Internet Acceptable Use/Internet Safety - IFBG/IFBGE

Technology Resources

Crawford County Schools provides a full range of electronic resources ranging from the Internet to mobile handheld devices for students and staff.  Use of all electronic resources shall support the vision, mission, and goals established by CCS.  Access to the Internet is automatically available to students and staff members and may be provided to vendors or other stakeholders.

In an effort to provide a technology protection measure for the system, staff, and students, CCS utilizes a firewall to regulate access to internal resources and information. In addition, provides Internet filtering that protects against access to visual depictions of materials deemed obscene, violent,

pornographic, and/or any other materials deemed harmful to minors.  Due to the constant changes and additions to Internet websites, filtering and virus protection software are not 100% effective. Therefore, schools are required to monitor student Internet activity on a regular basis.  CCS monitors the online activities of staff and students to address inappropriate use of the Internet as required by the Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA).

Teacher Web Pages and Internet Resources

CCS supports and provides training to teachers on creating classroom websites for expanding the learning environment for their students.

When using the Internet for class activities, teachers will:

•          Select material that is appropriate in light of the age of the students and that is relevant to the course objectives.

•          Preview the materials and sites they require students access to determine the appropriateness of the material contained on or accessed through the site.

•          Provide guidelines and lists of resources to assist their students in channeling their research activities effectively and properly.

•       Assist their students in developing the skills to ascertain the truthfulness of information, distinguish fact from opinion, and engage in discussions about controversial issues while demonstrating tolerance and respect for those who hold divergent views.

Technology Protection Measure

If a website that is needed for learning or instruction is filtered, students can request the website to be unblocked through a teacher. Teachers can submit a helpdesk ticket on BigWebApps (https://crawfordcounty.sherpadesk.com/home/) listing the website and learning/instructional justification for access, or the teacher may contact his/her local Media Specialist for review and resolution. Internet filtering may be minimized for bona fide research or other lawful purposes. Unauthorized disabling or circumventing Internet filtering is strictly forbidden.

Users are expected to access authorized websites and files only. If it is suspected that a security concern or inappropriate material exists on the Network, Intranet, or accessible on the Internet, users shall demonstrate the concern to an administrator or other authorized personnel for explanatory purposes. Students should notify a teacher or administrator of any security concerns. Employees are required to notify the Helpdesk, the Technology Director or their local Administrator.  Any user identified as a security risk may be given restricted access to CCS electronic resources.

User Responsibilities

Users have an obligation to be responsible participants while using the resources that are available on the Internet and Intranet and must adhere to federal, state, and local policies. Illegal activities of any kind are strictly forbidden. The standards include, but are not limited to, the following:

Educational/Administrative purposes. Users will use all technology resources for educational or administrative purposes. Users shall not access inappropriate sites on the Internet or use school resources for personal, commercial, or financial gain.

Safety. The Student Code of Conduct rules for bullying are also applicable to cyberbullying, and violators are subject to the same disciplinary procedures. If a user encounters inappropriate information or messages, they are required to notify a teacher or school administrator. Users will not post personal contact information about themselves or other people. Personal contact information includes address, telephone, school address, work address, etc. Users will not agree to meet with someone they have met online without their parent's approval and participation. Users will promptly disclose to their teacher or other school employee any message they receive that is inappropriate or makes them feel uncomfortable.

All Crawford County Schools' personnel and students involved in any way with the use of technology within the school system shall undergo training on the safe and appropriate use of every type of technology resource available to them including appropriate online behavior, interacting with other individuals on social networking websites and in chat rooms, cyberbullying awareness, and response. The training may be conducted by knowledgeable staff members within the school system, outside trainers, State Board of Education resources both online and through department consultants, federal government resources, seminars, and workshops off campus and RESA resources. Cyber Safety curriculum will continue to be made available for all classes. Cyber safety curriculum will continue to be made available to teachers, media specialists, and counselors.

