FAYETTEVILLE CITY SCHOOLS
ACCEPTABLE USE AND INTERNET SAFETY POLICY
The Fayetteville City Schools’ electronic network is available to students and employees, and the goal is to promote educational excellence in schools by facilitating resource sharing, innovations, and communications. As the technological environment is large and varied, the use of technology by students and employees must be legal and ethical; and it should be consistent with the educational vision, mission, and goals of the Board of Education.
The use of the Fayetteville City Schools’ network is a privilege, not a right, and each user is expected to abide by the generally accepted rules of network etiquette and the provisions in this document. Violations of these provisions, or applicable laws and regulations, may result in the loss of computer services, disciplinary action to include termination of employment and/or appropriate legal action, and/or assessment of the cost of damages to hardware/software.
The following uses of school-provided Internet access are not permitted:
a. Accessing, uploading, downloading, or distributing pornographic, obscene, or sexually explicit material;
b. Transmitting obscene, abusive, sexually explicit, or threatening language;
c. Violating any local, state, or federal statute;
d. Accessing another individual's materials, information, or files without the permission of that person;
e. Violating copyright or otherwise using the intellectual property of another individual or organization without permission;
f. Using passwords other than one's own without written permission from that person;
g. Vandalizing, defined as any unauthorized access and/or malicious attempt to damage computer hardware/software or networks or destroying the data of another user, including creating, uploading, or intentionally introducing viruses;
h. Using the network for commercial purposes;
i. Harassing, insulting, or attacking others;
j. Giving out personal information on-line such as full name, home address, phone number, etc.;
k. Gaining unauthorized access ("hacking") to resources or entities;
l. Invading the privacy of individuals;
m. Altering the set up of computers as set by the system administrator;
n. Using software which has not been assigned or approved by staff;
o. Failing to follow a district policy while using computers or failing to follow any other policies or guidelines established by district administration, teachers, or other appropriate district staff; and
p. Seeking to gain or gaining unauthorized access to information resources or other computing devises.
q. Accessing chat rooms, and sites selling term papers, book reports and other forms of student coursework.
The school district maintains the right to limit the content of material that students read due to legitimate pedagogical concerns.
Because the Internet contains an unregulated collection of resources, the district cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information or the appropriateness of any material that a student/employee may encounter. Therefore, before using the district's on-line resources, each student/employee (and the parents/guardians of the student) shall sign and return an Acceptable Use Agreement. Students/Employees and parents/guardians shall agree to not hold the district responsible for materials acquired on the system, for violations of copyright restrictions, users' mistakes or negligence or any costs incurred by users.
There have been cases of the Internet being used as a tool in credit card fraud, electronic forgeries, and other forms of illegal behavior. Students and employees should be aware that these activities exist, and should exercise extreme caution to prevent themselves from becoming a victim of such scams.
Although the staff will supervise student use of the Internet while at school, we encourage parents to have a discussion with their children about values and how those beliefs should guide student activities while using the Internet.
INTERNET SAFETY
General Warning; Individual Responsibility of Parents and Users. All users and their parents/guardians are advised that access to the electronic network may include the potential for access to materials inappropriate for school-aged pupils. Every user must take responsibility for his or her use of the computer network and Internet and stay away from these sites. Parents of minors are the best guide to materials to shun. If a student finds that other users are visiting offensive or harmful sites, he or she should report such use to the person designated by the School.
Personal Safety. Be safe. In using the computer network and Internet, do not reveal personal information such as your home address or telephone number. Do not use your real last name or any other information which might allow a person to locate you without first obtaining the permission of a supervising teacher. Do not arrange a face-to-face meeting with someone you “meet” on the computer network or Internet without your parent’s permission (if you are under 18). Regardless of your age, you should never agree to meet a person you have only communicated with on the Internet in a secluded place or in a private setting.
“Hacking” and Other Illegal Activities. It is a violation of this Policy to use the School’s computer network or the Internet to gain unauthorized access to other computers or computer systems, or to attempt to gain such unauthorized access. Any use which violates state or federal law relating to copyright, trade secrets, the distribution of obscene or pornographic materials, or which violates any other applicable law or municipal ordinance, is strictly prohibited.
