OF RTM
NETWORK RESOURCES
ADOPTED:
February 28, 2002
REVISED:
December 21, 2006
815. ACCEPTABLE USE OF RTM NETWORK RESOURCES
1. Purpose
The Board of School Directors supports the use of the Internet and other computer
networks in the district's instructional program in order to facilitate learning and
teaching through interpersonal communications, access to information, research and
collaboration.
This policy applies to students, staff, and others using district technology.
The use of network facilities and the Internet shall be consistent with the curriculum
adopted by the school district as well as the varied instructional needs, learning
styles, abilities, and developmental levels of students.
2. Authority
The electronic information available to students and staff from various sources does
not imply endorsement of the content by the school district, nor does the district
guarantee the accuracy of information received on the Internet. The district shall not
be responsible for any information that may be lost, damaged or unavailable when
using the network or for any information that is retrieved via the Internet.
The school district shall not be responsible for any unauthorized charges or fees
resulting from access to the Internet.
The district reserves the right to monitor and log network use and to monitor
fileserver space utilization by district users, while respecting the privacy rights of
both district users and outside users; however, all data stored or transmitted on the
RTM network can and may be reviewed, if necessary.
The RTM Board establishes that use of the Internet and the network facilities is a
privilege, not a right; inappropriate, unauthorized and illegal use will result in the
cancellation of those privileges. Appropriate disciplinary action may be taken in
accordance with established discipline policies and procedures.
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3. Delegation of
Responsibility
The district shall make every effort to ensure that this educational resource is used
responsibly by students and staff. The district reserves the right to utilize electronic
devices and other media to determine that users are in compliance with this policy.
Administrators, teachers and staff have a professional responsibility to work together
to help students develop the information literacy skills necessary to discriminate
among information sources, to identify information appropriate to their age and
developmental levels, and to evaluate and use the information to meet their
educational goals. Administrators, teachers, librarians and other staff will collaborate
to ensure that students develop the information literacy skills necessary to identify
when they need information, and to locate, evaluate and effectively use the
information to answer questions, solve problems and make decisions.
Students and staff have the responsibility to learn the rules and guidelines for the use
of computers, computer facilities, computer networks, and computer resources and
to abide by them.
The building and/or department administrator or the district Superintendent, with the
Technology Department, shall have the authority to determine what constitutes
inappropriate use.
This policy will be disseminated to all students and staff via the web site, the student
handbook, and the staff handbook.
Students will receive Internet safety instruction; including all rules and guidelines
for the use of computers, computer facilities, computer networks, and computer
resources.
Employees will be responsible for safeguarding passwords and held accountable for
the unauthorized or negligent disclosure of this information.
4. Definitions
47 U.S.C.
Sec. 254
CIPA - Key terms are as defined in the Children’s Internet Protection Act.
Technology - Electronic devices of communication of any kind, including, but not
limited to: desktop computers, laptops, PDA’s, cell phones, MP3 players, e-mail,
instant messaging, and blogs.
RTM Network - Any wired or wireless access to resources provided by and through
RTM.
Personally Identifiable Information - May include, but is not limited to, Social
Security Number, address, phone number and/or password.
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CIPA Filters - The term technology protection measure means a specific
technology that blocks or filters Internet access to visual depictions that are:
1. Obscene, as that term is defined in section 1460 of Title 18, United States Code.
2. Child pornography, as that term is defined in section 2256 of Title 18, United
States Code.
3. Harmful to minors.
Harmful to Minors and Inappropriate Material - Both mean any text, audio file,
picture, image, graphic image file, or other visual depiction that:
1.
Taken as a whole and with respect to minors, appeals to a prurient interest in
nudity, sex, or excretion.
2.
Taken as a whole, lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value as
to minors.
Hacking - Refers to the act of gaining unauthorized entry or attempting to gain
unauthorized entry into a computer system for the purpose of:
5. Guidelines
1.
Determining the data structure and security restrictions of the computer system.
2.
Making unauthorized changes in the data structure and security restrictions of
the computer system.
3.
Making unauthorized use of services provided by the computer system to share
information regarding all of the above with other unauthorized users.
Network accounts will be used only by the authorized owner of the account for its
authorized purpose. All communications and information accessible via the network
should be assumed to be personal property of the account owner and shall not be
disclosed to network users. Network users shall respect the rights of other users on
the system. Nothing in this paragraph shall affect the district’s right to access the
data.
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Prohibitions
Students and staff are expected to act in a responsible, ethical and legal manner in
accordance with district policy, accepted rules of network etiquette, and federal and
state law. Specifically, the following uses are prohibited and constitute inappropriate
use:
1.
Use of the network to facilitate illegal activity.
