4526.1

INTERNET SAFETY POLICY

The Board of Education is committed to undertaking efforts that serve to make safe for children the use of district computers for access to the Internet and World Wide Web. To this end, although unable to guarantee that any selected filtering and blocking technology will work perfectly, the Board directs the Superintendent of Schools to procure and implement the use of technology protection measures that block or filter Internet access by:

Subject to staff supervision, however, any such measures may be disabled or relaxed for adults conducting bona fide research or other lawful purposes, in accordance with criteria established by the Superintendent or his or her designate.

The Superintendent or his or her designee also shall develop and implement procedures that provide for the safety and security of students using electronic mail, chat rooms, and other forms of direct electronic communications; monitoring the online activities of students using district computers; and restricting student access to materials that are harmful to minors.

In addition, the Board prohibits the unauthorized disclosure, use and dissemination of personal information regarding students; unauthorized online access by students, including hacking and other unlawful activities; and access by students to inappropriate matter on the Internet and World Wide Web. The Superintendent or his or her designee shall establish and implement procedures that enforce these restrictions.

In accordance with the Code of Federal Regulations and the Children’s Internet Protection Act, the Superintendent or designated representatives will provide age-appropriate education for students who use the school district’s Internet facilities. The education provided will be designed to promote the school district’s commitment to:

4526.1

Following receipt of this education, the student will acknowledge that he/she received the education, understood it, and will follow the provisions of this Policy and the district’s Acceptable Use Policy.

The computer network coordinator designated under the district’s Computer Network or Acceptable Use Policy, shall monitor and examine all district computer network activities to ensure compliance with this policy and any accompanying regulation. He or she shall be responsible for ensuring that staff and students receive training on their requirements.

All users of the district’s computer network, including access to the Internet and World Wide Web, must understand that use is a privilege, not a right, and that any such use entails responsibility. They must comply with the requirements of this policy and accompanying regulation, in addition to generally accepted rules of network etiquette, and the district’s Acceptable Use Policy. Failure to comply may result in disciplinary action including, but not limited to, the revocation of computer access privileges.

Cross Ref: 4526, Computer Network for Education
Ref: Public Law No. 106-554
47 USC § 254
20 USC § 6777

47 CFE § 54.500 et seq.

Adoption Date: April 16, 2002 Revision Date: August 22, 2012

Sachem Central School District

Instruction, Information and Communication Technology

Acceptable Use Policy

To ensure that our students become proficient in the information and communication technologies essential for success in a 21st century learning environment, the Sachem School District provides a variety of resources in support of our instructional and administrative programs. Students and staff may also, at times, use their own personal information and communication technologies for educational purposes. Therefore, it is incumbent upon all members of the school community to use technology responsibly, ethically and respectful for the work of others.

Internet Use and Computer Access

Internet access is made available in the Sachem School District for the purposes of educational communication and research, and for administrative organizational purposes. Communications via the Sachem Central School District resources are often public in nature and general school rules for behavior and communications apply. It is expected that users will at all times comply with district standards and will act in responsible and legal manner, in accordance with district standards, as well as with state and federal laws. Professional development opportunities to enhance the internet skills of district personnel are provided and this policy related to Acceptable Use will be included on the Sachem homepage and linked to individual school webpages. A disclaimer referring to this Acceptable Use Policy is included and must be agreed to upon at each logon to the Sachem Central School District computer network.

General Principals:

  1. The Sachem Central School District provides access to internet for all students and also includes access to email for all employees and district trustees. The use of the Sachem Central School District network or computing resources must comply with the rules appropriate to that network.

  2. Access to the internet is provided for educational purposes, including but not limited to learning activities, professional and career development, communication between teachers, administrators and parents and the enabling of data and information distribution throughout the district.

  3. The use of the internet and network resources is a privilege, not a right, and inappropriate use will result in cancellation of those privileges. The Sachem Central School District administrators will deem what is inappropriate use and their decision is final. The school administrators may close an account at any time as required.

  4. As with other curricular offerings and tools, access to the internet is enabled for all

students to provide access to facets of the district’s digital curriculum, informational resources,

and online communication, such as virtual field trips and secure class blogs. Any parent or guardian wishing to opt their child out of classroom use of the Internet must send their request in writing to the Office of Instructional Technology.

5. The online public display of photographs, videos or other images of any identifiable individual, other than a historical or public figure, will not be made without a signed release. The attached release for all students must be signed by their parent or lawful guardian.

Responsibilities

A. Filtering

1. Internet filtering and Internet Safety lessons in the district’s curriculum are provided in accordance with the Children’s Internet Protection Act, and ongoing professional development is

provided for teachers and staff that emphasizes internet safety, resources, and appropriate use.

  1. All online activity is monitored and maintained within the district internet filtering solution.

  2. Any accessible site that violates this policy must be reported to the Administrative Assistant for Instructional Technology so they may be blocked.