Privacy. There should be no expectation of privacy when using CCS technologies. CCS reserves the right to record, monitor, review, and report all activities including emails or text messages. Unless protected by state or federal laws (such as medical records or student records under FERPA), activities may be subject to an open record request. If deemed appropriate, information may be disclosed by CCS to the courts, law enforcement, authorized representatives or parents of students, or other third parties without users' consent.

Passwords. Passwords are the first level of security for electronic resources. User accounts are to be used only by the owner of that account. All users shall safeguard and protect their passwords. User passwords shall be changed at a minimum of once per year. Accounts and passwords that are provided, opened, or maintained by users in the performance of their work or learning are considered the property of CCS and must be disclosed upon request.

Security. Users are expected to access authorized websites and files only. If it is suspected that a security concern or inappropriate material exists on the Network, Intranet, or accessible on the Internet, users shall not demonstrate the concern to other peers unless the demonstration is made to an administrator or other authorized personnel for explanatory purposes. Students should notify a teacher or administrator of any security concerns. Employees are required to notify the Helpdesk, Technology Director, an administrator. Any user identified as a security risk may be given restricted access to CCS electronic resources.

Illegal Activities. Users will not attempt to gain unauthorized access to the District system or to any other computer system through the District System 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". Users will not make deliberate attempts to disrupt the computer system performance or destroy data by spreading computer viruses or by any other means. These actions are illegal. Users will not use the District system 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 a person, etc.

Electronic vandalism. Users should not knowingly upload or create computer viruses, spyware, malware, or modify another person's files without proper authorization. Hacking, identity theft, falsifying documents, and releasing confidential information are strictly prohibited.

System Security. Users are responsible for the use of 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 their password to another person. Users will immediately notify the system administrator if they have identified a possible security problem. Users will not go looking for security problems, because this may be construed as an illegal attempt to gain access. Users will avoid the inadvertent spread of computer viruses by following the District virus protection procedures if they download software.

Transmitting and receiving inappropriate materials. Users should not knowingly transmit or receive any materials in violation of federal, state, or local law. This prohibition includes, but is not limited to, improperly used copyrighted material; threatening, obscene, or sexually explicit material; or material protected by patent.

Copyright. Copyright infringement is prohibited. Users are expected to follow copyright laws and fair use guidelines as specified by board policy and federal laws. Users are prohibited from illegally downloading or illegally copying from any electronic resource such as music, software, videos, etc.

Web pages. Teachers may post student-produced work that does not show personal, identifiable information on CCS internal websites or on external educational websites. Posting of personal, identifiable information requires the consent of parent/guardian. Posting of student work on non-educational websites shall require the approval of an administrator. All website postings shall be endorsed by a teacher or administrator. Postings shall be monitored, maintained, and removed when no longer required. All work produced using school resources can be used by CCS without express permission from the owner.

Digital Citizenship. Users should be aware of the benefits, opportunities, and risks on using online digital resources. Users are responsible for advocating and practicing safe and legal use of digital information and communication technologies. Resources on understanding and using technology appropriately are available on the district's public website.

Proxies. Users shall not use anonymous proxies or other techniques to circumvent content filtering. The use of anonymous proxies is strictly prohibited and is a direct violation of this policy.

Bring Your Own Device (BYOD). Students, without a signed BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) Agreement, shall not activate, utilize or display electronic communication devices while at school. The rules governing the use of technology on school buses will be the same as the rules for the classrooms, which are stated in the BYOD Agreement. Exceptions to this policy may only be granted in extraordinary situations involving a student's health and safety. The principal and superintendent must approve all exceptions. The superintendent and administrative staff shall develop rules for enforcing this policy and include them in the student handbook.

