The following statement of acceptable use of the Janesville Consolidated School District (JCSD) technology resources applies to all JCSD faculty, staff, administration, students, parents, other employees and guests using school district information resources.
JCSD offers a variety of technology resources for staff, student, and parent use. Access to these resources is a privilege and not a right. Privileges can and will be taken away for violation of the policy and regulations. All students and their parents or guardians must read and understand the acceptable use policies, and provide the signed acknowledgment form annually, to be kept on file in the school office.
When using district-supplied information technology facilities and resources, individuals agree to abide by all policies and procedures adopted by the JCSD as well as all current federal, state, and local laws. These include District policies and procedures against harassment, plagiarism, and unethical conduct; as well as local, state, and federal laws prohibiting theft, copyright infringement, and insertion of viruses into computer systems, vandalism, and other unlawful intrusions. In the event of violation of any of these policies, procedures or laws, current district disciplinary policies and practices will be followed, including those regulating the provision of information to law enforcement authorities.
Internet access is available through a complex association of agencies, regional and state networks and commercial organizations. To ensure the smooth operation of the network, end users must adhere to established guidelines regarding proper conduct and efficient, ethical and legal usage.
ACCESS & MONITORING
With access to computers and people all over the world also comes the availability of material that may not be considered of educational value in the context of the school setting. On a global network it is impossible to control access to all materials; an industrious user may discover inappropriate information. While the JCSD prohibits access to such material, it is not possible to totally prevent access. The JCSD firmly believes that the valuable information and interaction available on this worldwide network far outweigh the possibility that users may procure material that is not consistent with the educational goals of the District.
Internet activities will be monitored by the district through supervision and use of internet filtering mechanisms to ensure that users are not accessing inappropriate sites that have visual depictions that include obscenity, pornography, or are harmful to minors. The District will take measures for educating minors about appropriate online behavior.
Internet technology resources must be used in support of education and research, and consistent with JCSD educational objectives. Specifically prohibited are violations of copyright, threatening or obscene material, commercial activities, product advertisement, or unsolicited political lobbying.
HARDWARE/SOFTWARE
Employee Technology: Damaged Technology shall be fixed or replaced after first incident at no cost to employee. Second loss per computer lifecycle, employees will be charged insurance premium of $100 and every instance thereafter. Damage due to carelessness may result in disciplinary action including, but not limited to suspension of privileges.
Vandalism will result in a suspension of privileges and payment for damages. Other district disciplinary policies and practices may also apply. Vandalism is defined as any malicious attempt to harm or destroy hardware, software, or data of another user or interference with network operation. This includes, but is not limited to the uploading or creation of viruses, removing keys from keyboards, removing any parts from equipment and hacking.
To maintain consistency and licensing, the technology coordinator will regulate installation of software on computers. Users should check before installing software. Users are prohibited from installing software. Only software owned by the district may be installed.
The district takes precautions to avoid data loss, but the potential for loss always exists. The District will not be held responsible for any loss of data.
NETWORK & INTERNET USE
Appropriate use of the network is critical for stability and smooth operation. Bypassing the content filter by using proxy servers and any other means is not allowed.
Social networking sites and instant messaging are not prohibited, although require responsible use. Such interactive sites provide an educational environment which may serve as organizational tools, prompts to guide student discussion and response, enhance collaboration, allow for electronic retrieval and submission of assignments, and provide access to grades, assignments, and calendars to both students and parents. Instructional activities using social networking sites and instant messaging will be supervised by the
teacher. This policy also serves as notice and consent of all and any such ‘terms of use’ for such activity. Use of social networking sites during instructional time for non-curricular purposes requires approval from the immediate supervisor.
The network is not be used in a way that would disrupt the use of the network by others (e.g., downloading huge files, sending mass e-mail messages). Information stored on the District server must be for a school-related purpose, and does not maintain any expectation of confidentiality.
Email accounts may be provided for all staff and students. Users will check their email frequently and stay within their email quota.
Email which resides on the District server/network is not confidential. Email messages may be requested by the public under the Open Records Act.
Other email violations include, but are not limited to:
- Do not email personal items for sale or to give away. Ask the building administrator where these items can be posted.
- Do not forward email to the school mailing lists unless it specifically relates to school business.
- Do not engage in “spamming” or participate in chain letters
Chain Letter Definition: a letter to be circulated among many people by being Copied, or, sometimes, added to, and then passed to others with a request to do the same.
Spamming Definition: to send (a message) indiscriminately to multiple mailing lists, individuals, or news groups.
- Do not send large email attachments to building mailing lists or a large number of users at once. (General Rule – less than 3MB)
- Never reply to a spam email.
PERSONAL DEVICES
Personal electronic and/or technological devices are not permitted on the District’s security protected network. All District policies, rules, and regulations apply to devices which access any network provided by the District.
WEB PAGES - CONTENT
The purpose of the District-sponsored web site is: to make parents, students, and community aware of the school, classroom, and student activities, and to support communication among those groups.
When publishing, users must remember that visitors to the site will include global communities (students, families, staff, alumni, community, prospective students and families, and ANYONE in the world with internet access.)
Teacher created web pages that are used in the classroom or to support instruction must follow the procedures outlined in this document. Teacher and/or school-related web sites and links to external sites must be instructional in content and all subject matter on the web pages must relate to curriculum, instruction, school activities, or general information that is relevant and appropriate. Web pages for individuals or organizations not directly affiliated with the District
are not allowed and items are not to be solicited or advertised for personal business. Personal information should be kept to a minimum. Only school phone numbers and email address should be posted on the web sites.
Only school-sponsored fund raising may be placed on District web pages.
CONFIDENTIALITY - Student work may be published when it relates to a class project, course, or other school-related activity. No personal information, such as home phone numbers or addresses, should be included for any student. Content should not reveal students’ disabilities such as “Ms. Jones’ Special Education Class.” For student publishers, the sponsoring staff member’s email must be included as the responsible person.
Any student included in a photo must have a photo release signature on file. Staff may opt to have their photo on their own web page, but written permission will be needed to use another staff member’s photo on a page.
QUALITY - All web pages created for use in the district will be approved by the network administrator before being uploaded to the site for the first time. Student web pages must be approved by the teacher before being uploaded to a web server.
The District reserves the right to remove any web pages deemed inappropriate or contrary to District policies.
COPYRIGHT – Videos from United Streaming/Discovery or other sites should be linked from their original site, not from a file on the District server. Only original works may be linked to a file directly from the District web server.
Music cannot be made available for download, unless it was an original piece created by you. This includes music in student presentations that are on the web as well. All pages and content are the property of the Janesville Consolidated School District.
REQUIREMENTS – Schools, teachers and staff members must provide email and work telephone information on their web pages as a convenient means of communication for their web site visitors. Student web pages must contain the email address of the supervising teacher.
Legal References: Iowa Code §§ 279.8(1995).
Cross References: 502 Student Rights and Responsibilities
506 Student Records
605.5 Media Centers
Approved 8/12/96
Reviewed 07/11/22
Revised 07/11/22
