The Clinton Public Schools district is pleased to make available to students access to interconnected computer systems within the district and to the Internet, the worldwide network that provides various means of accessing significant educational materials and opportunities.
The goal in providing Internet access to students and school employees is to promote educational excellence by facilitating resource sharing, innovation, and communication. The use of an individual account must be in support of education and research and consistent with the educational objectives of Clinton Public Schools.
Privileges
1. The Clinton Public Schools District provides employees, board members, and students access to the Internet and to the district's electronic infor¬mation system for educational purposes such as classroom activities, professional or career development, and limited high-quality personal research.
2. The purpose of the district system 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.
3. Additionally, the system will be used to increase district intracommunication, enhance instruction in the classroom, and assist employees in upgrading their skills through exchange of information with their peers.
4. Employees may not use the district system for commercial purposes, defined as offering or providing goods and services or purchasing goods and services for personal use.
5. The superintendent or designee will deem what is inappropriate use and their decision is final. The super¬intendent, his/her designee, or the system administrator may close an account at any time, as required.
6. Student use of the system will be governed by this policy, related district regulations, and the student disci¬plinary code. Employee use will be governed by this policy, related district regulations, district employment policies, and the collective bargaining agreement. All use will be in compliance with the acceptable use provisions of the Internet service provider.
District Responsibilities
1. Coordination and oversight of the district's information system will be the responsibility of the superintendent and the technology director.
2. A computer technician will be provided by the district on an on-call basis to handle maintenance and minor repairs; however, work on any part of the system that is required due to the district's user policies not being followed will be the responsibility of the person who caused the problem.
3. The district's information system manager will establish a process for setting up individual accounts and user groups, set quotas for disk usage on the system, establish a retention schedule, establish a district virus protection process, and other activities deemed necessary.
4. The site principals and building technology mentors will serve as building-level coordinators for the district system and, as such, will approve site-level activities, ensure teachers receive proper training in the use of the system and the requirements of this policy, establish a system to ensure adequate supervision of students using the system, maintain executed user agreements, and be responsible for interpreting this district use policy at the site level.
5. District staff are authorized to develop regulations and agreements for the use of the Internet that are in accord with this policy statement and other district policies, including the student disciplinary code. These regulations can include, but are not limited to:
A. Internet use policies for students, staff, and board members and guests;
B. The level of access that will be provided at various grade levels;
C. A district web policy;
D. Agreements for students, employees, and guests, and informational material for parents.
Technical Services
1. E-mail will allow employees to communicate with people throughout the world for educational purposes. Users will be provided an e-mail account through the school.
2. The World Wide Web provides access to a wide range of information in the form of text, graphics, photo¬graphs, video, and sound from around the world. The Web is a valuable research tool for students and employees.
3. Blocking software will be provided by the district to block access to certain sites. However, it is not possible to block all inappropriate or controversial sites at all times, so staff members will be responsible for monitoring their own use and that of students under their supervision.
Parental Notification and Responsibility
1. The district will notify the parents about the district network and the policies governing its use. Parents must sign an agreement to allow their student to have an individual account. (See EFBCA-E.)
2. 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.
3. The policy contains restrictions on accessing inappropriate material and student use will be supervised. How¬ever, there is a wide range of material available on the Internet, some of which may not be fitting with the par¬ticular values of the families of the students. It is not practicably possible for the district to monitor and enforce a wide range of social values in student use of the Internet. Further, the district recognizes that parents bear primary responsibility for transmitting their particular set of family values to their children. The district will encourage parents to specify to their child(ren) what material is and is not acceptable for their child(ren) to access through the district system.
4. The district will provide students and parents with guidelines for student safety while using the Internet.
Access
The following levels of access will be provided:
1. Classroom Accounts: Elementary-age students will be granted Internet 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. An agreement will be required only for an indi¬vidual account, which must be signed by the student and his or her parent. Parents may specifically request that their child(ren) not be provided access through the classroom account by notifying the district in writing.
2. Individual Accounts for Students: Secondary students may be provided with individual Internet accounts. A written agreement will be required for an individual account. This agreement must be signed by the student and his or her parent.
