Personal Responsibility

Access to electronic research requires students and employees to maintain consistently high levels of personal responsibility.  The existing rules found in the District's Behavioral Expectations policy (Board Policy/Regulation 2610) as well as employee handbooks clearly apply to students and employees conducting electronic research or communication.

One fundamental need for acceptable student and employee use of District electronic resources is respect for, and protection of, password/account code security, as well as restricted databases files, and information banks.  Personal passwords/account codes may be created to protect students and employees utilizing electronic resources to conduct research or complete work.

These passwords/account codes shall not be shared with others; nor shall students or employees use another party's password except in the authorized maintenance and monitoring of the network.  The maintenance of strict control of passwords/account codes protects employees and students from wrongful accusation of misuse of electronic resources or violation of District policy, state or federal law.  Students or employees who misuse electronic resources or who violate laws will be disciplined at a level appropriate to the seriousness of the misuse.

Acceptable Use

The use of the District technology and electronic resources is a privilege, which may be revoked at any time. Staff and students are only allowed to conduct electronic network-based activities which are classroom or workplace related. Behaviors which shall result in revocation of access shall include, but will not be limited to: damage to or theft of system hardware or software; alteration of system hardware or software; placement of unlawful information, computer viruses or harmful programs on, or through the computer system; entry into restricted information on systems or network files in violation of password/account code restrictions; violation of other users' rights to privacy; unauthorized disclosure, use or dissemination of personal information regarding minors; using another person's name/password/account to send or receive messages on the network; sending or receiving personal messages on the network; and use of the network for personal gain, commercial purposes, or to engage in political activity.

Students and employees may not claim personal copyright privileges over files, data or materials developed in the scope of their employment, nor may students or employees use copyrighted materials without the permission of the copyright holder.  The Internet allows access to a wide variety of media.  Even though it is possible to download most of these materials, students and staff shall not create or maintain archival copies of these materials unless the source indicates that the materials are in the public domain.

Access to electronic mail (E-mail) is a privilege and designed to assist students and employees in the acquisition of knowledge and in efficiently communicating with others.  The District E-mail system is designed solely for educational and work related purposes.  E-mail files are subject to review by District and school personnel.  Chain letters, "chat rooms" or Multiple User Dimensions (MUDs) are not allowed, with the exception of those bulletin boards or "chat" groups that are created by teachers for specific instructional purposes or employees for specific work related communication and that are approved and supported by the District’s Technology Department.

Example unacceptable uses of E-mail:

1. Allowing an unauthorized user to access district email.
2. Generating harassing email to anyone.
3. Sending information that violates copyright laws, such as copied images, documents, or music files.
4. Generating pornographic or other offensive emails.

Any Web 2.0 tool that facilitates communication and information sharing on the World Wide Web may not be used unless approved by the District’s Technology Department. I.E. social-networking sites, video-sharing sites, wikis, and blogs.

Students or employees who engage in "hacking" are subject to loss of privileges and District discipline, as well as the enforcement of any District policy, state and/or federal laws that may have been violated.  Hacking may be described as the unauthorized review, duplication, dissemination, removal, damage, or alteration of files, passwords, computer systems, or programs, or other property of the District, a business, or any other governmental agency obtained through unauthorized means.

To the maximum extent permitted by law, students and employees are not permitted to obtain, download, view or otherwise gain access to "inappropriate matter" which includes materials that  may be deemed inappropriate to minors, unlawful, abusive, obscene, pornographic, descriptive of destructive devices, or otherwise objectionable under current District policy or legal definitions. Similarly, the use of any District computer to access sites which allow the user to conceal their objective of accessing inappropriate material is not permitted.

Concerning personal purposes - Authorized employees may use the school’s technology resources for reasonable, incidental personal purposes as long as the use does not violate any provision of school policies, regulations or procedures, hinder the use of the school’s technology for the benefit of its students, or waste school resources. Any use that jeopardizes the safety, security or usefulness of the school’s technology or 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 school resources, including email or Internet access, that is not appropriate for students or other authorized users.

The District and school administration reserve the right to remove files, limit or deny access, and refer staff or students violating the Board policy to appropriate authorities or for other disciplinary action.

