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SOUTH SANPETE SCHOOL DISTRICT EMPLOYEE COMPUTER ACCEPTABLE USE  and INTERNET SAFETY POLICY

Approved: 4-9-03       
Revised:    4-14-10, 6-13-12, 3-8-17, 10-13-21

Board Policy:

The South Sanpete Board of Education shall require all employees to read and sign this Policy and receive Internet Safety Training The District shall encourage staff and students to use the computer and the Internet as an educational tool. The District has access to the Internet that is governed and supported by the Utah Education Network. Use of the electronic information resources in the District shall be used to improve and support the educational process by providing access to global information and improving communication between students, employees, parents, and community members. Other use of the computer and/or Internet shall be limited to times and circumstances that will not interfere with the education of students and shall be consistent with the Acceptable Use Policy and other policies of the District.  

The information contained on District computers or accounts shall be deemed the property of the account holder as long as the account remains open and authorized by the District. However, the District reserves the right to monitor the information contained on District computers or accounts. Computers and Internet accounts are provided for educational purposes.  Any use inconsistent with such educational purposes shall be grounds for terminating the account and/or confiscating the information saved in the account plus appropriate disciplinary action. 

CONDITIONS AND RULES FOR USE:

1. Privilege

  1. The use of Internet and computer equipment is a privilege, not a right.Inappropriate use, including any violation of these conditions and rules, may result in cancellation of the privilege.The District under this agreement, is delegated the authority to determine appropriate use and may deny, revoke, suspend or close any user account at any time based upon its determination of inappropriate use by school/District administration.
  2. Unless prior permission is granted from school/District administration, the information produced from Internet access or computer use shall be deemed the property of the District. Violation of this Policy can result in the loss of computer access privileges.
  3. The District shall provide an email account for an employee to use for school business. Electronic mail (email) is not guaranteed to be private.

2. Acceptable Use

  1. All Internet or computer equipment use shall be consistent with the purposes, goals, and policies of the District. It is imperative that users of the Internet or computer equipment conduct themselves in a responsible, ethical, moral, and polite manner. All participants must abide by all local, State, and Federal Laws. The Internet user accepts the responsibility of adhering to high standards of conduct and the terms and conditions set forth in all parts of this Policy.To remain eligible as a user, the user’s account must support and be consistent with the educational objectives of the District.
  2. Access to the Internet is made possible only through an appropriate provider as designated by the District. 
  3. An employee may not use District technology, computers, or other equipment for personal business or gain. 
  4. The District and all users of the Internet must comply with existing rules and Acceptable Use and Internet Safety Policies that are incorporated into this document and other applicable District policies.
  5. Internet access shall be filtered and monitored as per Utah State Law and CIPA (Children’s Internet Protection Act).
  6. It is the educator’s responsibility to educate students on appropriate online behaviors and to supervise those activities. 
3. Unacceptable Internet & Computer Equipment Uses
  1. Any violation of school or District Policy or State or Federal Law; 
  2. Any activity that is immoral, obscene, or contrary to the high moral standards that must be maintained in an educational setting;
  3. Any attempt to bypass State, District, or school security (e.g. bypassing proxies or hacking servers or work stations, etc.);
  4. Any attempt to possess, access or transmit immoral, obscene, pornographic, profane, lewd, vulgar, rude, defaming, harassing, threatening, disrespectful, cyber bullying, or otherwise inappropriate images or information, or receiving such information from others.Private browsing modes shall not be used on District devices;
  5. Any commercial use, product advertisement, display of private information, or promotion of political candidates;
  6. Any violation of copyright, plagiarism, trade secret or trademark laws;
  7. Any attempt to damage, disrupt or interfere with the use of any computer electronic information resource;
  8. Any attempt to access inappropriate material or to use District computers, technology, or information systems in violation of the District’s Acceptable Use Policy where such use may be detrimental to young people or inconsistent with the educator’s role model responsibility;
  9. Any destruction, defacement, theft, or altering of District equipment, or use of the iPad without the protective case;
  10. Any storing or accessing of illegal, inappropriate, or obscene material on District-owned electronic equipment;
  11. Any attempt to allow any student to access the electronic grade books or other confidential information; or
  12. Any abuse of using the computer for non-related work during instructional time and work hours.
  13. Vandalism, harassment, and cyber bullying are prohibited.
    1. Vandalism is defined as any malicious attempt to harm, modify, or destroy data, hardware, software or networks. This includes, but is not limited to, the uploading or creating of computer viruses.
    2. Harassment is defined as the persistent annoyance of another user, or the interference of another user’s work.This includes, but is not limited to, the sending of unwanted email, cyber-bullying, posting of harmful information or pictures on websites, etc.
    3. Cyber bullying is defined as using the Internet, a cell phone, or another device to send or post text, video, or an image with the intent of knowledge, or with reckless disregard, that the text, video, or image will hurt, embarrass, or threaten an individual, regardless of whether the individual directed, consented to, or acquiesced the conduct, or voluntarily accessed the electronic communication.