3. Individual Accounts for District Employees: District employees will be provided with individual account and will not have dial-up access to the system. No written agreement will be required. Employee use is governed by this policy.
Unacceptable Uses
The following uses of the system are considered unacceptable:
1. Personal Safety (Restrictions are for students only)
A. Users will not post personal contact information about themselves or other people. Personal contact information includes real last name, home address or telephone, school address, work address, etc.
B. Users will not agree to meet with someone they have met online without their parents' approval and participation.
C. Users will promptly disclose to their teacher(s) or other school employee any message they receive that is inappropriate or makes them feel uncomfortable.
2. Illegal Activities
A. Users will not attempt to gain unauthorized access to the district system or to any other computer system through the district system, or go beyond their authorized access. This includes attempting to log in through another person's account or access another person's files. These actions are illegal, even if only for the purposes of browsing.
B. 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.
C. Users will not use the district system to engage in any other illegal act, such as arranging for the purchase of any item including drugs or alcohol, engaging in criminal gang activity, threatening the safety of other persons, etc.
3. System Security
A. Users are responsible for the use of their individual accounts and should take all reasonable precautions to prevent others from being able to use their account(s). Under no condition should a user provide his or her password to another person.
B. Users will immediately notify the system administrator 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.
C. Users will avoid the inadvertent spread of computer viruses by following the district virus protection procedures if they download software.
4. Inappropriate Language
A. Restrictions against inappropriate language apply to public messages, private messages, and material posted on web pages.
B. Users will not use obscene, profane, lewd, vulgar, rude, inflammatory, threatening, or disrespectful language.
C. Users will not post information that, if acted upon, could cause damage or a danger of disruption of the system,
D. Users will not engage in personal attacks, including prejudicial or discriminatory attacks.
E. 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 another person to stop sending messages to that person, the user must stop.
F. Users will not knowingly or recklessly post false or defamatory information about a person or organization.
5. Respect for Privacy
A. Users will not repost a message that was sent to them privately without permission of the person who sent them the message.
B. Users will not post private information about another person.
6. Respecting Resource Limits
A. Users will use the system only for educational and professional or career development activities, and for limited, high-quality, personal research.
B. 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 will immediately remove the file from the system computer to their personal computer or diskettes.
C. Users will not post chain letters or engage in spamming. Spamming is sending an annoying or unnecessary message to a large number of people.
D. Users will check their e-mail frequently, delete unwanted messages promptly, and stay within their e-mail quota.
E. Users will subscribe only to high quality discussion group mail lists that are relevant to their education or professional/career development.
7. Copyright, Plagiarism, Selection of Material
A. 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 a work can be used, permission should be requested from the copyright owner.
B. Users will not plagiarize works 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.
C. Teachers will instruct students to respect copyright laws, to avoid plagiarism, and to use appropriate research and citation practices.
D. When using the Internet for class activities, teachers will preview the selected material to ensure that it is appropriate for the students' age and is relevant to the course objectives.
8. Inappropriate Access to Material
A. Users will not use the district system to access material that is profane or obscene (pornography), that advocates illegal or dangerous acts, or that advocates violence or discrimination towards other people (hate literature). For students, a special exception may be made if the purpose is to conduct research and access is approved by both the teacher and the parent. District employees may access the above material only in the context of legitimate research.
B. If users inadvertently access such information, they should immediately disclose the inadvertent access in a manner specified by the school. This will protect the users against an allegation of intentionally violating the Internet acceptable use policies of the district.
District Limitation of Liability
The district makes no warranties of any kind, either express or implied, that the functions or the services provided by or through the district system will be error-free or without defect. The district will not be responsible for any damage users 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 or problems resulting from failure to follow this policy. Users will indemnify and hold the district harmless from any losses sustained as the result of intentional misuse of the system by the user.
Network Etiquette, Safety, Privacy
1. Be polite. Do not be insulting or abusive in messages to others.
2. Use appropriate language. Do not swear, use vulgarities or any other inappropriate language. Illegal activities are strictly forbidden.