Privileges

The use of District technology and electronic resources is a privilege, not a right, and inappropriate use will result in the cancellation of those privileges.  All staff members and students who receive a password/account code will participate in an orientation or training course regarding proper behavior and use of the network.  The password/account code may be suspended or closed upon the finding of user misuse of the technology system or its resources.

Network Etiquette and Privacy

Students and employees are expected to abide by the generally accepted rules of electronic network etiquette.  These include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. System users are expected to be polite.They may not send abusive, insulting, harassing, or threatening messages to others.
2. System users are expected to use appropriate language; language that uses vulgarities or obscenities, libels others, or uses other inappropriate references is prohibited.
3. System users may not reveal their personal addresses, their telephone numbers or the addresses or telephone numbers of students, employees, or other individuals during E-mail transmissions.
4. System users may not use the District's electronic network in such a manner that would damage, disrupt, or prohibit the use of the network by other users.
5. System users should assume that all communications and information is public when transmitted via the network and may be viewed by other users.The system administrators may access and read E-mail on a random basis.
6. Use of the District's electronic network for unlawful purposes will not be tolerated and is prohibited.

Services

While the District is providing access to electronic resources, it makes no warranties, whether expressed or implied, for these services.  The District may not be held responsible for any damages including loss of data as a result of delays, non-delivery or service interruptions caused by the information system or the user's errors or omissions.  The use or distribution of any information that is obtained through the information system is at the user's own risk.  The District specifically denies any responsibility for the accuracy of information obtained through Internet services.

Laptop Acceptable Use

1. Laptops are for district and educational use only, however, as a student, faculty, or staff member you have the district’s permission to take the laptop assigned to you with you outside of the district’s grounds.
2. Laptops must be at school every day that school is in session. Laptops must also be left at school during the summer for maintenance and updates, unless other arrangements are made between you and the Technology Director.
3. If the laptop assigned to you has not been connected to the district’s network for over 5 days, then the laptop must be checked in with the Technology Department before use. Antivirus and Windows updates must be applied by the Technology Department before use.
4. Laptops are only permitted to have programs installed on them that are approved by the district’s Technology Department. Do not install any programs unless approved by the Technology Department.
5. All policies concerning technology apply to the laptops, whether the laptop is within the district’s grounds or not. The laptop is the district’s property.
6. The laptop assigned to the student, faculty, or staff member is to be used by that student, faculty, or staff member only.
7. No food or drink is to be placed near the laptop.
8. Laptops are to be handled with care and responsibility at all times.

Web Publishing Guidelines

The West St. Francois County R-IV School District website’s primary purpose is to communicate effectively with its students, parents, faculty, staff, and community. Faculty and staff are encouraged to create and maintain their own part of the district website that will include information about instruction, curriculum, activities, and other information about the district, its schools, and departments. The following guidelines should be met:

1. All official school and district web sites and pages are hosted and/or linked from the West County R-IV server/website.
2. Each person with a web publishing account is responsible for maintaining the security of his or her password. This password should be complex, and never shared with anyone else.
3. Prohibited Content:
   1. The following personal information is not allowed: non-district email addresses, non-district phone numbers. Exceptions may be approved by the Technology Department.
   2. Chat rooms, message boards, or other similar content. Exceptions may be approved by the Technology Department.
   3. Any Web 2.0 tool that facilitates communication and information sharing on the World Wide Web may not be linked to or used unless approved by the District’s Technology Department. I.E. social-networking sites, video-sharing sites, wikis, and blogs.
   4. Links pointing to objectionable material.
   5. Links to other web pages that do not hold educational value.
   6. Faculty and staff may not use the district’s website to promote outside businesses or personal affiliations.
   7. No non-district advertisements may be embedded into the district’s web sites and pages.
4. All copyright laws must be followed when posting content.
5. Links that do not reside on the district server must include an external link disclaimer such as “Disclaimer: This page contains links to outside sources. The West County R-IV School District is not responsible for any content housed/published on those sites.”
6. Publishers should not use generic clipart as much as possible, instead, stock photos or other high quality images should be used.
7. Publishers should avoid using white texts or links, as white is difficult to print.
8. Web pages should maintain a simple, consistent layout.
9. Web page backgrounds should be kept simple, and use high contrast to allow for easy viewing of content.
10. Web pages should be free of spelling and grammatical errors.
11. Web pages containing time-sensitive information, such as calendars and school events, must be updated periodically and kept up-to-date with accurate information.
12. No student personal contact information of any kind may be published, such as student email addresses, phone numbers, and home addresses.
13. The Technology Department reserves the right to audit and/or adjust any materials published on web sites and pages that are hosted and/or linked from the West County R-IV server/website.
14. If you are posting images of students, make sure parents have given consent (same consent used for student photos in the newspaper). If posting names, you should only post the first name and not the last name or first name and last name’s first initial.
15. It must be understood that personal information is defined as any data that violates a child’s (or faculty/staff member’s) right to privacy or that may endanger their safety. Personal information is considered to be such information as address, phone number, neighborhood, personal email addresses, information regarding relatives or parents, etc.
16. All content shall conform to School Board Policies, established Procedures and Regulations, copyright laws, and shall not violate state, federal or local laws.

