Section (5000) Students
Policy Name REGULATION - Acceptable Use
Policy Number 5131.8 REG
Date Approved 05/10/2005
Date Revised 06/11/12
Date Revised  
Date Revised  
Date Revised  
Policy

Plainville Community Schools
Student Network/Internet User Agreement and Parent Permission Form

Introduction
We are pleased to offer students of the Plainville Community Schools access to the district computer network resources, electronic mail (limited) and the Internet. To use these resources, all students must sign and return this form, and those under age 18 must also obtain parental permission. Parents, please read and complete this document carefully, review its contents with your son/daughter, and sign and initial where appropriate. Any questions or concerns about this permission form or any aspect of the computer network should be referred to your school's Library Media Specialist. A copy of Board policy regarding student access to networked information resources (5131.8) and this document are available on the Plainville Community Schools web site, www.plainvilleschools.org

As part of the overall curriculum concerning technology and its uses, Plainville Community Schools is committed to educating students about appropriate online behavior, including interacting with other individuals on social networking websites and in chat rooms and cyberbullying awareness and response. Please also refer to the district's bullying policy, which expressly forbids cyberbullying.

Definitions

Obscene--means any material or performance if;

a) taken as a whole, it predominantly appeals to the prurient interest;

b) it depicts or describes in a parently offensive way a prohibited sex act and;

c) taken as a whole, does not have serious literacy, artistic, political or scientific value. For the purposes of this section, "prohibited sex act" means erotic fondling, nude performance, sexual excitement, sado-masochistic abuse, masturbation or sexual intercourse.

Child pornography--means any visual depiction, including any photograph, film, video, picture, or computer or computer generated image or picture, whether made or produced by electronic, mechanical, or other means, of sexually explicit conduct, where--

a) the production of such visual depiction involves the use of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct.

b) such visual depiction has been created, adapted, or modified to appear that an identifiable minor is engaging in sexually explicit conduct.

Harmful to minors--any picture, image, graphic image file, or other visual depiction that:

a) taken as a whole and with respect to minors, appeals to a prurient interest in nudity, sex or excretion;

b) depicts, describes or represents, in a patently offensive way with respect to what is suitable for minors, and actual or simulated sexual act or sexual contact, actual or simulated normal or perverted sexual acts, or a lewd exhibition of the genitals; and

c) taken as a whole, lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value as to minors.

General Network Use
The network is provided for students to conduct research, complete assignments, and communicate with others. Access to network services is given to students who agree to act in a considerate and responsible manner. Students are responsible for good behavior on school computer networks just as they are in a classroom or a school hallway. Access is a privilege - not a right. As such, general school rules for behavior and communications apply and users must comply with district standards and honor the agreements they have signed. Beyond the clarification of such standards, the district is not responsible for restricting, monitoring or controlling the communications of individuals utilizing the network. There shall be no expectation of privacy within network storage areas. Network administrators may review files and communications to maintain system integrity and insure that users are using the system responsibly. Users should be aware that files stored on district servers are not private or confidential.

Internet / World Wide Web / E-mail Access
Access to the Internet and e-mail will enable students to use thousands of libraries and databases. Parents and guardians are on notice that some material accessible via the Internet might contain items that are illegal, defamatory, inaccurate or potentially offensive to some people. While our intent is to make Internet access available to further educational goals and objectives, students may find ways to access other materials as well. Filtering software is in use, but no filtering system is capable of blocking 100% of the inappropriate material available on the Internet. We believe that the benefits to students from access to the Internet, in the form of information resources and opportunities for collaboration, exceed any disadvantages. Ultimately, parents and guardians of minors are responsible for setting and conveying the standards that their children should follow when using media and information sources. To that end, the Plainville Community Schools support and respect each family's right to decide whether or not to apply for access.

Student Conduct

Students are permitted to use the district's computer systems for legitimate educational purposes. Personal use of district computer systems is expressly prohibited. Conduct which constitutes inappropriate use includes, but is not limited to, the following:

 --Sending any form of harassing, threatening, or intimidating message, at any time, to any person (such communications may also be a crime);

--Intentionally wasting limited technological resources;

--Damaging computers, computer files, computer systems or computer networks;

--Downloading or modifying computer software of the district in violation of the district's licensure agreement(s) and/or without authorization from a teacher or administrator;

--Using another person's password under any circumstances;

--Unauthorized access to other's folders, work, files, networks or systems;

--Accessing or attempting to access any material that is obscene, contains child pornography, or is harmful to minors, as defined above;

--Transmitting or receiving e-mail communications or accessing information on the Internet for non-educational purposes;

--Employing the network for commercial purposes, financial gain or fraud;

--Using obscene language

Publishing to the World Wide Web
Parents, your daughter or son's work may be considered for publication on the World Wide Web, specifically on his/her school's web site. Such publishing requires parent/guardian permission. The work will appear with a copyright notice prohibiting the copying of such work without express written permission. In the event anyone requests such permission, those requests will be forwarded to the student's parent/guardian. Unidentifiable photos of students may be published on school web sites, illustrating student projects and achievements. If you do not want your child's photo to be published on the web site, please indicate this on the Parent Permission Form.