Cecil County Public Schools Regulations
Book:
Cecil County Public Schools Regulations
Section:
I - Instruction
Title:
ACCEPTABLE USE OF TECHNOLOGY IN SCHOOLS
Number:
IIBH-RA
Status:
Active
Legal:
Adopted:
07/14/2002
Last Revised:
07/13/2009
Last Reviewed:
03/08/2010
Policy Detail
Related Entries: IIBH,
EGAA, Cecil County Public Schools Copyright Guidelines
Office:
Associate Superintendent for Administrative Services
ACCEPTABLE USE OF TECHNOLOGY IN SCHOOLS
I.
Responsible Use of Technology
A.
Responsibilities of All Users
General Provisions
:
• Users are advised to read, understand, and comply with all rules, regulations, and requirements of the Acceptable Use of Technology in Schools Policy.
• Users will have no expectation of privacy or ownership when using Cecil County Public Schools (CCPS) technology.
• CCPS reserves the right to monitor, inspect, copy, and review at any time and without prior notice any and all usage of the computer network and Internet access of all users.
Electronic monitoring services are used to track how much time is spent on internet and/or network usage.
This includes any and all information transmitted or received in connection with such usage.
• Random electronic surveillance may be used to monitor usage at any time
• Using or importing offensive, threatening, obscene, libelous, disruptive, or inflammatory language, images, or other material on any computer or network within CCPS is prohibited.
Hardware Provisions:
•
CCPS employees and students are not permitted to bring non-CCPS-owned computers into any CCPS building. Doing so puts CCPS networks and computer systems at great risk for infection by computer viruses and other malicious content. Contractors, consultants and outside organization representatives will be given access to CCPS equipment for presentation or training purposes provided they notify the Technology Services Office in advance of their requirements.
•
Due to hardware and network maintenance and upgrades equipment assigned to schools is not permitted to be signed out for summer use.
•
All hardware and related components are the property of CCPS and are considered assets of the school system. Anyone causing damage to CCPS equipment may be subject to withdrawal of equipment as well as disciplinary action.
E-Mail Provisions
:
• E-mail communications sent or received on school system computers may be subject to public disclosure and may be subject to use in legal proceedings.
• Users with personal e-mail accounts and/or Internet accounts agree not to allow others to use that account.
• Users are required to maintain individual mailboxes and are expected to purge messages no longer needed on a regular basis.
• CCPS reserves the right to delete messages sent and received that are stored in the user’s mailbox for an unreasonable length of time.
• Notice will be given via e-mail or other means as appropriate and prior to the routine purging of stored messages. CCPS is not responsible for any loss of e-mail data as a result of purging.
• E-mail users are prohibited from initiating or propagating electronic chain letters.
• Inappropriate mass-mailings are prohibited. This includes multiple mailings to distribution groups or individuals within CCPS’ e-mail address book. This also includes mass-solicitation for personal activities.
Internet Provisions
:
• Users will not respond to any harassment or threat encountered and will report any incidents to the appropriate staff member.
• CCPS computer networks are subject to filtering software that blocks material that is obscene, pornographic, or deemed harmful to minors. Any attempt to bypass such filters is considered a violation of this policy. This includes attempts to connect to “proxy” servers through CCPS networks.
• Users with personal on-line accounts may not install their service provider’s software on CCPS equipment unless approved by the Director for Technology Services or designee.
• CCPS does not encourage or support internet accounts other than those set up for educational purposes by Cecil County Public Schools. If a non-supported account is accessed, the user must abide by these regulations.
• Real time messaging and data systems (such as Instant Messenger) may be used only for school-related, academic and administrative activities unless approved by the Director for Technology Services or designee.
• Users should not reveal social security numbers, home phone numbers, addresses, or other personal information about themselves or others.
• Resources on the Internet will be used in accordance with the regulations developed by CCPS and any institutions providing the service.
Network Provisions
:
• Staff, designated by CCPS, may review files and monitor network communications, to keep the network working properly and to ensure that users are conducting themselves in an ethical, responsible, and legal manner.
• User passwords do not guarantee confidentiality.
• Users will not knowingly spread viruses.
•
Users will not violate copyright laws including, but not limited to, the copying or transferring of images, music files, movies and/or any printed content on CCPS computers and/or network.