4. Monitoring

The District reserves the right to daily monitoring and reviewing of any material on any machine at any time in order for the District to determine any inappropriate use of network services. In reviewing and monitoring user accounts and fileserver space, the District shall respect the privacy of user accounts.

5. Network Etiquette

All users are expected to abide by the generally accepted rules of network etiquette. These include, but are not limited to, the following:

  1.  Use appropriate language at all times.  Do not swear, use vulgarities or other inappropriate language, and do not engage in activities which are prohibited under District Policy and State or Federal Law.  Messages relating to or in support of illegal activities may be reported to the authorities and could result in the loss of user privileges;
  2. Do not reveal your personal address or phone numbers of students or colleagues;
  3. Do not use the network in such a way that you would disrupt the use of the network by other users; and
  4. Do not assume all communications and information accessible via the network to be private property.

6.  No Warranties

       The District makes no warranties of any kind, whether expressed or implied, for the services provided in connection with use of the Internet or computer equipment.  The District will not be responsible for any damages or liability a user creates.  The District expressly disclaims any liability in connection with the loss of data resulting from delays, failure to deliver data, mistaken deliveries, viruses, backup device failure, or service interruptions caused by the District, the Internet provider, or by the user’s error or omissions. The District specifically denies any responsibility for the accuracy or quality of information obtained through these services.  All users need to consider the source of any information they obtain, and evaluate how valid that information may be.

7.  Security

  1. The District shall implement security procedures on Internet access to protect against unacceptable use. Security on any computer system is a high priority, especially when the system involves many users.Users must never allow others, especially students, to use their password. Users should also protect their password to ensure system security and their own privilege and ability to continue to use the system. Employees will be held accountable for any activity under their user account and password.
  2. Employees with access to student records may not use, release, or share these records except as authorized by District Policy and State or Federal Law.
  3. If you feel you can identify a security problem on the Internet, you must notify a system administrator.Do not demonstrate the problem to other users.
  4. Do not ever use another individual’s account or password. 
  5. Attempts to log on to the Internet as a system administrator may result in cancellation of user privileges.
  6. Any user identified as a security risk for having a history of problems with other computer systems may be denied access to the Internet by District.

8.  Procedures for Use

  1. Only registered District employees and Board members may qualify for Internet access under this Policy.
  2. Only authorized users who have signed the User Agreement shall have Internet access and email service. 
  3. Users are ultimately responsible for all activity while using these services. All Internet or computer equipment access by a District employee or Board member is automatically terminated upon retirement, resignation, or termination of employment.
  4. All student computer use must always be supervised and monitored by an employee. Employees who supervise students with access to computer equipment must be familiar with the District’s Student Computer Acceptable Use Policy and be willing to enforce it. Employees must appropriately secure rooms and areas where school computer equipment is housed.

9.  Encounter of Controversial Material

Users may encounter material which is controversial and which the user may consider inappropriate or offensive. The District has taken precautions to restrict access to inappropriate materials through a filtering and monitoring system. However, on a global network, it is impossible to control the content of data and users may discover controversial material. Users must notify the system administrator of any inappropriate material. It is the user’s responsibility not to initiate access to such material. Any decision by the District to restrict access to Internet material shall not be deemed to impose any duty on the District to regulate the content of material on the Internet. The District expressly disclaims any obligation to discover all violations of inappropriate Internet access.

10.  Penalties for Improper Use

Any violation of this Policy or applicable State and Federal Laws may result in disciplinary action. The penalty may consist of one or more of the following: (1) Verbal Reprimand; (2) Written Reprimand; (3) Loss of Internet Access; (4) Suspension; (5) Termination of Employment; and/or (6) Criminal Prosecution. The site administrator/supervisor or systems administrator may limit, suspend, or revoke access to electronic resources at any time. All penalties for improper use will be documented and placed in the employee’s file.

11.  User Agreement

As an employee of South Sanpete School District, I have read Policy ECA and understand the terms and conditions of it and also the professional manner in which I must use the District’s computers, technology, email, Internet, etc. I also understand that if I improperly abuse my user’s privilege that I may have my user privilege revoked and also face District discipline, criminal prosecution, and possible termination.    

EMPLOYEE’S SIGNATURE: ___________________________________.   DATE:  _________________________

pdfECB-1.pdf