2009-2010 Acceptable Use Policy
by Aaron Schnakenberg
For PDF version Click Here
(Rev.0910-01a)
I.) Users
A. Student Users
No student will be given “privileged” access to the district's
technology resources until the district receives a User
Agreement signed by the student and the student's parent(s),
guardian(s), or person(s) standing in the place of a parent.
Students who do not have a User Agreement on file with the
district may be granted permission to use district technology by
the superintendent or designee.
B. Employee Users
No employee will be given “privileged” access to the district's
technology resources before the district has a signed User
Agreement on file. Authorized employees may use the district's
technology resources for reasonable, incidental personal purposes
as long as the use does not violate any provision of district
policy, regulation or procedure, hinder the use of the district's
technology for the benefit of its students or waste district
resources. Any use that jeopardizes the safety, security or
usefulness of the district's technology is considered unreasonable.
Any use that interferes with the effective and professional
performance of the employee's job is considered unreasonable.
Because computers are shared resources, it is not appropriate for
an employee to access, view, display, store, print, or disseminate
information via district resources, including e-mail or Internet
access, that students or other users could not access, view,
display, store, print or disseminate, without authorization by the
district.
C. Board Member Users
Members of the school Board may be granted user privileges,
including a mail address, upon completion of a User Agreement.
Board members will set an example of responsible use and will
abide by district policies, regulations and procedures. Board
members will comply with the Missouri Sunshine Law.
D. External Users
Consultants, counsel, independent contractors, and other persons
having professional business with this school district may also be
granted user privileges at the discretion of the Superintendent or
Technology Coordinator, subject to completion of a User
Agreement and for the sole, limited purpose of conducting
business with the school. External users must abide by all laws,
district policies, regulations and procedures.
II.) Privacy
A user does not have a legal expectation of privacy in the user's
electronic communications or other activities involving the
district's technology resources. All district technology resources
are considered district property. The district may maintain or
improve technology resources at any time. The district may remove,
change or exchange hardware or other technology between buildings,
classrooms, employees, students or any other user at any time,
without prior notice. Authorized district personnel may load or
delete new programs or information, install new equipment, upgrade
any system or enter any system to correct problems at any time. The
district may examine all information stored on district technology
resources at any time. The district may monitor employee and
student technology usage. Electronic communications, all data
stored on the district's technology resources, and downloaded
material, including files deleted from a user's account, may be
intercepted, accessed or searched by district administrators or
designees at any time.
III.) Violations of Technology Usage Policies and
Procedures
Use of the district's technology resources is a privilege, not a
right. A user's privileges may be suspended pending an
investigation concerning use of the district's technology
resources. Any violation of district policy, regulations or
procedures regarding technology usage may result in temporary,
long-term or permanent suspension of user privileges. The
administration may use disciplinary measures to enforce district
policy, regulations and procedures. Employees may be disciplined or
terminated for violating the district's policies, regulations and
procedures. Any attempted violation of district policy, regulations
or procedures, regardless of the success or failure of the attempt,
may result in the same discipline or suspension of privileges as
that of an actual violation.
IV.) Damages
All damages incurred by the district due to the misuse of the
district’s technology resources, including the loss of property and
staff time, may be charged to the user. District
administrators have the authority to sign any criminal complaint
regarding damage to district technology.
V.) General Rules and Responsibilities
The following rules and responsibilities will be followed by all
users of the district technology resources. Violation of these
rules my result in the termination or suspension of the user’s
account pending investigative measures.
A. Applying for a user ID
under false pretenses is prohibited.
B. Using another person's user
ID and/or password for any reason is prohibited.
C. Sharing one's user ID
and/or password with any other person is prohibited.
D. Deleting, examining,
copying or modifying files and/or data belonging to other users
without their prior consent is prohibited.
E. Mass consumption of
technology resources that inhibits use by others is prohibited.
F. Unless authorized by
the district, non-educational Internet usage is prohibited.
G. Use of district technology
for soliciting, advertising, fundraising, commercial purposes or
for financial gain is prohibited, unless authorized by the
district.
H. Accessing fee services
without permission from an administrator is prohibited. A user who
accesses such services without permission is solely responsible for
all charges incurred.
I. Users are
required to obey all laws, including criminal, copyright, privacy,
defamation and obscenity laws. The school district will render all
reasonable assistance to local, state or federal officials for the
investigation and prosecution of persons using district technology
in violation of any law.
J. Accessing, viewing or
disseminating information using district resources, including
e-mail or Internet access, that is pornographic, obscene, child
pornography, harmful to minors, obscene to minors, libelous,
pervasively indecent or vulgar, or advertising any product or
service not permitted to minors is prohibited.
K. Accessing, viewing or
disseminating information on any product or service not permitted
to minors is prohibited unless under the direction and supervision
of district staff for curriculum-related purposes.
L. Accessing, viewing or
disseminating information using district resources, including
e-mail or Internet access, that constitutes insulting or fighting
words, the very expression of which injures or harasses other
people (e.g. threats of violence, defamation of character or of a
person's race, religion or ethnic origin); presents a clear and
present likelihood that, because of their content or their manner
of distribution, will cause a material and substantial disruption
of the proper and orderly operation and discipline of the school or
school activities; or will cause the commission of unlawful acts or
the violation of lawful school regulations is prohibited.
M. Any use that has the purpose or
effect of discriminating or harassing any person or persons on the
basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry,
disability, age, pregnancy, or use of leave protected by the Family
and Medical Leave Act or the violation of any person's rights under
applicable laws is prohibited.
N. Any unauthorized,
deliberate, or negligent action that damages or disrupts
technology, alters its normal performance or causes it to
malfunction is prohibited, regardless of the location or the
duration of the disruption.
O. Users may only install and
use properly licensed software, audio or video media purchased by
the district or approved for use by the district. All users will
adhere to the limitations of the district's technology licenses.
Copying for home use is prohibited unless permitted by the
district's license and approved by the district.
P. At no time will
district technology or software be removed from the district
premises, unless authorized by the district.
Q. All users will use the
district's property as it was intended. Technology or technology
hardware will not be lifted, moved or relocated without permission
from an administrator. All users will be held accountable for any
damage they cause to district technology resources.
R. All damages incurred due to
the misuse of the district's technology may be charged to the user.
The district will hold all users accountable for the damage
incurred and will seek both criminal and civil remedies, as
necessary.
VI.) Technology Security and Unauthorized Access
All users shall immediately report any security problems or
misuse of the district's technology resources to a Teacher,
Administrator, or the Technology Coordinator. No person will be
given access to district technology if he/she is considered a
security risk by the Superintendent, Technology Coordinator, or
designee.
A. Use of district
technology resources in attempting to gain or gaining unauthorized
access to any technology system or the files of another is
prohibited.
B. Use of district technology
to connect to other systems, in evasion of the physical limitations
of the remote system, is prohibited.
C. The unauthorized copying of
system files is prohibited.
D. Intentional or negligent
attempts, whether successful or unsuccessful, to interfere with the
ability of others to utilize any district technology are
prohibited.
E. Any attempts to
secure a higher level of privilege on the technology resources
without authorization are prohibited.
F. The introduction of
disruptive/destructive programs into a school computer, the
network, or any external networks is prohibited. Including, but not
limited to; computer "viruses," "hacking" tools, scripts, &
logic bombs.
G. Accessing Proxy servers for
any reason without permission from the Technology Coordinator is
prohibited.
H. Any attempt to connect to
other systems, in evasion of the district security systems, is
prohibited.
I. Any attempt to
connect to district resources using equipment not approved by the
technology coordinator is prohibited.
VII.) Online Safety - Disclosure, Use, and Dissemination of Personal Information
A. All students will be
instructed on the dangers of sharing personal information about
themselves or others over the Internet.
B. Student users are
prohibited from sharing personal information about themselves or
others over the Internet, unless authorized by the district.
C. Student users shall not
agree to meet with someone they have met online without parental
approval.
D. A student user shall
promptly disclose to his or her teacher or another school employee
any message the user receives that is inappropriate or makes the
user feel uncomfortable, in any way.
E. Users shall receive
or transmit communications using only district-approved and
district managed communication systems. For example, users may not
use web-based e-mail, messaging, videoconferencing or chat
services, except in special cases where arrangements have been made
in advance and approved by the district.
F. All district
employees will abide by state and federal law, Board policies, and
district rules when communicating information about personally
identifiable students.
G. Employees shall not
transmit confidential student information using district
technology, unless designated for that use. Employees will take
precautions to prevent negligent disclosure of student information
or student records.
H. No curricular or
non-curricular publication distributed using district technology
will include the address, phone number or email address of any
student without permission.
I. The Putnam CO
R-1 School District reserves the right to limit access to any
materials designated by the Technology Coordinator.
VIII.) Electronic Mail
A user is responsible for all e-mail originating from the user's ID or password.
A. Forgery or attempted
forgery of e-mail messages is prohibited.
B. Unauthorized attempts to
read, delete, copy or modify e-mail of other users are
prohibited.
C. All users must adhere to
the same standards for communicating online that are expected in
the classroom, and consistent with district policies, regulations
and procedures.
IX.) Exceptions
Exceptions to district rules may be made for district employees or agents conducting an investigation of a use that potentially violates the law, district policies, regulations or procedures. Exceptions may also be made for technology administrators who need access to district technology resources to maintain the district's resources or examine and delete data stored on district computers as allowed by the district's retention policy.
X.) Waiver
Any user who believes he or she has a legitimate reason for using the district's technology in a manner that may violate any of the district's adopted policies, regulations and procedures may request a waiver from the Technology Coordinator and the building principal, superintendent, or designees. In making the decision to grant a waiver to a student, the administrator shall consider the purpose, age, maturity, and level of supervision involved.
XI.) No Warranty/No Endorsement
The district makes no warranties of any kind, whether expressed or implied, for the services, products and/or access it provides. The district's technology resources are available on an "as is, as available" basis. The district is not responsible for loss of data, delays, non-deliveries, miss-deliveries or service interruptions. The district does not guarantee the accuracy, quality, or appropriateness of information obtained from the Internet or use of its technology resources. Access does not include endorsement of content or the accuracy of the information obtained.
XII.) Exception of Terms and Conditions
All terms and conditions as stated in this document are applicable to the Putnam Co. R-1 School District. These terms and conditions reflect the entire agreement of the parties and supersede all prior oral or written agreements and understandings of the parties. These terms and conditions shall be governed and interpreted in accordance with the laws of the State of Missouri, and the United States of America.
