East Moriches School

Internet Access Policy

The Internet is available to students and teachers in the East Moriches School District. BOCES along with the Board of Education believes that the Internet offers vast, diverse and unique resources for both students and teachers. Their goal in providing this service to teachers and students is to promote educational excellence in schools by facilitating resource sharing, innovation and communication.
The Internet is an electronic highway connecting thousands of computers all over the world and millions of individual subscribers. The key concept underlying the Internet is interconnectivity - something that will allow administrators, teachers, and more importantly, students to access an unparalleled array of communication and information resources. Students and teachers have access to general Internet tools including, but not limited to: electronic mail (e-mail); Listservs; UseNet News; File Transfer Protocol, (FTP); Telnet; Gopher and the World Wide Web. These electronic search tools enable students and teachers to:

• communicate with people all over the world;
• access information and news from NASA as well as the opportunity to correspond with scientists at NASA and other research institutions;
• retrieve public domain software and shareware of all types;
• join discussion groups on a plethora of topics ranging from Chinese culture to the environment to music to politics;
• access many University Library Catalogs, the Library of Congress, and ERIC.

With access to computers and people all over the world also comes the availability of material that may not be considered to be of educational value in the context of the school setting. BOCES and the East Moriches School District have taken precautions to restrict access to controversial materials. However, on a global network it is impossible to control all materials and an industrious user may discover controversial information. We strongly believe, however that the valuable information and interaction available on this worldwide network far outweighs the possibility that users may procure material that is not consistent with the educational goals of the District.
The Board of Education is committed to optimizing student learning and teaching. The Board considers student access to a computer network, including the Internet, to be a powerful and valuable educational and research tool, and encourages the use of computers and computer-related technology in district classrooms solely for promoting learning and teaching.
The computer network can provide a forum for learning various software applications and, through online databases, bulletin boards and electronic mail, can significantly enhance educational experiences and provide statewide, national and global communication opportunities for staff and students.

All users of the district's computer network and the Internet must understand that use is a privilege, not a right, and that use entails responsibility.
The Superintendent of Schools and the Principal of the building shall establish regulations governing the use and security of the district's computer network. All users of the district's computer network and equipment shall comply with this policy and those regulations. Failure to comply may result in disciplinary action as well as suspension and/or revocation of computer access privileges.
The Principal, under the direction of the Superintendent of Schools, shall be responsible to oversee the use of district computer resources and designating a computer network coordinator. The Principal and the computer coordinator will prepare in-service programs for the training and development of district staff computer skills, and for the incorporation use in appropriate areas.
The Superintendent, working in conjunction with the Principal, Computer Coordinator, and the Technology advisory committee will be responsible for the purchase and distribution of computer software and hardware throughout the school building. They shall prepare and submit for the Board's approval a comprehensive multi-year technology plan, which shall be revised as necessary to reflect changing technology and/or district needs.
Internet access is coordinated through a complex association of government agencies, and regional and state networks. In addition, the smooth operation of the network relies upon the proper conduct of the users who must adhere to strict guidelines. These guidelines are provided here so that you are aware of the responsibilities you are about to acquire. In general, this requires efficient, ethical, and legal utilization of the network resources.
If an East Moriches School District user violates any these provisions, his or her account will be terminated and future access could possibly be denied. The signature(s) at the end of this document is (are) legally binding and indicates the part (parties) who signed has (have) read the Computer Network for Education Regulations carefully and understand(s) their significance.

The following rules and regulations govern the use of the district's computer network system and access to the Internet.

1. Administration

The administration, technology advisory committee, and the designated computer coordinator will oversee the district's computer network. They shall monitor and examine network activities, as appropriate, to ensure proper use of the system.
The Principal and Computer Coordinator shall be responsible for disseminating and interpreting district policy and regulations governing use of the district's network at the building level with all network users.
The Principal shall provide employee training for proper use of the computer network and will ensure that staff will provide similar training to their students, including providing copies of district policy and regulations governing use of the district's network.
All computer servers have computer virus protection and will be constantly updated.
All student agreements to abide by district policy and regulations and parental consent forms shall be kept on file.

2. Internet Access

• Students will be provided access: during class time only; and at other times when supervised by a staff member.
• Students may use the World Wide Web with the fire wall protection provided.
• Students are not to participate in chat rooms.
• Students may not read news groups.
• Students may not construct their own web pages using district computer resources.
• Students will have a group e-mail address.
• A staff member will be required to monitor all (a combination) of these activities.

3. Acceptable Use

The purpose of the Internet is to support research and education in and among academic institutions in the U.S. by providing access to unique resources and the opportunity for collaborative work. The use of your account must be in support of education and research and consistent with the educational objectives of the East Moriches School District. Use of another organization's network or computing resources must comply with the rules appropriate for that network. Transmission of any material in violation of any U.S. or state regulation is prohibited. This includes, but is not limited to: copyrighted material; threatening or obscene material; expressions of bigotry, racism or hate; or material protected by trade secret. Use for commercial activities is generally not acceptable. Use for product advertisement or political lobbying is prohibited.
Access to the district's computer network is provided solely for educational purposes and research consistent with the district's mission and goals. Use of the district's computer network is a privilege, not a right. Each individual in whose name an access account is issued is responsible at all times for proper use. All networks users will be issued a log in name and password. Passwords must be changed periodically. Only those network users with the permission from the principal or computer network coordinator may access the district's system from off site (e.g., from home).