3. Do not reveal personal address, phone number, or personal information about yourself, students, or colleagues.
4. Note that electronic communications are not guaranteed to be private.
5. System administrators have access to all electronic communication. Routine maintenance and monitoring of the system may lead to discovery that the user has violated or is violating this policy, which will be reported to the information system manager.
6. District employees should be aware that their personal files may be discoverable under state public records law and that when a user does something on a network they leave electronic footprints that cannot be erased.
7. Do not use the network in such a way that would disrupt the use of the network by other users. Do not attempt to gain unauthorized access to the district system or to any other computer system through the district system, or go beyond the authorized access.
8. All communications and information accessible via the network should be assumed to be property of the Clinton Public Schools district.
Academic Freedom, Free Speech, and Selection of Material
1. Board policies on academic freedom and free speech will govern the use of the Internet.
2. When using the Internet for class activities, teachers will:
A. Select material that is appropriate in light of the age of the students and that is relevant to the course objectives.
B. Preview the materials and sites they require students access to determine the appropriateness of the material contained on or accessed through the site.
C. Provide guidelines and lists of resources to assist their students in channeling their research activities effectively and properly.
D. 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.
Privacy
Network and Internet access is provided as a tool for your education. The school district reserves the right to monitor, inspect, copy, review and store at any time and without prior notice any and all usage of the computer network and Internet access and any and all information transmitted or received in connection with such usage. All such infor¬mation files shall be and remain the property of the school district and no user shall have any expectation of privacy regarding such materials.
1. System users have a limited privacy expectation in the contents of their personal files and records of their online activity while on the district system.
2. Routine maintenance and monitoring of the system may lead to discovery that the user has or is violating this policy, the student disciplinary code, or the law.
3. An individual account search will be conducted if there is reasonable suspicion that a user has violated the law or the student disciplinary code. The nature of the investigation will be reasonable and in the context of the nature of the alleged violation.
4. District employees should be aware that their personal files might be discoverable under provisions of the Oklahoma state public records laws.
Failure To Follow Policy
The user's use of the computer network and Internet is a privilege, not a right. A user who violates this policy, shall at a minimum, have his or her access to the computer network and Internet terminated, which the school district may refuse to reinstate for the remainder of the student's enrollment in the school district. A user violates this policy by his or her own action or by failing to report any violations by other users that come to the attention of the user. Further, a user violates this policy if he or she permits another to use his or her account or password to access the computer net¬work and Internet, including any user whose access has been denied or terminated. The school district may also take other disciplinary action in such circumstances.
Due Process
1. The district will cooperate fully with local, state, or federal officials in any investigation concerning or relating to any illegal activities conducted through the district system.
2. In the event there is an allegation that a student has violated this policy, the student will be provided with a notice and opportunity to be heard in the manner set forth in the student disciplinary code.
3. 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 student disciplinary code, the violation will be handled in accord with the applicable provision of the code.
4. Employee violations of this policy will be handled in accord with district policy and the collective bargaining agreement.
5. Any district administrator may terminate the account privileges of a guest user by providing notice to the user. Guest accounts not active for more than 90 days may be removed, along with the user's files, without notice to the user.
Updates
Users, and if appropriate, the user's parents/guardians, may be asked from time to time to provide new or additional registration and account information or to sign a new policy, for example, to reflect developments in the law or tech¬nology. Such information must be provided by the user (or his/her parents or guardian) or such new policy must be signed if the user wishes to continue to receive service. If after you have provided your account information, some or all of the information changes, you must notify the person designated by the school to receive such information.
REFERENCE: 21 O.S. §1040.75, §1040.76
Children's Internet Protection Act of 2000 (HR 4577, P.L. 106-554)
Communications Act of 1934, as amended (47 U.S.C. 254[h], [l])
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended (20 U.S.C. 6801 et seq., Part F)
Board Minutes dated March 6, 2000
Board Minutes dated October 1, 2001
CROSS-REFERENCE: Policy DOBC, Disciplinary Procedures, Certified Employees
Policy EFBC, Computer Use
Policy EFBCC, Web Pages
Policy EFEA, Using Copyrighted Materials
