AR 6163.4
AR 6163.41
Instruction
Student Use of Technology
Student Use of Internet
Technology in general, and the Internet in particular, provide tremendous educational opportunities for schools and students, which allow students to go far beyond the traditional school library in their research. At the same time technology and the Internet provide risks of misuse, which do not exist with the traditional school library. The purpose of this administrative regulation is to provide guidance for District employees on how to protect students from such misuse.
In keeping with Board Policy 6163.4, the
director or designee shall oversee the maintenance of each school’s
technological resources and may establish guidelines and limits on their
use. The director or designee shall ensure
that all students using these resources receive training in their proper use as
well as copies of related District policies and regulations. The principal or designee shall also see to
it that all students who use the District’s Net Access to internet or intranet
technology and their parents or guardians have read and signed the District’s “Student
Internet/Network/Computer Acceptable Use Agreement and Release from Liability” (“Student Internet/Network/Computer
Acceptable Use Agreement”). Efforts will be made to assure that no
student uses the District intranet or Internet unless that student and the
student’s parents have signed off on the Student Internet/Network/Computer
Acceptable Use Agreement. At the beginning of each school year or when
a new student enters a class, parents/guardians or adult students shall receive
a copy of the district’s policy and administrative regulation regarding access
by students to the Internet and on-line sites.
(Education Code 48980)
For purposes of this regulation and the Student
Internet/Network/Computer Acceptable Use Agreement, the term ”Net” refers to any and all Internet or intranet access
provides through the use of District technology.
No student is authorized to use District technology for Internet or
intranet purposes unless the student, as well as the student’s parent or
guardian, signs a Student Internet/Network/Computer Acceptable Use
Agreement. (A copy of that agreement is attached as E
6163.4 and may be revised from time to time.) Students are authorized to use district
equipment to access the Internet or on-line services in accordance with user
obligations and responsibilities specified below and in accordance with
Governing Board policy and the district’s Acceptable Use Agreement.
Any school with more than twenty computer
stations, which have access to the Internet, shall require that any student
using the Internet have a login name and password. The
login name would not be the student’s actual name. When using the internet through District
access, the student shall use their own login name and password; they may not
login as another individual unless specifically given permission by the staff
member supervising them.
No access to the Internet shall be allowed from District property except
for access through the District’s Net Access.
No individual may use an Internet account or Internet access from
District property other than access provided through the District’s Net Access. The purpose of this requirement is to
guarantee that any access to the Internet obtained from District property is
appropriately filtered to eliminate as reasonably possible harmful and
pornographic material.
The District is obligated to protect the privacy of its students from
outsiders. Therefore, when student work
is published through use of the District Net Access or by District employees,
the following guidelines shall be followed:
1.
Students
shall be identified by first name or initials only. No personally identifiable information about
students shall be published.
2.
Pictures
of students shall not provide information identifying any students.
3.
Student
phone numbers, home addresses, and e-mail addresses shall not be published.
4.
The
only address, phone number, or e-mail address, which may be published, is that
of the school, care of the sponsoring teacher or the teacher’s e-mail address
at school.
5.
If
personally identifiable information is to be released concerning a particular
student, it will only be released after the parent signs a consent form to
allow the release.
Student failure to abide by the Student Internet/Network/Computer
Acceptable Use Agreement may result in
disciplinary action following disciplinary procedures established in the
District with the following qualifications:
1.
Student
misuse of the system is defined in the Student Internet/Network/Computer
Acceptable Use Agreement. The definitions therein are not
exclusive. If a student is clever enough
to invent a new way of misusing the system, and it is reasonable that the
student would know what he/she is doing is improper, the student may
nonetheless be disciplined.
2.
Student
use of the District’s net system is a privilege granted to students by the
District, not a legal right. Since it is
a privilege, the District may restrict any student’s use of its net system if
the student abuses that privilege.
3.
Suspension
or Expulsion. If the student violates the Student
Internet/Network/Computer Acceptable Use Agreement in a way that leads to the suspension or expulsion, discipline shall be
administered, appealed, and controlled by the Board Policy on discipline, BP
5144 et seq. In all other situations,
the following procedures apply.
4.
Teacher
Level. In situations where the student is suspected
to have misused the system, the instructor shall discuss the matter with the
student, informing the student of what the student is suspected to have done,
hear the student’s side of the story, and institute action deemed appropriate
by the teacher, short of grounding the student from the net for the remainder
of the school year. The student may be
grounded from using the system for any length of time which is less than the
remainder of the current school year and which is reasonable and pedagogically
suited to obtaining the student’s cooperation and adherence to the Student
Internet/Network/Computer Acceptable Use Agreement.
5.
School
Level. In situations where there have been repeated
infractions, or where the student has engaged in extreme misuse of the system,
which may or may not directly result in suspension or expulsion, the principal
or assistant principal may completely bar the student from further use of the
system for the remainder of the school year.
Student Use of Internet
1. Students
shall use the district's system responsibly and primarily for educational
purposes.
2. Students
shall not access, post, submit, publish, or display harmful or inappropriate
matter that is threatening, obscene, disruptive, or sexually explicit, or that could be construed as
harassment or disparagement of others based on their race/ethnicity, national
origin, sex, gender, sexual
orientation, age, disability, religion, or political beliefs.
Harmful
matter includes matter, taken as a whole, which to the average person, applying contemporary statewide standards, appeals to the
prurient interest and is matter which depicts or describes in a patently
offensive way sexual conduct and which lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific
value for minors. (Penal Code 313)
3. Students
shall not disclose, use, or disseminate personal identification information about
themselves or others when using electronic mail,
chat rooms, or other forms of direct electronic communication. Students are
also cautioned not to disclose such information by other means to individuals located through the Internet
without the permission of their parents/guardians.
Personal
information includes the student's name, address, telephone number, Social
Security number, or other individually identifiable
information.
4. Students
shall not use the system to encourage the use of drugs, alcohol, or tobacco,
nor shall they promote unethical practices or any activity prohibited by law or Board policy.
5. Copyrighted
material shall not be placed on the district’s computer system without the
author's permission. Students shall not violate copyright laws or plagiarize documents. Any materials utilized
for research projects should be given proper credit as with any other hard copy source of information.
6. Students
shall not intentionally upload, download, or create computer viruses and/or maliciously attempt to harm or
destroy district equipment or materials
or manipulate the data of any other user, including so-called
"hacking."
7. Students
shall not read other users' electronic mail or files. They shall not attempt to interfere with other users'
ability to send or receive electronic
mail, nor shall they attempt to delete, copy, modify, or forge other users' mail.
8. Students
shall report any security problem or misuse of the services to the teacher or
principal.
The district reserves the right to monitor
the system for improper use. Electronic communications and downloaded material,
including files deleted from a user's account, may be reviewed by district
officials to ensure proper use of the system.
The director or designee shall make all
decisions regarding whether or not a student has violated Board policy or the
district's Acceptable Use Agreement. The decision of the director or designee
shall be final. Inappropriate use may result in cancellation of the student's
user privileges, disciplinary action, and/or legal action in accordance with
law and Board policy.
Legal References:
Education Code
7054
Use of
district property
Adopted:
Revised: