Upper Arlington City School District
Bylaws & Policies
 

7540.03 - STUDENT NETWORK AND INTERNET ACCEPTABLE USE AND SAFETY

The District provides Internet access through the Upper Arlington network system to all students and staff. Internet access allows classrooms and individuals to have access to information, software, news and opinion, and communication by electronic mail that originates from any point in the world. In providing this access the District promotes intellectual research inquiry, resource sharing through collaboration, innovation, the creation of new knowledge, and communication with audiences inside and outside Upper Arlington in a socially, intellectually, and legally responsible atmosphere. The following provisions govern all access to and use of the Upper Arlington network system.

 A.Educational Purpose of Internet Access
  The Upper Arlington network system has been established for limited educational purposes including classroom activities, direct and independent learning activities, individual and collaborative writing and publishing, career development, personal productivity, and other high-quality learning activities.
  The Upper Arlington network system is not a public access service or a public forum. The District has the right to place reasonable restrictions on the material and individuals who can access or post on the network system. Students are expected to follow rules set forth in the District disciplinary code, and all users will follow the rules set forth in this policy, the laws of Ohio, and all Federal regulations.
  The Upper Arlington network system may not be used for commercial purposes. This means an individual may not offer, provide, or purchase products or services through the network.
  Individuals may not use the network for paid political lobbying. Individuals may use the network to communicate with elected representatives and to express personal opinions regarding political issues.
 B.Educational Purpose of Electronic Communication
  Electronic mail is provided for the purpose of communicating with others in support of direct and independent learning as well as participating in and collaborating with peers, experts and others in curriculum related problem solving activities for the purpose of developing solutions or products for audiences inside and outside the classroom.
  All users who have a signed Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) on file will have access to the Internet and World Wide Web (www) information resources through their classroom, library, or computer labs.
  Elementary students will have e-mail access under teachers’ direct supervision.
  Secondary students may obtain an individual e-mail account with the approval of their parents.
  Individual students and their parents must sign an AUP agreement to be granted an individual e-mail account on the network. This agreement must be renewed on an annual basis.
  Parents can withdraw approval for their student’s e-mail account at any time with written notification to school officials.
  If approved by building principals or designee, an individual student may create a Web page on the UA network. All materials placed on the Web page must be pre-approved in a manner specified by the school. Material placed on the Web page must relate to school and career preparation activities.
 C.Unacceptable Uses
  Unacceptable uses of the UA network system include issues related to personal safety, illegal activities, system security, inappropriate language, respect for privacy, respect for resources, plagiarism, and copyright infringement. The following uses of the UA network are considered unacceptable:
  1.Personal Safety
   a.Individuals may not post personal contact information about themselves or other people. Personal contact information includes one’s full name, address, telephone number, school address, work address, etc.
   b.No student should agree to meet with someone s/he has met on line without parent approval. A parent should accompany the student to such a meeting.
   c.Any student will promptly disclose to his/her teacher or other authorized school employee any message received that is inappropriate or makes the student feel uncomfortable.
  2.Illegal Activities
   a.No individual user will attempt to gain unauthorized access to the UA network or go beyond authorized access. This includes attempting to log on through another person’s account or access another person’s files. These actions are illegal.
   b.No individual user will attempt to disrupt the UA network system or destroy data by spreading computer viruses or by any other means. These actions are illegal.
   c.No individual user may use the UA network to engage in any illegal act, such as arranging for a drug sale, engaging in criminal gang activity, threatening the safety of another person, etc.
   d.No individual user may use the UA network to participate in gambling activities. These activities are illegal for students.
  3.System Security
   a.Each individual user is responsible for his/her individual account and shall take all reasonable precautions to prevent others from being able to use that account. Under no circumstances should an individual provide his/her password to another person.
   b.Individual users will immediately notify a teacher or the system administrator if s/he has identified a possible security problem.
   c.All individual users will avoid the inadvertent spreading of computer viruses by following the District virus protection procedures when downloading software.
  4.Inappropriate Language
   Restrictions against inappropriate language apply to public messages, private messages, and material posted on Web pages. All users should use language appropriate for school situations as indicated by our Rights and Responsibilities Handbook.
   a.Individual users may not use obscene, profane, lewd, vulgar, rude, inflammatory, threatening, or disrespectful language when using the UA network.
   b.Individual users may not post information that could cause damage or be a dangerous disruption.
   c.Individual users may not engage in personal attacks, including prejudicial or discriminatory attacks against another individual through the use of the UA network.
   d.Individual users may not harass another person. Harassment is defined in the Rights and Responsibilities Handbook. If a person is told by another individual to stop sending messages to them, then the person must stop immediately.
   e.An individual user may not knowingly or recklessly post false or defamatory information about another person or organization while using the UA network.
  5.Respect for Privacy
   No message may be reposted that has been sent to an individual privately without permission of the person who sent the message. Private information will never be posted by another person about another person without permission.
  6.Respecting Resource Limits
   a.The UA network system may only be used for classroom activities, career development activities, and high-quality learning activities.
   b.Large files may not be downloaded unless absolutely necessary. If necessary, an individual will download the file only with the permission from the teacher in authority.
   c.Individual users will check e-mail frequently, delete unwanted messages promptly, and stay within e-mail quotas.
   d.Individual users will not post chain letters or engage in spamming. Spamming is defined as sending an annoying or unnecessary message to an individual or a group of people.
   e.Individual users using the UA network will subscribe only to high-quality discussion groups, listservs or e-mail lists that are relevant to educational purposes or career development.
  7.Plagiarism and Copyright Infringement
   Writing is a complex, imaginative activity which helps students perceive the world and make sense of it. Writing is hard work involving intense individual effort. The District respects the individuality of each student to think independently while using teachers as resources and collaborators.
   Students are, therefore, expected to develop and evolve as independent thinkers and writers. Students who use the writing of others as a substitute for their own will be penalized in accordance with the rules prohibiting such behavior as outlined in District policy and the Students’ Rights and Responsibilities Handbook. These same rules of conduct for writing will apply to those who use the UA network. The two (2) key issues to be addressed by writers are plagiarism and copyright infringement.
   Plagiarism can take many forms, including the following:
   a.Using papers that are copies of another’s work, including magazines, books, electronic resources, or another student’s draft copies.
   b.Failing to acknowledge the resources used including electronic resources. Students must give credit to other author’s thoughts, words, and graphics.
   c.Using another person’s computer file and representing it as original work.
   d.Getting help from an editor, including online editors, in a way that the editor’s actual words are used.
   e.Infringing upon copyright.
 

