OTHELLO HIGH SCHOOL

Internet/Computer Usage

Access to the Internet is given to students who agree to act in a considerate and responsible manner upon completing the Othello School District’s Acceptable User Permission (AUP) agreement. Parent or guardian permission is required. Students, employees, and parents are advised that the Internet contains inappropriate materials and items that are not conducive to the educational environment. Desert Oasis High School does not condone the use of such materials and does not permit usage of such materials in the school environment. Students who knowingly access such materials from the Internet will be subject to the Building Discipline Steps. Loss of Internet privileges is also possible. You must read appendix A at the end of the student handbook for the “Acceptable Use of Technology.”   Students using a compact disk or USB drive may be subject to search and seizure. They are encouraged to save to the main user file under their password. Any student attempting to circumvent programs for security measures will be subject to disciplinary action and privileges revoked. The operating system is to be used appropriately or the privilege will be revoked. Accessing another student’s “U-Drive” or computer files will be considered as inappropriate computer use and be subject to the same consequence as abuse of Internet privileges.

Staff & Student Procedures for Acceptable Use of Technology Electronic Resources

These procedures are written to support the Electronic Resources Policy of the board of directors and to promote positive and effective digital citizenship among students and staff. Digital citizenship represents more than technology literacy: successful, technologically fluent digital citizens live safely and civilly in an increasingly digital world. They recognize that the information posted on the Internet is public and permanent and can have a long-term impact on an individual’s life and career.  Expectations for student and staff behavior online are no different than face-to-face interactions.

Use of Personal Electronic Devices

In accordance with all District policies and procedures, students and staff may use personal electronic devices (e.g. laptops, mobile devices, and e-readers) to further the educational and research mission of the District. School staff will retain the final authority in deciding when and how students may use personal electronic devices on school grounds and during the school day (Please refer to your school handbook for approved devices).  The District is not responsible for any lost, stolen or damaged electronic devices.

Network

The Othello School District network includes wired and wireless computers and peripheral equipment, files and storage, e-mail and Internet content (blogs, web sites, web mail, groups, wikis, etc.). The District reserves the right to prioritize the use of, and access to, the network.  Access to the network and Internet resources is to be recognized by all users as a privilege, not a right. Users are responsible for the appropriateness and content of material they create, store, transmit, or publish on the network.

All use of the network must support education and research and be consistent with the mission of the District.

All computer and telecommunications equipment comprising of the network and all information created, sent, or received via this equipment is property of the District (excluding individual copyrighted curriculum material).  They are to be used to support District purposes in education and research and be consistent with the mission of the District.

Any use of the system must be in conformity with state and federal laws, provider policies and licenses, CIPA  Compliant (Children’s Internet Protection Act) and District policies. Use of the system for commercial solicitation, financial gain, or any illegal activity is strictly prohibited.  Use of the system for charitable purposes must be approved in advance by the superintendent or designee.

The system constitutes public facilities and may not be used to support or oppose political candidates, ballot measures, or religious issues.  

Acceptable network use by District students and staff includes:  

• Creation of files, projects, videos, web pages and podcasts using network resources in support of educational research;  
• Participation in (approved) blogs, wikis, bulletin boards, social networking sites and groups and the creation of content for podcasts, e-mail and web pages that support educational research;  
• With parental authorization, the online publication of original educational material, curriculum related materials and student work. Sources outside the classroom or school must be cited appropriately;  
• Staff use of the network for incidental personal use in accordance with all District policies and guidelines;

Unacceptable network use by District students and staff includes but not limited to:

• Personal gain, commercial solicitation and compensation of any kind;  
• Liability or cost incurred by the District;  
• Supporter opposition for ballot measures, candidates and any other political activity;
• Downloading, installation and use of games, audio files video files or other applications(including shareware or freeware) without permission or approval from the Director of Technology;  
• Development or use of malicious programs that harass other users or gain unauthorized access to any computer or computing system and/or damage the components of a computer or computing system is prohibited.  No use of the network shall serve to disrupt the operation of the network by others.
• Hacking, cracking, vandalizing, the introduction of viruses, worms, Trojan horses, time bombs and changes to hardware, software, and monitoring tools;  
• No Network components, including hardware or software, shall not be destroyed, modified, or abused in any way.
• Connecting or installing unauthorized components, i.e.; an employee’s personal hardware or software, to the network for any purpose is inconsistent with District policy is prohibited, unless prior approval from the Director of Technology.  This would include any network equipment, removable media, i.e., disks, CDs, removable media, etc. Prior administrative approval must also be granted to use District equipment at home.

WARNING: Violation can be prosecuted under RCW9A.52.110, 9A.52.12, 9A.52.130 and RCW 9A.48.100.  Violations constitute a Class C Felony and can result in incarceration (jail time) of up to 90 days and/or a $1,000.00 fine.