2.
Use of the network for commercial or for-profit purposes.
3.
Use of the network for nonwork or nonschool-related work.
4.
Use of the network for product advertisement or political lobbying.
5.
Use of the network for hate mail, discriminatory remarks, and offensive or
inflammatory communication.
6.
Unauthorized or illegal installation, distribution, reproduction, or use of
copyrighted materials.
7.
Use of the network to access obscene or pornographic material.
8.
Use of inappropriate language or profanity on the network.
9.
Use of the network to transmit material likely to be offensive or objectionable to
recipients.
10. Use of the network to intentionally obtain or modify files, passwords, and data
belonging to other users.
11. Impersonation of another user, or anonymity, or use of pseudonyms.
12. Use of network facilities for fraudulent copying, communications, or
modification of materials in violation of copyright laws.
13. Loading or use of unauthorized games, programs, files, or other electronic
media.
14. Use of the network to disrupt the work of other users.
15. Destruction, modification, or abuse of network hardware, software, and data by
physical or electronic means (viruses, worms, etc.).
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16. Quoting personal communications in a public forum without the original
author's prior consent.
17. Circumventing or disabling the filter or any security measure.
18. Disclosing, using or disseminating any personally identifiable information of
themselves or other staff or students.
19. Engaging in the practice of “hacking” in order to bypass computer and network
security for any purpose whatsoever.
Security
System security is protected through the use of passwords. Failure to adequately
protect or update passwords could result in unauthorized access to personal or
district files. To protect the integrity of the system, the following guidelines shall be
followed:
1. Employees and students shall not reveal their passwords to another individual.
2. Users are not to use a computer that has been logged in under another student's
or teacher's name.
3. Any user identified as a security risk or having a history of problems with other
computer systems may be denied access to the network.
Safety
To the greatest extent possible, users of the network will be protected from
harassment or unwanted or unsolicited communication. Any network user who
receives threatening or unwelcome communications shall immediately bring them to
the attention of a teacher or administrator.
Network users shall not reveal personal addresses or telephone numbers to other
users on the network.
47 U.S.C.
Sec. 254
The district will take appropriate measures through the use of hardware and/or
software tools in an effort to prevent any user from being exposed to graphic, text,
and any other form of obscene, child pornography, or other material that is harmful
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to minors. This includes using one or more Internet content filtering agents that will
remove and/or block inappropriate Internet content related to, but not limited to, any
of the following topics:
1. “Adults only” sites.
2. Alcohol.
3. Drugs.
4. Sexual content.
5. Nudity.
6. Violence.
7. Weapons.
8. Tobacco.
9. Gambling.
10. Games (noneducational).
11. Hate or discrimination.
12. Illegal activities.
13. Computer “hacking”.
14. Pornography.
15. Unethical use of information.
16. Sites that require personal identifiable information from students.
These Internet content filtering agents may not be deactivated or circumvented by
any RTM computer user for any purpose. Notwithstanding filter implementation, the
user retains full responsibility for his/her actions.
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Consequences For Inappropriate Use
The network user shall be responsible for damages to the equipment, systems, and
software resulting from deliberate or willful acts.
Illegal use of the network, intentional deletion or damage to files of data belonging
to others, copyright violations or theft of services will be reported to the appropriate
legal authorities for possible prosecution.
General rules for behavior and communications apply when using the Internet, in
addition to the stipulations of this policy. Loss of access and other disciplinary
actions shall be consequences for inappropriate use.
Vandalism will result in cancellation of access privileges. Vandalism is defined as
any malicious attempt to harm or destroy data of another user, Internet or other
networks. This includes, but is not limited to, the uploading or creation of computer
viruses.
Copyright
17 U.S.C.
Sec. 101 et seq
Pol. 814
The illegal use of copyrighted software by students and staff is prohibited. Any data
uploaded to or downloaded from the network shall be subject to fair use guidelines.
Disclaimer
The school district makes no warranties of any kind, whether express or implied, for
the service it is providing. The school district is not responsible, and will not be
responsible, for any damages, including loss of data resulting from delays, nondeliveries, missed deliveries, or service interruption. Use of any information
obtained through the use of the school district's computers is at the user's risk. The
school district disclaims responsibility for the accuracy or quality of information
obtained through the Internet or e-mail.
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References:
Child Internet Protection Act – 24 P.S. Sec. 4601 et seq
U.S. Copyright Law – 17 U.S.C. Sec. 101 et seq
Enhancing Education Through Technology Act of 2001 – 20 U.S.C. Sec. 6777
Internet Safety – 47 U.S.C. Sec. 254
State Board of Education Regulations – 22 PA Code Sec. 403.1
Board Policy – 814
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