SCHOOL DISTRICT OF THE CITY OF ERIE
COMPUTER/INTERNET ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY
The School District of the City of Erie provides technology resources to its
students for educational purposes. The goal in providing these resources is
to promote educational excellence in the City of Erie schools by facilitating
resource sharing, information gathering techniques, critical thinking skills,
innovation, and communication skills with the support and supervision of parents,
teachers, administration and support staff. The use of these technology resources
is a privilege, not a right.
With access to computers and people all over the world comes the potential availability
of controversial material that may not be considered to be of educational value
in the context of the school setting. The School District of the City of Erie
firmly believes that the value of information, interaction and research capabilities
available through online resources outweigh the possibility that users may obtain
material that is not consistent with the educational goals of the District.
Proper behavior, as it relates to the use of computers, is no different than
proper behavior in all other aspects of the School District of the City of Erie
activities. All student-users are expected to use the computers and computer
networks in a responsible, ethical and polite manner. This policy is intended
to clarify those expectations as they apply to computer and network usage. Through
this, and other policies, it is the intent of the School District of the City
of Erie to comply with the provisions of the Children’s Internet Protection
Act.I. District Guidelines for Student Use of the Computer Network/Internet
Student Internet users are expected to use the Internet as an educational resource.
The following procedures and guidelines are used to help ensure that appropriate
use:
a. Students are to receive instruction in the proper use of the Internet and
the District’s computer network through a review of the Computer/Internet
Acceptable Use Policy.
b. Students are required to sign the District’s “Acknowledgment”
indicating their understanding and acceptance of the District’s guidelines
as set forth in this policy. Students may then use the Internet in a supervised
classroom environment.
c. Parents are mailed a copy of the Computer/Internet Acceptable Use Policy
and an explanatory letter, thereby being notified of the contents of this Policy
and that their children will have access to the District’s computer network
and the Internet. Parents have the option of denying permission for their child
to use the Internet.
d. Students are responsible for their explorations on the Internet and are subject
to the consequences of failing to abide by the District’s Computer/Internet
Acceptable Use Policy, as set forth in Section IV below.
II. Student Expectations in Use of the Computer Network and Internet
Student Internet users are expected to behave responsibly in accessing and viewing
information that is pertinent to the educational mission of the District. Students
are required to abide by the generally accepted rules of network etiquette.
These include, but are not limited to, the following:a. Use of appropriate language.
The District’s Internet system has been established for an educational
purpose. As such, the District prohibits student-users from using the following
language which is inconsistent with this educational purpose:
1. Criminal speech and speech used in the course of committing a crime (for
example: threats to the President or to any other person; instructions on breaking
into computer systems; child pornography; drug dealing; purchase of alcohol;
gang activities; etc.)
2. Speech that is inappropriate in an educational setting or violates District
rules:
(a) Inappropriate language--obscene, profane, lewd, vulgar, rude, disrespectful,
threatening or inflammatory language; harassment; personal attacks, including
prejudicial or discriminatory attacks; or false or defamatory material about
a person or organization
(b) Dangerous information--information that if acted upon could cause damage
or present a danger of disruption
(c) Violations of privacy--revealing personal information about others
3. In some circumstances, such as on student Web pages, the District may require
that student publications meet a variety of standards related to adequacy of
research, spelling and grammar and appropriateness of material (i.e., that school
Web pages must relate to school and career preparation activities).
b. Access to Information. Students are prohibited from accessing the following
categories of material or information on the Internet or World Wide Web:
1. material that is profane or obscene;
2. material that is pornographic, expressly including child pornography;
3. material that is harmful to minors (i.e., pictures or visual depictions which,
taken as a whole, appeal to a prurient interest in nudity, sex or perverted
or lewd acts);
4. material that advocates or condones the commission of unlawful acts;
5. or material that advocates or condones violence or discrimination towards
other people.
Students should be aware that the District has implemented a Technology Protection
Measure that blocks or filters Internet access to the above categories of material
or information, as well as other categories of material or information which
the District has deemed inappropriate for viewing by students in the educational
setting.
c. Online Safety/Privacy.
1. Students are prohibited from giving out personal information pertaining to
themselves and pertaining to other students, such as addresses, telephone numbers,
parents’ work addresses or telephone numbers or the name and location of
their school, even through e-mail correspondence, unless specifically authorized
by the District and with the consent of the students’ parents/guardians.
2. Students must tell their teachers or parents immediately if they come across
any information which makes them feel uncomfortable.
3. Students must never agree to get together with someone they “meet”
online without first discussing it with their parents. If their parents agree
to the meeting, students must ensure that the meeting is in a public place and
that they accompanied by one of their parents.
4. Students are not permitted to access “chat rooms.” The District
has implemented a Technology Protection Measure which is intended to block or
filter Internet access to “chat rooms.”
d. Electronic mail (e-mail).
(1) Students must understand that there is no guarantee of privacy in their
e-mail messages and that e-mail messages are subject to District review at any
time. Routine maintenance and monitoring of the District’s system may lead
to discovery that the student has violated the law or a District policy/rule.
An individualized search of a student’s email will be conducted if there
is a reasonable suspicion that a user has violated the law or District policy/rule.
(2) E-mail should be used only for legitimate educational purposes or as authorized
by the District.