Security

The Board recognizes that security on the District's electronic network is an extremely high priority.  Security poses challenges for collective and individual users.  Any intrusion into secure areas by those not permitted such privileges creates a risk for all users of the information system.

The account codes/passwords provided to each user are intended for the exclusive use of that person.  Any problems, which arise from the user sharing his/her account code/password, are the responsibility of the account holder.  Any misuse may result in the suspension or revocation of account privileges.  The use of an account by someone other than the registered holder will be grounds for loss of access privileges to the information system.

Users are required to report immediately any abnormality in the system as soon as they observe it.  Abnormalities should be reported to the classroom teacher or system administrator.

The District shall use filtering, blocking or other technology to protect students and staff from accessing internet sites that contain visual depictions that are obscene, child pornography or harmful to minors.  Due to the dynamic nature of the internet, sometimes internet websites and web material that do not fall into these categories are blocked by the filter. In the event that a District student or employee feels that a website or web content has been improperly blocked, the student or employee may submit a request, whether anonymous or otherwise, to the District’s Technology Department. The request will be granted or denied. Appeal of the decision to grant or deny access may be submitted to the District’s Superintendent. The request to the District’s Superintendent will be granted or denied. Appeal of the Superintendent’s decision to grant or deny access may be made to the Board of Education and a determination will be made after a review process. The District shall comply with the applicable provisions of the Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA), and the Neighborhood Internet Protection Act (NCIPA).

In compliance with the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA), each year, the District shall provide instruction to all students regarding security and safety issues, including the dangers of sharing personal information about themselves or others when using e-mail, social media, chat rooms, or other forms of direct electronic communication. Instruction will also address cyberbullying awareness and response and appropriate online behavior, including interacting with other individuals on social networking websites and in chat rooms.

Vandalism of the Electronic Network or Technology System

Vandalism is defined as any malicious attempt to alter, harm, or destroy equipment or data of another user, the District information service, or the other networks that are connected to the Internet.  This includes, but is not limited to the uploading or the creation of computer viruses, the alteration of data, or the theft of restricted information.  Any vandalism of the District electronic network or technology system will result in the immediate loss of computer service, disciplinary action and, if appropriate, referral to law enforcement officials.

B.Y.O.D. (Bring Your Own Device)

The West St. Francois County R-IV School District recognizes the value that technology devices add to the educational experience of all students. Therefore, the use of personally owned technology devices is permitted for students and staff when designated appropriate by the Building Administrator and Technology Department. In addition to what is outlined in this section, the Technology Policies and Discipline Policies apply to personally owned technology devices.

For the purposes of this section:

Users: shall be defined as any currently enrolled student of the school district and all current employees of the school district as well as any other person(s) deemed acceptable.

Personally owned technology devices: shall be defined as any technology device that is privately owned by a user.

School property: shall be defined as any place which is owned, rented, or under the control of the West St. Francois County R-IV School District.