  3. Students of the Sachem Central School District will read and adhere to this and all district policies, learn and apply appropriate internet safety practices, and report any violations of internet safety to a teacher.

  4. Parents of all Sachem Central School District students are strongly advised to read this policy in its entirety, work with your child(ren) to insure they understand internet safety and appropriate internet behavior, follow up with the district regarding any regulations you do not

understand and monitor and be aware of your child(ren)’s activities on the internet.

B. Network Security

  1. Security on any computer is a high priority, especially when the system involves many users. Any user who knowingly allows another to use the account assigned to them will immediately lose their access privileges and may be subject to further legal action.

  2. Attempts to fraudulently log in on any network systems as a system administrator or another user will result in immediate termination of user privileges and may be subject to further legal action.

  3. If users can identify a security problem on any of the network systems, they must notify a school administrator, School Communication Aide or the district Administrative Assist for Instructional Technology as soon as possible.

  4. Any security matters must not be demonstrated to other users.

  5. Any user identified as a security risk or having a history of problems with other computer systems may be denied access to Internet.

C. Illegal Activity

  1. Transmission of any material in violation of any United States federal, state or local statutes, law, regulations or policy is prohibited. This includes, but is not limited to, copyrighted material, threatening or obscene material, or materials protected by trade secret.

  2. Commercial activities by for-profit institutions are generally not acceptable. Use of product advertisement or political lobbying is prohibited.

  3. Any action which interferes with the intended use of the system or violates another person’s right to privacy is prohibited. Such actions include, but are not limited to, the following: reposting personal communications without an author’s consent, giving out names, addresses, phone numbers or passwords of others or trespassing in another person’s account.

  4. Attempting to gain unauthorized access to the system or network resources, downloading, storing or printing files or messages that are profane, obscene or contain inappropriate language, transmitting or causing to be transmitted, any communication that could be construed as harassment or disparagement of others, especially that which is discriminatory in nature, is also inappropriate.

  5. Using the network for financial or commercial gain, wasting resources by failing to monitor personal files, illegally installing copyrighted software on district computers, are also forbidden.

D. E-mail

  1. Electronic mail is not guaranteed to be private. System administrators reserve the right to access e-mail to investigate complaints, or address legal requirements as required by law.

  2. Messages which are found to be in violation of acceptable use or illegal will be reported to appropriate personnel.

E. Vandalism

  1. Any attempt to vandalize and hardware, software or online resources will result in cancellation of privileges.

  2. Vandalism includes, but is not limited to any form of electronic mischief, the uploading or creation of computer viruses, spyware, adware, other variants of malware, attempts to tamper with any programs, files, network configurations or application files, and is defined as any intentional attempt to harm or destroy data or equipment of another user, Internet or any of the agencies providing Internet access.

F. Privacy

1. Internet privacy, by definition concerns the provision, storing and use of personal information through and on the internet. This information is segmented into Personally Identifying Information, known as PII, and Non-Personally Identifying Information. PII information may include information such as age or physical address.

In a technological world, privacy threats for an individual’s personal information continue to

grow. From advertisements, various online accounts to increased social media, varying methods devised to intrude and report information permeate the internet.

2. While all users are vulnerable to these threats, young individuals are more susceptible to the fact that electronic information can and may be tracked. It is important that individuals realize that they play a role in protecting their own privacy, and must be informed about the risks involved while surfing the Internet and browsing.

To protect yourself and your personal information, the following are some important safety rules:

a.
Do not reveal the personal information about yourself or others
b.
Do not open files or communications from websites or people you do not trust
c.
Do not respond to any messages, correspondence or online activities that are of a threatening or harassing nature. Report any such items directly to a teacher, parent/guardian or building/district administration
d.
Do not share your logon information with anyone but a parent/guardian, and do not

use someone else’s logon information

G. Etiquette

All users are expected to adhere to the generally accepted rules of online etiquette. These expectations, related to in-district and out-of-district access to online curricular resources, include but are not limited to the following:

  1. Be polite

  2. Do not get abusive in your messages to others

  3. Use appropriate language

  4. Illegal activities are strictly forbidden

  5. All communications and information accessible via the network should be assumed to be private property.

CONSEQUENCES FOR INAPPROPRIATE USE:

  1. Upon review by district administration and the Administrative Assistant for Instructional Technology, access privileges may be terminated for any violation of this policy.

  2. Violations of this policy may be referred to the Superintendent of Schools for which consequences may include suspension, expulsion, or termination.

  3. Violations deemed to be misdemeanor or felony offenses will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

  4. All policies of the Sachem Central School District continue to be in effect in addition to any and all specific consequences stated within this document.

Services

Sachem School District makes no warranties of any kind, whether expressed or implied for the service it is providing. Sachem School District will not be responsible for any damages you suffer. This includes loss of data or service interruptions caused by its own negligence or your errors or omissions. Sachem School District specifically denies any responsibility for the accuracy or quality of information obtained through it services.