•
Us
ers will not download, install, or use unauthorized software including, but not limited to, peer-to-peer (P2P) sharing software, bit torrent clients, or proxy software for any reason.
• Users will not violate copyright laws or use and/or install unauthorized software.
• Users will use the network in such a way that network services are not disrupted.
• Users will not attempt to use or register unauthorized passwords.
• Users will not attempt to discover or compromise another user’s password.
• Users will not impersonate another user or attempt unauthorized entry into a network.
• Users will not attempt to destroy computer systems.
Data File Provisions
:
• All data files will be accessed only by authorized users who have legitimate needs to store or work with the specific data.
• Users will not attempt to destroy shared files, or files not belonging to them.
• Unauthorized attempts to circumvent data protection schemes or uncover security loopholes and/or attempts to decrypt secure data are prohibited. Attempts to gain unauthorized entry into system controlled data files will be reported to the appropriate legal agencies and are subject to current state and federal statutes.
Software Provisions
:
• All software installations must meet copyright requirements.
• Only software licensed to and provided by CCPS may be installed and used on any computer owned by Cecil County Public Schools, except as noted below.
• Software that is not licensed to CCPS or to the user will be subject to removal without notice.
• An audit of software installed on any computer may be conducted at any time.
B.
Responsibilities of School Staff While Working With Students
Staff members assigning or permitting Internet use to meet an informational need will review and evaluate on-line resources to assure they are appropriate and applicable to the curricular needs of the assignment and the developmental level of the student(s).
The staff member in charge of the activity must monitor student computer use.
Staff members will provide instruction to students (appropriate to the student’s ability/developmental level) on the following topics:
• Guiding students in the efficient use of appropriate on-line resources.
• Notifying students that the use of computers, the CCPS network, and the Internet
is a privilege, not a right.
• Providing information to raise student awareness of cyber safety issues.
• Providing information related to plagiarism and the use of on-line sources and/or information.
• Following established CCPS Copyright Policies and Guidelines.
• Ensuring that all use of technology is instructionally appropriate and supports CCPS outcomes.
II.
On-line Documents and Web Pages
Documents, home pages, and other resources published on the CCPS system represent not just the author but Cecil County Public Schools as well. Information should be coherent, well-written, logically linked to and from other related documents, and adhere to
policies of the Cecil County Public Schools.
Web Page Provisions
:
• CCPS web pages will be monitored to ensure compliance with these regulations and verify that the web site does not contain unauthorized use of copyrighted material.
• Personal viewpoints and opinions will not be presented on web pages so as to make them appear to represent the Cecil County Public Schools.
• Authors must have permission to publish copyrighted information on their pages or documents if they are not the original creator.
• Web page developers should assume that graphics and/or text are copyrighted unless otherwise specified.
• Inappropriate materials will not be included on CCPS web pages. This also includes links to inappropriate materials at other sites.
• Inappropriate materials include, but are not limited to, libel, plagiarism, illegal activities, copyright infringement, unauthorized images, offensive language, graphic arts or photographs, misinformation, harassing or obscene materials, or ones that contain or focus on violence, illicit behavior, racism, or any provocative, anti-social conduct.
• Information developed for CCPS web pages should be well written and grammatically correct.
• Images of students posted on web pages will not be used in conjunction with the student’s name. The CCPS Photo Exclusion Procedure requires that parents submit a letter to the school principal if they do not wish to have their child’s image used in both printed and electronic school publications.
• Home pages must clearly display the e-mail address of the page developer and the latest revision date of the page.
• For-profit commercial activity is considered inappropriate on CCPS web pages.
III.
Consequences of Unacceptable Use
Misuse of CCPS technology or a violation of this policy or regulations may result in the user’s access privilege being denied, revoked, modified, or suspended. Misuse may also subject the user to further disciplinary action. Any violation of federal, state, or local laws will be reported to the appropriate agencies.
IV.
Liability
Cecil County Public Schools makes no express or implied warranties for the Internet access it provides. CCPS cannot completely eliminate access to information that is offensive or illegal and residing on networks outside of the school system.
The accuracy and quality of information obtained cannot be guaranteed. Cecil County Public Schools will not guarantee the availability of access to the Internet and will not be responsible for any information that may be lost, damaged, or unavailable due to technical or other difficulties. Information sent or received cannot be assured to be private.