4. Network Etiquette

You are expected to abide by the generally accepted rules of network etiquette. These include, but are not limited to the following:

• Be polite. Do not get abusive in your messages to others.
• Use appropriate language. Do not swear, use vulgarities or any other inappropriate language. Illegal activities are strictly forbidden.
• Do not reveal your personal address or phone number of students or colleagues.
• Note that electronic mail (e-mail) is not guaranteed to be private. People who operate the system do have access to all mail. Messages relating to or in support of illegal activities may be reported to all authorities.
• Do not use the network in such a way that you would disrupt the use of the network by other users.
• All communications and information accessible via the network should be assumed to be private property.

5. Privileges

The use of the Internet is a privilege, not a right, and inappropriate use will result in a cancellation of those privileges. Each student who receives an account will be responsible for that account and its usage. Therefore, under no circumstances should your account be shared with anyone other than the school district Internet coordinator. Each student will also be required to attend an orientation session with an East Moriches School District faculty member pertaining to the proper use of the network. BOCES administrators will deem what is inappropriate use and their decision is final. Also, BOCES may close an account at any time as required. The administration, faculty, and staff of East Moriches School District may request the BOCES system administrator to deny, revoke, or suspend specific user accounts.

6. Security

Security on any computer system is high priority, especially when the system involves many users. If you feel you can identify a security problem on the Internet, you must notify a BOCES system administrator or the Computer Network Coordinator. Do not demonstrate the problem to other users. Attempts to log on to the Internet as a system administrator will result in cancellation of user privileges. Any user identified as a security risk or having a history of problems with other computer systems may be denied access to the Internet.

7. Prohibited Activity and Uses/Vandalism

Vandalism will result in cancellation of privileges. Vandalism is defined as any malicious attempt to harm or destroy data of another user, Internet or any of the above listed agencies or other networks that are connected to the Internet. This includes, but is not limited to, the uploading or creation of computer viruses.
The following is a list of prohibited activity concerning use of the district's computer network. Violation of any of these prohibitions may result in discipline or other appropriate penalty, including suspension or revocation of a user's access to the network.

• Using the network for commercial activity, including advertising.
• Infringing on any copyrights or other intellectual property rights, including copy, installing, receiving, transmitting or making available any copyrighted software on the district computer network.
• Using the network to receive, transmit or make available to others obscene, offensive, or sexually explicit material.
• Using the network to receive, transmit or make available to others messages that are racist, sexist, abusive or harassing to others.
• Using another user's account or password.
• Attempting to read, delete, copy or modify the electronic mail (e-mail) of other system users and deliberately interfering with the ability of other system users to send and/or receive e-mail.
• Forging or attempting to forge e-mail messages.
• Using the network to send anonymous messages or files.
• Using the network to receive, transmit or make available to others a message that is inconsistent with the district's Code of Conduct.
• Revealing the personal address, telephone number or other personal information of oneself or another person.
• Using the network for sending and/or receiving personal messages.
• Intentionally disrupting network traffic or crashing the network and connected systems.
• Installing personal software or using personal disks on the district's computers and/or network without permission of the appropriate district official or employee.
• Using district computing resources for commercial or financial gain or fraud.
• Stealing data, equipment or intellectual property.
• Gaining or seeking to gain unauthorized access to any files, resources, or computer or phone systems, or vandalize the data of another user.
• Wastefully using finite district resources.
• Changing or exceeding resource quotas as set by the district without the permission of the appropriate district official or employee.
• Using the network while access privileges are suspended or revoked.
• Using the network in a fashion inconsistent with directions from teachers and other staff and generally accepted network etiquette.

8. No Privacy Guarantee

Students using the district's computer network should not expect, nor does the district guarantee, privacy for electronic mail (e-mail) or any use of the district's computer network. The district reserves the right to access and view any material stored on district's equipment or any material used in conjunction with the district's computer network.

9. Sanctions

All users of the district's computer network and equipment are required to comply with the district's policy and regulations governing the district's computer network. Failure to comply with the policy or regulation may result in disciplinary action as well as suspension and/or revocation of computer access privileges.
In addition, illegal activities are strictly prohibited. Any information pertaining to or implicating illegal activity will be reported to the proper authorities. Transmission of any material in violation of any federal, state, and/or local law or regulation is prohibited. This includes, but is not limited to materials protected by copyright, threatening or obscene material or material protected by trade secret. Users must respect all intellectual and property rights and laws.

10. District Responsibilities/Warranties

BOCES and the East Moriches School district makes no warranties of any kind, whether expressed or implied, for the service it is providing. BOCES or the East Moriches School District will not be responsible for any damages you suffer. This includes loss of data resulting from delays, nondeliveries, miss deliveries, or service interruptions caused by its own negligence or your errors or omissions. Use of any information obtained via the Internet is at your own risk. BOCES specifically denies any responsibility for the accuracy or quality of information obtained through its services.
Users of the district's computer network and the Internet use information at their own risk. Each user is responsible for verifying the integrity and authenticity of the information that is used and provided. The district also will not be responsible for unauthorized financial obligations resulting from the use of access to the district's computer network or the Internet.
Further, even though the district may use technical or manual means to regulate access and information, these methods do not provide a foolproof means of the district policy and regulations.

The East Moriches Acceptable Use Policy was adopted by

the East Moriches UFSD Board of Education on , 1998.