INTERNET FILTERING
The Fayetteville City Schools, either by itself or in combination with the Internet Provider, will utilize filtering software or other technologies to prevent students from accessing visual depictions that are (1) obscene, (2) child pornography, or (3) harmful to minors. The School will also monitor the online activities of students, through direct observation and/or technological means, to ensure that students are not accessing such depictions or any other material which is inappropriate for minors.
Internet filtering software or other technology-based protection systems may be disabled by a supervising teacher or school administrator, as necessary, for purposes of bona fide research or other educational projects being conducted by students age 17 and older.
The term “harmful to minors” is defined by the Communications Act of 1934 (47 USC Section 254 [h][7]), as meaning any picture, image, graphic image file, or other visual depiction that:
- taken as a whole and with respect to minors, appeals to a prurient interest in nudity, sex, or excretion;
- depicts, describes, or represents, in a patently offensive way with respect to what is suitable for minors,
- an actual or simulated sexual act or sexual contact,
- an actual or simulated normal or perverted sexual acts, or a lewd exhibition of the genitals;
- taken as a whole, lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value as to minors.
ELECTRONIC MAIL
(email)
The Fayetteville City Schools provides access to electronic
mail for all employees only. Such access
is for his/her use in any educational and instructional business that they may
conduct. Limited personal use of
electronic mail is permitted as long as it does not violate Fayetteville City
Schools’ policy and/or adversely affect others.
Electronic mail shall not be used to promote political, religious,
and/or personal gains. The Board cannot
guarantee the privacy, security, or confidentiality of any information sent or
received via electronic mail. Network administrators can review e-mail, file
folders, and communications to maintain system integrity and insure that users
are using the system responsibly.
NETWORK ETIQUETTE
("Netiquette")
Users of E-mail and other network services should be aware of the common expectations or network etiquette that users expect from one another.
· E-mail messages are not guaranteed to be private.
· When sending e-mail, make your "subject" as descriptive as possible.
· Do not post the personal address or phone numbers of students or colleagues.
· Check your e-mail frequently and delete it after reading it.
· Proofread and edit messages before they are sent, but be tolerant of errors in messages from others.
· Be careful when using sarcasm and humor: without face-to-face communications, a joke may not be taken the way it was intended.
· Do not publicly criticize or inflame others.
· Protect the privacy of other people.
·
Messages written in all capitals are difficult
to read and are the network equivalent of shouting.
WEB PAGES
The Internet is a worldwide system of networks, which makes a vast quantity of information and resources available to anyone who has a computer, a modem, and an Internet access account. Examples of documents which Fayetteville City Schools’ students and employees might publish on the Internet include job vacancies, school assignment information, bus routes, student project information and other information of public interest. All web pages created by students and student organizations on the district's computer system will be subject to treatment as a district-sponsored publication. Accordingly, the district reserves the right to exercise editorial control over such publications.
Content published via the Fayetteville City Schools network must comply with the following regulations:
· All publications must comply with all policies and regulations of the district and all state, federal and international laws concerning copyright, intellectual property and use of computers.
· All Fayetteville City Schools publications should reside on the district's communication network. Any exceptions must be approved by the Technology Coordinator.
· All content must be appropriate, decent, in good taste, and not intended to harass or demean individuals or groups.
· Correct grammar and spelling should be used.
· Publications must include a statement of copyright, when appropriate, and indicate that permission has been secured to include copyrighted materials.
· Factual information must be documentable.
· Only a student's first name will be used when publishing student work and/or pictures. Pictures that are a part of student publishing will not include any identifying information. Under no circumstances, will a student's home address or phone number be included.
·
Links to other sites should be scrupulously
researched to make sure that the linked site is free from objectionable
material. The following disclaimer
should be posted on the school's web page; " The
links in this area will let you leave the school and school district site. The linked sites are not under the control of
the school/district, and the school/district is not responsible for the
contents of any linked site or any link contained in a linked site, or any
changes or updates to such sites. The
school/district is providing these
links to you only as a convenience, and the inclusion of any link does not
imply endorsement of the site by the school/district".
· Publications must identify affiliation with Fayetteville City Schools.
· All publications must provide a link to the Fayetteville City Schools home page.
· The date of creation and the date last updated are required on all publications.
· All publications must include the e-mail address of the person maintaining the page.
· All publications must include the statement, "Fayetteville City Schools does not discriminate in its programs or employment on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, marital status, disability, sex or age, except as provided by the law or policy."