Social Networking and Web 2.0 Tools. Crawford County Schools realizes that part of 21st-century learning is adapting to the changing methods of communication. Part of 21st-century learning also involves teachers, students and parents engaging, collaborating, learning, and sharing within a digital environment. All employees are expected to serve as positive ambassadors for their school or department. All ethical expectations set forth in The Code of Ethics for Educators (GBU-E (l)) for employee/student relationships and communications apply in regard to online interactions with a student. Employees are expected to maintain a professional relationship with students at all times. Online behavior should reflect the same standards of honesty, respect, and consideration that are used in face-to-face interaction, and be in accordance with the highest professional standards. Any employee who witnesses or believes a violation of this policy has occurred should contact their site administrator.

Email Accounts. Email accounts are available to all Crawford County Schools (CCS) employees, other designated personnel, and students for the purpose of promoting and supporting the mission, goals, and objectives of the school system. Access to email is a privilege that carries certain responsibilities. Employees, personnel, and students are expected to be ethical and responsible in their use and comply with local, state, and federal regulations, to include local policy, Copyright Act, Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, Computer Security Act, CIPA, FERPA, and HIPPA. The policy and regulation on email, which governs email usage, content, and retention applies to full-time employees, part-time employees, contractors, interns, consultants, students, and any other account holders of the system. Only approved email clients and portable devices shall be used for accessing CCS email. Email account holders of the school system are strongly discouraged from using their personal email account for conducting official work.

CCS Email should never be used for commercial activities, profit-making, chain letters, political or religious causes, soliciting memberships, promoting meetings or causes unrelated to supporting the vision, mission, goals, or objectives of CCS. Such uses are a violation of policy with regard to employee time commitments and use of CCS equipment. Broadcasting to all staff via email is restricted to the Administrators, Directors and above. All emails are subject to monitoring and public disclosure. Refer to the privacy clause for additional information.

Email messages created using the CCS email system are the property of CCS and are not to be considered private. CCS reserves the right to monitor, inspect, copy, review, and store at any time and without notice any and all emails. In addition, CCS may disclose emails, attachments, and images to the courts, law enforcement, and other third parties without the employee's consent.

Disclosure of bulk staff email addresses to outside entities is prohibited for non-official use.

Senders and receivers are responsible for ensuring proper retention or disposal of emails sent within and outside CCS. Retention or disposition of email messages shall be related to the information they contain or the purpose they serve. Record emails shall follow the statutory retention period from local, state, or federal requirements. Contingent on the content of an email, it may fall under official records rules. Employees have the same responsibility for email messages as they do for paper records, and must distinguish between record and non-record information.

The backup system maintained by the Technology Department and the email service provider is for disaster recovery purposes and is not designed as a records management system. Employees are expected to read their emails on a regular basis (at least once a week), delete unneeded emails, and archive for future reference in an effort to keep the system manageable and effective.

When an employee leaves the system, Human Resources shall notify the email administrator with the employee's termination date. The employee's email account will be closed at the end of the employee's last working day. Prior to the termination date; the employee's manager/supervisor may request access to the former employee's email for a time period not to exceed 30 days, after the termination date to review messages for required retention. After the content has been cleared to be deleted or the 30 day period has passed, all emails, folders, and attachments shall be deleted.

Only 90 days of all emails sent and received within CCS are held for monitoring and retrieval regardless of content. After the 90 day period, the system will overwrite the files in order to retain new emails and attachments.

Board Policy Descriptor Code: JCDAF

Use of Electronic Devices by Students

Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)

Students, without a signed BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) Agreement, shall not activate, utilize or display electronic communication devices while at school. The rules governing the use of technology on school buses will be the same as the rules for the classrooms, which are stated in the BYOD Agreement. Exceptions to this policy may only be granted in extraordinary situations involving a student's health and safety. The principal and superintendent must approve all exceptions. The superintendent and administrative staff shall develop rules for enforcing this policy and include them in the student handbook.

Violations of this policy will be dealt with through the student discipline code.

Crawford County Schools will not be responsible for lost or stolen electronic devices.