Community of Learners Network Acceptable Use Guidelines MSAD #40 offers Internet access and e-mail for staff, student and community users. This document contains the Acceptable Use Guidelines for your use of the Community of Learners Network.
A. Educational Purpose
1. Use of the Community of Learners Network is a privilege and not a right. It has been established for a limited educational purpose. The term "educational purpose" includes classroom activities, career development, and limited high-quality self-discovery activities.
2. The Community of Learners Network has not been established as a public forum or a public access service, but to create a community of learners, including students, staff, parents, community members, using technology to meet educational needs to prepare for success in life and work in the 21st century. MSAD #40 has the right to place reasonable restrictions on the material users access or post through the system. Students are also expected to follow the rules set forth in the student handbook and all users are subject to the law in their use of the Community of Learners Network.
3. Users may not use Community of Learners Network for commercial purposes. This means they may not offer, provide, or purchase commercial products or services through the internet on the Community of Learners Network.
4. Users may not use the Community of Learners Network for political lobbying. But they may use the system to communicate with elected representatives and to express their opinion on political issues.
B. Student Internet Access
1. All students may have access to Internet World Wide Web information resources through their classroom, library, or school computer lab.
2. Students and their parent or guardian must agree to these Appropriate Use Guidelines to be granted an individual e-mail account on the Community of Learners Network. A parent can withdraw their approval at any time.
3. If approved by your building principal, you may create a personal Web page on the Community of Learners Network. All material placed on your Web page must be pre-approved in a manner specified by the school. Material placed on your Web page must relate to your school and career preparation activities.
C. Unacceptable Uses
The following uses of the Community of Learners Network are considered unacceptable (this list is not comprehensive):
1. Personal Safety
a. Users will not post personal contact information about themselves or other people. Personal contact information includes address, telephone, school address, work address, etc. Personal rÎsumÎs will not be made available online. Electronic chat is prohibited.
b. Student users will not agree to meet with someone they have met online without their parent's approval. A parent should accompany the student to any meeting.
c. Student users will promptly disclose to their teacher or other school employee any message they receive that is inappropriate or makes them feel uncomfortable.
2. Illegal Activities
a. Users will not attempt to gain unauthorized access to the Community of Learners Network or to any other computer system through the Community of Learners Network or go beyond their authorized access. This includes attempting to log in through another person's account or access another person's files. These actions are illegal, even if only for the purposes of "browsing".
b. Users will not make deliberate attempts to disrupt the computer system or destroy data by spreading computer viruses or by any other means. These actions are illegal.
c. Users will not use the Community of Learners Network to engage in any other illegal act, such as arranging for a drug sale or the purchase of alcohol, engaging in criminal gang activity, threatening the safety of another person, etc.
3. System Security
a. Users are responsible for their individual account and should take all reasonable precautions to prevent others from being able to use their account. Under no conditions should a user provide his/her password to another person or attempt to discover the password of another user.
b. Student users will immediately notify a teacher or the system administrator if they have identified a possible security problem. Do not go looking for security problems, because this may be construed as an illegal attempt to gain access.
c. In order to avoid the inadvertent spread of viruses computer s oftware can be downloaded to school computers only with the authorization of an instructor.
4. Inappropriate Language
a. Restrictions against Inappropriate Language apply to public messages, private messages, and material posted on Web pages or anywhere on the Community of Learners Network.
b. Users will not use obscene, profane, lewd, vulgar, rude, inflammatory, threatening, or disrespectful language.
c. Users will not post information that could cause damage or a danger of disruption.
d. Users will not engage in personal attacks, including prejudicial or discriminatory attacks.
e. Users will not harass another person. Harassment is persistently acting in a manner that distresses or annoys another person. If a user is told by a person to stop sending them messages, the user must stop.
f. Users will not knowingly or recklessly post false or defamatory information about a person or organization.
5. Respect for Privacy
a. Users will not repost a message that was sent to them privately without permission of the person who sent the message.
b. Users will not post private information about another person.