(3) Students should be courteous and respectful in their e-mail messages to
others.
(4) Students are not given personal email addresses. Students are instead assigned
generic classroom email addresses, under the supervision of the teacher, to
allow them to communicate with other students and/or mentors.
e. Plagiarism. Students are reminded that it is plagiarism to “cut and
paste” information from the Internet and then pass it off as their own
original ideas. Students are prohibited from plagiarizing information and resources
from the Internet and are reminded to cite properly sources used from the Internet.
f. Copyright infringement. All communications and information via the network
(i.e., the Internet) should be assumed to be private property and protected
by copyright. Students may not reproduce copyrighted material without explicit
permission of the author/owner. Only public domain software can be downloaded.
g. Unauthoritzed or Disruptive use/“Hacking.” Students are prohibited
from using the District network in such a way that would disrupt the use of
the network by other users. Students may not create or share computer viruses.
Students may not destroy another person’s data. Students may not break
in or attempt to break into other computer systems or access files without authorization.
h. Purchase of products or services. Students are prohibited from purchasing
products or services through the District network. The District is not responsible
for any financial obligations arising from unauthorized use of the District
network for the purchase of products or services.
i. Student passwords/accounts. Students may not give their passwords to anyone.
Students may not offer Internet access to any individual via their account.
j. Unauthorized Disclosure, Use or Dissemination of Personal Information. Students
may not disclose, use or disseminate personal information about students, especially
minor students, without the authorization of that student’s parent/guardian
and without specific authorization from the District.III. District Disclaimers
of Liability.
a. When utilizing online resources, there is always the risk of a system failure
which could result in loss of data, interruption of service, etc. The District
disclaims any responsibility for losses incurred as a result of system failure
and students are advised to make a personal back-up of material contained/saved
on the District network.
b. The District can not ensure the reliability or accuracy of information maintained
on the District computer system or accessed through the District system. The
District disclaims responsibility for losses incurred as a result of reliance
on unreliable or inaccurate information.
c. The District disclaims responsibility for student misuse or unauthorized
use of the system and disclaims responsibility for harm caused to the students
themselves, to other persons or to organizations through misuse or unauthorized
use of the District’s computer system as set forth in this policy.
d. Due to the nature of the vast amount of information and material available
on the Internet, it is impossible for the District to restrict completely access
to all controversial materials. As such, the District is not responsible for
materials acquired or viewed by students on the District’s network and/or
the Internet. IV. Consequences of Violating the Acceptable Use Policy.
a. Students will be notified of each alleged violation of the Computer/Internet
Acceptable Use Policy and will be given an opportunity to respond to the allegation.
b. Depending on the severity of the violation of the Computer/Internet Acceptable
Use Policy, students face disciplinary consequences ranging from warning to
loss of privilege of use of the Internet/District network. Repeated less severe
violations of the Acceptable Use Policy will be treated as more serious violations
of the Policy. All discipline resulting from a violation of this policy will
be handled pursuant to the requirements and procedures set forth in the School
District of the City of Erie Elementary and Secondary Discipline Policies.
c. Suspicion of a student’s illegal use of the Internet/District network,
such as copyright violations, theft of services, using the system to publish
defamatory statements, may be reported to the appropriate legal authorities
for possible prosecution.
d. Students are responsible for damages to the equipment, systems, and software
resulting from deliberate or willful acts.
#393498
Dear Parent or Guardian,
The School District of the City of Erie is pleased to inform you that it provides
technology resources via access to a computer network for electronic mail and
the Internet to your child. Access to mail and the Internet will enable your
child to explore thousands of libraries, database, museums and other repositories
of information and to exchange personal communication with other Internet users
around the world.
Enclosed with this letter is a copy of the District’s “Computer/Internet
Acceptable Use Policy.” This policy outlines the rules and regulations
your child must abide by when using the District’s computer system and
online resources. The policy also makes clear that the District disclaims responsibility
for certain issues over which it can not exercise complete control, such as
student misuse or unauthorized use of the system or the Internet.
Please review the Computer/Internet Acceptable Use Policy in its entirety. Understand
that your child will have access to the District’s computer network and
online/Internet resources unless you inform the District otherwise. If you do
not want to allow your child to have access to online resources, such as the
Internet and e-mail, you must notify the District immediately by filling out
and returning to the District the “Denial of Permission” form attached
below.
If you decide to allow your child to have access to online resources, understand
that in exchange for the privilege of your child using the District’s computer
system and online resources, you are releasing the School District of the City
of Erie from all claims and damages of any nature arising from your child’s
use of, or inability to use, the system. Additionally, while The School District
of the City of Erie makes every attempt to prohibit students from accessing
controversial material, recognize it is impossible for the School District of
the City of Erie to restrict access to all controversial materials and you are
agreeing you will not hold the District responsible for materials acquired on
the network.
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PARENT/GUARDIAN DENIAL OF PERMISSION FORM
I would prefer that my child_________________________________, not be given
access to the School District of the City of Erie’s computer network and
online resources and I deny permission for his/her use. I understand my child
wil still be given access to computers for more traditional purposes, such as
word processing.
PARENT or GUARDIAN name:
(Print)__________________________________________________________________
Signature__________________________________Date__________________________
(Return Denial of Permission Form to School District of the City of Erie)