• Unauthorized access to other District computers, networks and information systems.
• Unauthorized access to another users data files and folders;
• Information posted, sent or stored online that could endanger others (e.g., bomb construction, drug manufacture);
• Any use that is deemed to adversely affect the District or its students or staff, including, but not limited to, Cyber bullying ,hate mail, harassment, discriminatory remarks, or other antisocial behaviors is expressly prohibited.
• Use of the network to access, transmit, store, display, distribute, or request obscene, pornographic, erotic, profane, racist, sexist, or other offensive material (including messages, images, video, or sound) that violates District policies or creates a hostile work environment is prohibited.
• Digital content broadcast via the Internet (streaming) including, but not limited to: video, music, news/weather, stock reports, sports information, unless used in the context of a course curriculum, is strictly prohibited unless used in a curriculum context and approved by the Director of Technology due to the negative impact of network resources.

The District will not be responsible for any damages suffered by any user, including but not limited to, loss of data resulting from delays, on-deliveries, miss-deliveries or service interruptions caused by its own negligence or any other errors or omissions. The District will not be responsible for unauthorized financial obligations resulting from the use of, or access to, the District’s computer network or the Internet.

Internet Safety: Personal Information and Inappropriate Content

• Students and staff should not reveal personal information, including a home address and phone number, on websites, blogs, podcasts, videos, wikis, and e-mail or as content on any other electronic medium.
• Students and staff should not reveal personal information about another individual on any electronic medium.
• No student pictures or names can be published on any class, school or District website unless the appropriate permissions have been verified according to District policy.
• If students encounter dangerous or inappropriate information or messages, they should notify the appropriate school authority immediately.
• Any student or staff posting, sharing or using another individual’s personal information, posting name, address phone number etc… will be considered a violation of privacy and all legal action will be carried out.  This will constitute an immediate revocation of computer use, possible explosion and or termination.
• System accounts are to be used only by the authorized owner of the account for the authorized purpose.  Users should not share their account ID’s or passwords with another person or leave an open file or session unattended or unsupervised.  Account owners are ultimately responsible for all activity under their account. Sharing of accounts is “Strictly” prohibited.
• Users shall not seek information on, obtain copies of, or modify files, other data, or passwords belonging to other users, or misrepresent other users on the system, or attempt to gain unauthorized access to the system.
• Any attempt to circumvent security by using encryption or any other method is strictly prohibited.
• Due to the un-secure nature and threat of security breach, use of Internet chat rooms, chat channels, Internet Chat Relay (IRC) program, or 3rd-party (Microsoft, AIM, Yahoo) Instant Messaging (IM) systems for communications purposes in prohibited.

Network Security and Privacy

Passwords are the first level of security for a user account. System logins and accounts are to be used only by the authorized owner of the account, for authorized District purposes. Students and staff are responsible for all activity on their account and must not share their account password.

Network User Account Safeguard

• Change passwords according to District policy;  
• Do not use another user’s account this includes Students and Staff
• Violation will result in revoking both the shared and sharers user accounts.
• Do not insert passwords into e-mail or other communications;  
• If you write down your account password, keep it out of sight;  
• Do not store passwords in a file without encryption;  
• Do not use the “remember password” feature on Internet browsers
• Lock the screen, or log off, if leaving the computer.

Student Data is Strictly Confidential

District staff must maintain the confidentiality of student data in accordance with the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).

No Expectation of Privacy

The District provides the network system, e-mail and Internet access as a tool for education and research in support of the District’s mission. The District reserves the right to monitor, inspect, copy, review and store, without prior notice, information about the content and usage of.

Filtering and Monitoring

Filtering software is used to block or filter access to visual depictions that are obscene and all child pornography in accordance with the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA). Other objectionable material could be filtered. The determination of what constitutes “other objectionable” material is a local decision.  

• Filtering software is not 100% effective. While filters make it more difficult for objectionable material to be received or accessed; filters are not a solution in themselves. Every user must take responsibility for his or her use of the network and Internet and avoid objectionable sites;  
• Any attempts to defeat or bypass the District’s Internet filter or conceal Internet activity are prohibited:

proxies, https, special ports, modifications to District browser settings and any other techniques designed to evade filtering or enable the publication of inappropriate content;  

• E-mail inconsistent with the educational and research mission of the District will be considered SPAM and blocked from entering District e-mail boxes;  
• The District will provide appropriate adult supervision of Internet use. The first line of defense in controlling access by minors to inappropriate material on the Internet is deliberate and consistent monitoring of student access to District computers;  
• Staff members who supervise students, control electronic equipment or have occasion to observe student use of said equipment online, must make a reasonable effort to monitor the use of this equipment to assure that student use conforms to the mission and goals of the District;  
• Staff must make a reasonable effort to become familiar with the Internet and to monitor, instruct and assist effectively.  

All students and staff will be educated about appropriate online behavior, including interacting with otherindividuals on social networking websites and in chat rooms, and cyber bullying awareness and response.  

• Age appropriate materials will be made available for use across grade levels.
• Training on online safety issues and materials implementation will be made available for administration,staff and families.  