· Commercial use (advertisements, business logos, etc.) is prohibited. (A listing of school adopters is permitted)
· Documents should be high quality and structured for clarity and readability.
· All publications must be reviewed and approved as described below.
· Written permission must be on file for all students/employees pictures to be placed on the page.
·
Permission must be granted, and on file, for all
original work (poems, stories, artwork, etc) done by students/employees that is
posted on the page.
INTERNET PUBLISHING
Design and Development:
Project pages and other documents for publication may be designed and developed as desired by individual students, teachers, or groups as appropriate. The content of the school's/department's home page is left to the discretion of the school/department except for the required elements listed above.
Approval and
Implementation:
The school principal/department supervisor is responsible for implementation of the homepage and the documents maintained on the server. The principal/supervisor is also responsible for maintaining a backup of the information so that a prompt recovery can be made in the event of corruption or loss.
Maintenance:
School principals/department supervisors are responsible for ensuring that all publications implemented by their respective areas are updated as necessary to maintain accurate and current content. This includes the regular review, testing, and modification of all links and the withdrawal of any documents which become inaccurate or irrelevant.
THE WEBMASTER
The Webmaster will provide assistance as requested in the design and development of electronic documents. In addition, the Webmaster will monitor all Fayetteville City Schools publications. Internet documents published by students and employees will normally reside on the system's server or a school or project server maintained by an individual school. As school principals/department supervisors are responsible for ensuring the integrity and recoverability of their respective servers, the Webmaster's role in implementation is limited to advising and assisting as requested.
COPYRIGHT
RESTRICTIONS:
All copyright laws and regulations, in all formats, including electronic-based works or processes will be enforced.
Material that may be copyrighted: "Any tangible medium of expression now
known or later developed, which can be perceived, reproduced, or otherwise
communicated either directly or with the aid of a machine, i.e. books, videos,
pictures, etc." (Public Law 94-553 [
Public or private educational institutions must comply with copyright laws. A 1980 amendment to the 1976 Copyright Act gives computer programs the same basic protection as other original works of authorship. All material, including graphics, available on the Internet is copyright protected unless otherwise stated. It is illegal to make or distribute copies of copyrighted material without proper authorization.
Fayetteville City Schools licenses the use of copies of computer software from a variety of outside companies. Fayetteville City Schools does not own the copyrighted software or it's related documentation and, except for a single copy for backup purposes or unless expressly authorized by the copyright owner(s), does not typically have the right to reproduce it for use on more than one computer, unless district licenses have been obtained.
Fayetteville City Schools students/employees are not permitted to install their personal copies of any software on the system's computers unless specifically authorized by the licensee. Fayetteville City Schools students/employees are not permitted to copy software from the system's computers and install it on home or any other computers unless specifically authorized by the licensee.
Fayetteville City Schools employees learning of any misuse of software or related documentation within the school system shall notify the Computer Services Department. Unauthorized reproduction of software is a federal offense. Offenders can be subject to civil damages up to $100,000 per title copied and criminal penalties including fines up to $250,000 per work copied and imprisonment up to five years per title copied.
Any Fayetteville City Schools’ employee who knowingly makes, acquires, or uses unauthorized copies of computer software licensed to Fayetteville City Schools or who places or uses unauthorized software on the system's premises or equipment shall be subject to disciplinary action, as appropriate.
Fayetteville City Schools does not condone and specifically forbids the unauthorized duplication of software.
SECURITY
Security on any computer system is a high priority, especially when the system involves many users. If you feel you can identify a security problem on the Fayetteville City Schools network, please contact Computer Services. Do not demonstrate the problem to other users. Do not use another individual's account without written permission from that individual. Attempts to login to any system, program, or network as an administrator may result in cancellation of user privileges.
Occasionally, individuals are issued passwords in order to access programs as part of the tasks they perform. It is each individual's responsibility to protect the integrity of those passwords, and password sharing is strictly prohibited.
Any individual identified as a security risk or having a history of problems with other computer systems may be denied access.
CONSEQUENCES OF
VIOLATIONS
Consequences of violations include but are not limited to:
· Suspension of information network access
· Revocation of information network access
· Suspension of network privileges
· Revocation of network privileges
· Suspension of computer access
· Revocation of computer access
· School suspension
· School expulsion
· Legal action and prosecution by the authorities