1. Personally owned technology devices shall be at the sole responsibility of the user. No technical support will be provided.
2. The district reserves the right to monitor and log all guest wireless network activity of personally owned technology devices.
3. The district reserves the right to make determinations on whether specific uses of the personally owned technology devices are consistent with the district's Technology Policies.
4. The district reserves the right to confiscate personally owned technology devices in the event of a legal hold.
5. Personally owned technology devices may not disrupt the educational process, endanger the health or safety of the user or any other user, or involve illegal or prohibited conduct in anyway.
6. When using the district’s guest wireless network, users shall have filtered Internet access for educational use only. Access is provided by the district’s guest wireless network. Users shall not attempt to connect to the school district’s private network in any way.
7. Users are prohibited from using personally owned technology devices in dressing rooms, locker rooms, bathrooms, and other locations that are deemed private in nature by the Building Administrator. Users are also prohibited from using personally owned technology devices for video or audio recording unless approved by the Building Administrator.
8. Users shall not attempt to intercept or interfere with the transmission of the wireless network.
9. Users shall not attempt to compromise network security in any manner. Sharing or unintentionally stealing IP address information is strictly forbidden.
10. Users are not to attempt sniffer programs, IP spoofing, or other deceptive networking practices.
11. Users shall not be allowed any personal use during class time. Students in grades K-8 are users that shall not access personal data plans while on school property. Students in grades 9-12 are users that are permitted to access personal data plans in conjunction with the High School’s Discipline Policy.
12. Users are responsible for reporting lost or stolen devices as soon as they are aware of such an event.
13. The district shall not be held responsible for any physical, hardware, or software damage to personally owned technology devices. This includes computer viruses and virus related activities, including worms, spam, and pop-ups. Should a personally owned technology device which has been deemed appropriate for use by both the Building Administrator and the Technology Department be lost, stolen, or damaged in any way, the school district shall not be held financially liable and will not reimburse the owner for the property nor shall the district reimburse or share cost for repairs. 
14. When using the district’s guest wireless network at the Elementary and Middle School, users must allow district personnel to physically access the personally owned technology devices so that the district’s wireless access key can be inputted, updated, or removed.

Approval for using the district’s guest wireless network (Elementary and Middle School)

1. Users must complete and sign the district’s B.Y.O.D. Form. Parents/guardians of student users must also sign the policy/form.
2. Users must provide the district with specific information regarding the personally owned technology devices. I.E. Version of Operating System, name of Antivirus, and MAC Address. The district will maintain a list of criteria that must be met in order for personally owned technology devices to be allowed on the district’s guest wireless network.
3. If criteria for a guest wireless connection are met, users must allow district personnel to physically access the personally owned technology devices so that the district’s wireless access key can be inputted. If criteria for a wireless connection are not met, users may still opt to use the personally owned technology devices without a connection.
4. The use of personally-owned technology devices is permitted for students and staff when designated appropriate by the Building Administrator and Technology Department.

Approval for using the district’s guest wireless network (High School)

1. Student users must read and sign the building’s student handbook, which contains discipline and technology policies. All other users must complete and sign the district’s B.Y.O.D. Form.
2. The district will maintain a list of criteria that must be met in order for personally owned technology devices to be allowed on the district’s guest wireless network. If criteria for a guest wireless connection are met, users may connect their device to the guest wireless network. No key is required. If criteria for a wireless connection are not met, users may still opt to use the personally owned technology devices without a connection.
3. The use of personally-owned technology devices is permitted for students and staff when designated appropriate by the Building Administrator and Technology Department.

Disciplinary Action

Disciplinary action for users utilizing personally owned technology devices in district facilities shall be consistent with the district's standard policies and practices. Violations can constitute cause for revocation of access privileges, suspension of use of personally owned technology devices in district facilities, other school disciplinary actions and/or appropriate legal action. Exact disciplinary measures will be determined on a case-by-case basis.

Consequences

The consequences for violating the District's Acceptable Use Policy include, but are not limited to, one or more of the following:

1. Suspension of District Network privileges;
2. Revocation of Network privileges;
3. Suspension of Internet access;
4. Revocation of Internet access;
5. Suspension of computer access;
6. Revocation of computer access;
7. School suspension;
8. Expulsion; or
9. Employee disciplinary action up to and including dismissal.