7540.04 - STAFF EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY ACCEPTABLE USE AND SAFETY

Licking Valley Local School District

Administrative Guidelines

7540.04 - STAFF EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY ACCEPTABLE USE AND SAFETY

Staff members are authorized to use the Board's computers, laptops, tablets, personal communication devices (as defined by Policy 7530.02), network, and Internet connection and online educational services ("Education Technology" or "Ed-Tech") for educational and professional purposes. Use of the Education Technology is a privilege, not a right. Staff members must conduct themselves in a responsible, efficient, ethical, and legal manner. Unauthorized or inappropriate use of the Ed-Tech, including any violation of these guidelines, may result in cancellation of the privilege, disciplinary action consistent with the applicable collective bargaining agreement and Board policy, and/or civil or criminal liability. Prior to accessing the Education Technology, staff members must sign the Staff Education Technology Acceptable Use and Safety Agreement.

Smooth operation of the Board's Education Technology relies upon users adhering to the following guidelines. The guidelines outlined below are not exhaustive, but are provided so that users are aware of their general responsibilities.

	A.	Staff members are responsible for their behavior and communication using the Ed-Tech. All use of the Education Technology must be consistent with the educational mission and goals of the District.

	B.	Staff members may only access and use the Education Technology by using their assigned account and may only send school-related electronic communications using their District-assigned email addresses. Use of another person's account/email address/password is prohibited. Staff members may not allow other users to utilize their passwords. Staff members may not go beyond their authorized access. Staff members are responsible for taking steps to prevent unauthorized access to their accounts by logging off or "locking" their computers/laptops/tablets/personal communication devices when leaving them unattended.

	C.	Staff members may not intentionally seek information on, obtain copies of, or modify files, data or passwords belonging to other users, or misrepresent other users on the District’s network. Staff members may not intentionally disable any security features of the Ed-Tech.


D.	Staff members may not use the Education Technology to engage in "hacking" or other illegal activities (e.g., software pirating, intellectual property violations; engaging in slander, libel or harassment; threatening the life or safety of another; stalking; transmission of obscene materials or child pornography, including sexting; fraud; sale of illegal substances or goods).

	1.	Slander and libel are terms defined specifically in law. Generally, slander is "oral communication of false statements injurious to a person’s reputation," and libel is "a false publication in writing, printing, or typewriting or in signs or pictures that maliciously damages a person’s reputation or the act or an instance of presenting such a statement to the public." (The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language Third Edition is licensed from Houghton Mifflin Company. Copyright © 1992 by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.) Staff members shall not knowingly or recklessly post false or defamatory information about a person or organization. Staff members are reminded that material distributed over the Internet is "public" to a degree no other school publication or utterance is. As such, any remark may be seen by literally millions of people and harmful and false statements will be viewed in that light.


	2.	Staff members shall not use the Education Technology to transmit material that is threatening, obscene, disruptive, or sexually explicit or that can be construed as harassment or disparagement of others based upon their race, national origin, sex, sexual orientation or transgender identity, age, disability, religion or political beliefs. Sending, sharing, viewing or possessing pictures, text messages, e-mails or other materials of a sexual nature (i.e. sexting) in electronic or any other form, including the contents of a personal communication device or other electronic equipment is grounds for discipline, up to and including termination. Such actions will be reported to local law enforcement and child services as required by law.


E.	Transmission of any material in violation of any State or Federal law or regulation, or Board policy is prohibited.

F.	Any use of the Ed-Tech for commercial purposes (e.g., purchasing or offering for sale personal products or services by staff members), advertising, or political lobbying is prohibited.

G.	Staff members are expected to abide by the following generally accepted rules of online etiquette:

	1.	Be polite, courteous, and respectful in your messages to others. Use language appropriate to school situations in any communications made through the Education Technology. Refrain from using obscene, profane, lewd, vulgar, rude, inflammatory, sexually explicit, defamatory, threatening, abusive or disrespectful language in communication through the Ed-Tech (including, but not limited to, public messages, private messages, and material posted on web pages).

	2.	Do not engage in personal attacks, including prejudicial or discriminatory attacks.

	3.	Do not harass another person. Harassment is persistently acting in a manner that distresses or annoys another person. If a staff member is told by a person to stop sending him/her messages, the staff member must stop.

	4.	Do not post information that, if acted upon, could cause damage or a danger of disruption.

	5.	Never reveal names, addresses, phone numbers, or passwords of students while communicating on the Internet, unless there is prior written parental approval.