6. Respecting Resource Limits.
a. Users will use the system only for educational and career development activities and limited, high-quality, self-discovery activities. There is no limit on use for education and career development activities. The limit on self-discovery activities is no more than 30 minutes per day.
b. Users will not download large files to school computers unless absolutely necessary. If necessary, the user will download the file at a time when the system is not being heavily used and immediately remove the file from the system computer to their personal computer.
c. Users will not post chain letters or engage in "spamming". Spamming is sending an annoying or unnecessary message to a large number of people.
d. Users will check their e-mail frequently and delete unwanted messages promptly..
e. Users will subscribe only to high quality discussion group maillists that are relevant to their education or career development.
7. Plagiarism and Copyright Infringement
a. Users will not plagiarize works that they find on the Internet. Plagiarism is taking the ideas or writings of others and presenting them as if they were one's own.
b. Users will respect the rights of copyright owners. Copyright infringement occurs when one inappropriately reproduce a work that is protected by a copyright. If a work contains language that specifies appropriate use of that work, the user should follow the expressed requirements. If the user is unsure whether or not he/she can use a work, permission from the copyright owner should be sought. Copyright law can be very confusing. If there is a question, ask a teacher.
8. Inappropriate Access to Material
a. The Community of Learners Network uses electronic filtering to prohibit access to inappropriate material. Users will not use the Community of Learners Network to access material that is profane or obscene (pornography), that advocates illegal acts, or that advocates violence or discrimination towards other people (hate literature). A special exception may be made for hate literature if the purpose of access is to conduct research and both a teacher and parent have approved.
b. If a user mistakenly accesses inappropriate information, he/she should immediately tell a teacher or another district employee * (or disclose this access in the manner specified by each school). This will protect the user against a claim that he/she has intentionally violated this Policy.
c. Parents should instruct students if there is additional material that they think it would be inappropriate to access. The district fully expects that students will follow their parent's instructions in this matter.
D. Your Rights
1. Access to all District telecommunications services is a privilege, not a right.
2. Free Speech
The Community of Learners Network is considered a limited forum, similar to a school newspaper, and therefore the District may restrict speech for valid educational reasons. The District will not restrict speech on the basis of a disagreement with the opinions being expressed.
3. Search and Seizure.
a. Users should expect only limited privacy in the contents of their personal files on the District system.
b. Routine maintenance and monitoring of the Community of Learners Network may lead to discovery that a user has violated this Policy, the student handbook, or the law.
c. An individual search will be conducted if there is reasonable suspicion that a user has violated this Policy, the student handbook, or the law. The investigation will be reasonable and related to the suspected violation.
d. Parents have the right at any time to request to see the contents of their child(ren)'s e-mail files.
4 . Due Process
a. The District will cooperate fully with local, state, or federal officials in any investigation related to any illegal activities conducted through the Community of Learners Network.
b. In the event there is a claim that a user has violated this Policy or the student handbook in their use of the Community of Learners Network, they will be provided with notice of the suspected violation and an opportunity to present an explanation before a neutral administrator (or - will be provided with notice and opportunity to be heard in the manner set forth in the student handbook).
c. If the violation also involves a violation of other provisions of the district or school, it will be handled in a manner described in that policy. Additional restrictions may be placed on a user's access to the network.
d. Removal from the CLN results in the loss of all email communications privileges and possible additional restrictions as described in c. above. Upon request a removed user may be granted limited access to his/her personal mailbox to download messages and address book entries. The removed user will have no additional access to the CLN during his/her period of removal.
E. Limitation of Liability
The District makes no guarantee that the functions or the services provided by or through the District system will be error-free or without defect. The District will not be responsible for any damage a user may suffer, including but not limited to, loss of data or interruptions of service. The District is not responsible for the accuracy or quality of the information obtained through or stored on the system. The District will not be responsible for financial obligations arising through the unauthorized use of the system.