Copyrighted Materials

Downloading, copying, duplicating and distributing software, music, sound files, movies, images or other copyrighted materials without the specific written permission of the copyright owner is generally prohibited. However, the duplication and distribution of materials for educational purposes are permitted when such duplication and distribution fall within the Fair Use Doctrine of the United States Copyright Law (Title 17, USC) and content is cited appropriately.

• All users should be aware that any information, software, or graphics on the Internet might be protected by federal copyright laws, regardless of whether a copyright notice appears on the work.
• Any reproduction of copyrighted Intellectual Property on District computers is prohibited.
• Use of online peer-to-peer (P2P), file sharing, MP3, “FastTrack”, or related technologies is prohibited.  These technologies are mainly/frequently used to distribute copyrighted works illegally, and use of these on District property could result in the District being held liable for copyright infringement.  Similarly, access to personal accounts established on these systems, from District property is also prohibited
• All student work is copyrighted. Permission to publish any student work requires permission from the parent or guardian.

General Use

Diligent effort must be made to conserve system resources.  For example, users should frequently delete unneeded email and unused files.  The network is set up to “auto-archive” your emails every 30 days. “Auto archive” means that any email that is over 30 days old will automatically be removed from your "In" box and saved as designated by the Technology Department.

Users will carefully review all e-mail prior to sending it to ensure that the meaning is clear and not subject to misinterpretation.  Humor and sarcasm can be easily misinterpreted in an email and should be avoided whenever possible. Use of building and District distribution lists such as OSD staff, OHS staff, etc. must have prior approval from the appropriate administrator.

All computers will have anti-virus software installed.  Also, a filtering system will be used on the network. Attempts to circumvent these systems are prohibited.  Users should follow District recommendations with regard to the safe keeping of data and e-mail attachments to reduce the risk of spreading viruses (worms, viruses, Trojan horses, etc.), and infecting computers and the network.

Personal use of District systems is authorized within reasonable limits as long as it does not interfere with work duties or conflict with District use.  Employees are responsible for exercising good judgment regarding reasonable personal use. In case of doubt, consult your immediate supervisor.

Staff is responsible for granting permission for and supervision of student technology use and enforcement of the "Student Policy for Acceptable Use of Technology".

A signed OSD Staff Email & Network System User Agreement (see next page) must be filed with the District for all employees before use of technology resources will be granted.

From time-to-time, the District will make a determination of whether specific uses of the system are consistent with the regulations stated above.  For security and administrative purposes, the District reserves the right for authorized personnel to review system use and file content. The District reserves the right to remove a user account on the system to prevent further unauthorized activity.

Litigation

In the event of litigation, all computer users are on notice that federal and state civil rules of procedure may allow discovery of all computer hardware and software. This includes but is not limited to computers, laptops, home computers, printers, cell phones, and other electronic equipment that is used to conduct school business.

Modification or Repair of Personally owned Technology Devices or Electronic Property

Othello School District employees are not authorized to perform any repair, configuration or maintenance personally owned technology resources, that are brought to school property or present during school sponsored activities including both software and hardware resources. Schools and departments are prohibited from designating, sponsoring or assigning students to perform any kind of maintenance, repair, configuration or installation services to support personally owned technology devices that are brought to school property or present during school sponsored activities.

Additional Requirements for Students/Staff/Visitors Requesting a Waiver for Personal Electronic Property

Students, staff and visitors requesting to operate their personal electronic devices within the District must obtain written approval by the Building Administrator and Technology Director and abide by the following additional requirements:

• Any computer that is connected to the District’s digital network via wired or wireless control must have approved and functioning anti-virus software running with up-to-date virus definitions.
• Pre approval by the Director of Technology prior to operating any personal electronic property linking Othello School District schools or offices.
• Any visitor/student/staff that operates any personal electronic property must also sign and acknowledge this AUP.
• Please note that personal equipment connected to the OSD’s network are subject to the same privacy rules as District computers.  Any and all data are subjected to search and seizure guidelines if inappropriate activity is suspect during an investigation.

Student users must adhere to the following additional guidelines;

• Students will follow teacher instructions regarding the use of the Othello School District digital network.
• Written consent will be required from parent(s) or guardian(s) before any identifying student’s photograph, work or video footage is published on the Internet or transmitted outside the District.
• Students must observe and adhere to all regulations on any digital device or cell phone uses stated in the student handbook.

Archive and Backup

Backup is made of all District e-mail correspondence for purposes of public disclosure and disaster recovery. Barring power outage or intermittent technical issues, staff and student files are backed up on District servers nightly – Monday through Friday. Refer to the District retention policy for specific records retention requirements.

Disciplinary Action

All users of the District’s electronic resources are required to comply with the District’s policy and procedures. Violation of any of the conditions of use explained in the Electronic Resources Policy or in these procedures could be cause for disciplinary action, including suspension or expulsion from school and suspension or revocation of network and computer access privileges.   

**Additionally some violations of this policy may result in formal reporting to OSPI and PESB.   

**Violations of any of these policies may subject employees to disciplinary action up to and including termination.