	6.	Check e-mail, frequently and delete e-mail promptly to avoid excessive use of the electronic mail disk space. Nothing herein, alters the staff member's responsibility to preserve e-mail and other electronically stored information that constitutes a public record, student education record and/or a record subject to a Litigation Hold.

H.	Staff members shall not use the Education Technology to access, process, distribute, display or print Prohibited Material at any time, for any purpose. Staff members may only access, process, distribute, display or print Restricted Material and/or Limited Access Material as authorized below.

	1.	Prohibited Material includes material that constitutes child pornography and material that is obscene, objectionable, inappropriate and/or harmful to minors, as defined by the Children’s Internet Protection Act. As such, the following material is prohibited: material that appeals to a prurient or unhealthy interest in nudity, sex, and excretion; material that depicts, describes or represents in a patently offensive way with respect to what is suitable for minors an actual or simulated sexual act or sexual contact, actual or simulated normal or perverted sexual acts, or a lewd exhibition of the genitals; and material that lacks serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value as to minors. Prohibited material also includes material that appeals to a prurient or unhealthy interest in, or depicts, describes or represents in a patently offensive way, violence, death, or bodily functions; material designated as for "adults" only; and material that promotes or advocates illegal activities.

	2.	Restricted material may be accessed by staff members in the context of specific learning activities for legitimate research or professional development purposes. Materials that may arguably fall within the description provided for Prohibited Material that have clear educational relevance, such as material with literary, artistic, political, or scientific value, will be considered to be Restricted. In addition, Restricted Material includes materials that promote or advocate the use of alcohol and tobacco, hate and discrimination, satanic and cult group membership, school cheating, and weapons. Sites that contain personal advertisements or facilitate making online connections with other people are Restricted unless such sites have been specifically approved by a building administrator or the Superintendent.


	3.	Limited Access Material is material that is generally considered to be non-educational or entertainment. Limited Access Material may be accessed in the context of specific learning activities. Limited Access Material includes such material as electronic commerce, games, jokes, recreation, entertainment, sports, and investment

	If a staff member inadvertently accesses material that is considered Prohibited or Restricted, s/he should immediately disclose the inadvertent access to the building principal or building principal or assistant principal. This will protect the staff member against an allegation that s/he intentionally violated the provision.

	The determination of whether material is Prohibited, Restricted, or Limited Access shall be based on the content of the material and the intended use of the material, not on the protective actions of the technology protection measures. The fact that the technology protection measures have not protected against access to certain material shall not create the presumption that such material is appropriate for staff members to access. The fact that the technology protection measures have blocked access to certain material shall not create the presumption that the material is inappropriate for staff members to access.

I.	Malicious use of the Education Technology to develop programs that harass other users or infiltrate a computer or computer system and/or damage the software components of a computer/laptop/tablet or computing system is prohibited. Staff members may not engage in vandalism or use the Ed-Tech in such a way that would disrupt its use by others. Vandalism is defined as any malicious or intentional attempt to harm, steal or destroy data of another user, school networks, or technology hardware. This includes but is not limited to uploading or creation of computer viruses, installing unapproved software, changing equipment configurations, deliberately destroying or stealing hardware and its components, or seeking to circumvent or bypass Network security and/or the Board's technology protection measures. Staff members must also refrain from intentionally wasting limited resources. Staff members must immediately notify the building principal or assistant principal if they identify a possible security problem. Staff members should not go looking for security problems (unless that is a component of their job description), because this may be construed as an unlawful attempt to gain access.


	J.	All communications and information accessible via the Internet should be assumed to be private property (i.e., copyrighted and/or trademarked). All copyright issues regarding software, information, and attributions/acknowledgement of authorship must be respected.

	K.	Downloading of information onto school-owned equipment or contracted online educational services is prohibited, without prior approval from principal. If a staff member transfers files from information services and electronic bulletin board services, the staff member must check the file with a virus-detection program before opening the file for use. Only public domain software may be downloaded. If a staff member transfers a file or installs a software program that infects the District’s Ed-Tech with a virus and causes damage, the staff member will be liable for any and all repair costs to make the Education Technology once again fully operational.

	L.	Staff members have no right or expectation to privacy when using the Education Technology. The District reserves the right to access and inspect any facet of the Ed-Tech, including, but not limited to, computers, laptops, tablets, personal communication devices, networks or Internet connections or online educational services, e-mail or other messaging or communication systems or any other electronic media within its technology systems or that otherwise constitutes its property and any data, information, e-mail, communication, transmission, upload, download, message or material of any nature or medium that may be contained therein. A staff member's use of the Ed-Tech constitutes his/her waiver of any right to privacy in anything s/he creates, stores, sends, transmits, uploads, downloads or receives on or through the Ed-Tech and related storage medium and equipment. Routine maintenance and monitoring, utilizing both technical monitoring systems and staff monitoring, may lead to discovery that a staff member has violated Board policy and/or the law. An individual search will be conducted if there is reasonable suspicion that a staff member has violated Board policy and/or law, or if requested by local, State or Federal law enforcement officials. Staff are reminded that their communications are subject to Ohio’s public records laws and FERPA.


		The following Notice will be included as part of the computer log-on screen:

		"The Board’s Education Technology (including computers, laptops, tablets, personal communication devices, network, and Internet connection and online educational services) is to be used for educational and professional purposes. Users are reminded that all use of the Education Technology, including Internet use, is monitored by the District and individual users have no expectation of privacy."

		Monitoring includes active attacks by authorized employees and/or agents of the School District to test or verify the security of the system. During monitoring, information may be examined, recorded, copied, and/or used for authorized purposes. All information, including personal information, placed on or sent over the system may be monitored. Such monitoring may result in the acquisition, recording, and/or analysis of all data communicated, transmitted, processed, or stored in this system by a user. Unauthorized use may subject you to disciplinary action and/or criminal prosecution. Evidence of unauthorized or improper use collected during monitoring may be used for administrative, criminal or other adverse action. Use of this computer system, authorized or unauthorized, constitutes consent to monitoring for these purposes."

	M.	Use of the Internet and any information procured from the Internet is at the staff member's own risk. The Board makes no warranties of any kind, either express or implied, that the functions or the services provided by or through the Ed-Tech will be error-free or without defect. The Board is not responsible for any damage a user may suffer, including, but not limited to, loss of data, service interruptions, or exposure to inappropriate material or people. The Board is not responsible for the accuracy or quality of information obtained through the Internet. Information (including text, graphics, audio, video, etc.) from Internet sources used in class must be cited the same as references to printed materials. The Board is not responsible for financial obligations arising through the unauthorized use of the Ed-Tech. Staff members will indemnify and hold the Board harmless from any losses sustained as the result of misuse of the Ed-Tech by the staff member.


	N.	Disclosure, use and/or dissemination of personally identifiable information of minors via the Internet is prohibited, except as expressly authorized by the minor student's parent/guardian on the "Student Education Technology Acceptable Use and Safety Agreement Form."

	O.	Staff members own the copyright to works created outside the scope of their employment responsibilities and without the use of Board resources. Staff members may post such work on the District website to facilitate access by students and/or staff. Notice of such posting and claim of ownership must be provided to the building principal. By posting such work on the District’s website, the staff member agrees to grant a non-exclusive license or permission for any staff or student within the District to freely use such work. The Board shall own the copyright on any works created by staff members within the scope of their employment responsibilities.

	P.	Staff members are reminded that personally identifiable student information is confidential and may not be disclosed without prior written parental permission.

	Q.	File-sharing is strictly prohibited. Staff members are prohibited from downloading and/or installing file-sharing software or programs on the Ed-Tech.

	R.	Staff members may not establish or access web-based e-mail accounts on commercial services through the Ed-Tech (e.g., Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo mail, etc.).

	S.	Since there is no central authority on the Internet, each site is responsible for its own users. Complaints received from other sites regarding any of the District’s users will be fully investigated and disciplinary action will be taken as appropriate.

	T.	Preservation of Resources: Computer resources are limited. Because space on disk drives and bandwidth across the lines which connect the District’s Ed-Tech (both internally and externally) are limited, neither programs nor information may be stored on the system without the permission of the principal. Each staff member is permitted reasonable space to store e-mail, web, and personal files. The Board reserves the right to require the purging of files in order to regain disk space.


U.	Staff members are encouraged to limit student exposure to commercial advertising and product promotion when developing the District or classroom websites or giving other assignments that utilize the Internet. Under all circumstances, staff members must comply with COPPA.

	1.	Websites with extensive commercial advertising may be included on the District or classroom websites or designated as a required or recommended site only if there is a compelling educational reason for such selection.

	2.	Staff members may make use of high-quality, unbiased online educational materials that have been produced with corporate sponsorship. Staff members may not make use of educational materials that have been developed primarily for the purpose of promoting a company and/or its products or services.

P.L. 106-554, Children's Internet Protection Act of 2000
47 U.S.C. 254(h), (1), Communications Act of 1934, as amended (2003)
20 U.S.C. 6801 et seq., Part F, Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as
amended (2003)
18 U.S.C. 1460
18 U.S.C. 2246
18 U.S.C. 2256A
20 U.S.C. 677, 9134 (2003)

Approved 12/09
Revised 11/14/14