Copyright infringement includes the following:
 
 

Inappropriately reproducing work that is protected by a copyright. If a work contains language that specifies appropriate use of that work, individuals should follow the expressed requirements for citing the work. If unsure whether or not one can use a work, one should request permission from the copyright owner.
 
 

Plagiarism and copyright infringement will be dealt with as appropriately defined by the school rules and regulations and by the Students’ Rights and Responsibilities Handbook.
  8.Access to Inappropriate Materials
   a.No individual user may use the UA network to access material that is profane or obscene (pornography), that advocates illegal acts, or that advocates violence or discrimination towards other people. A special exception may be made for certain aspects of hate literature if the purpose of the access is to conduct research and the student has the approval of the teacher.
   b.If an individual user mistakenly accesses inappropriate information, s/he should immediately tell his/her teacher or another District employee or disclose this access in the manner specified by school regulations. This will protect any person against a claim s/he has intentionally violated inappropriate access policy.
   c.Parents may instruct their children regarding other material they believe to be inappropriate and prohibit such access to their children. The District fully expects that each child will follow his/her parent’s instruction in this manner.
  9.Individual Rights
   a.Free speech and an individual’s rights to free speech as set forth in the Students’ Rights and Responsibilities Handbook applies to all communication on the UA network. Access to the UA network is provided to students in conjunction with the educational programs of educational reasons. The District will not restrict individual speech on the basis of a disagreement with the opinions being expressed.
   b.Search and Seizure: Individual users should not expect privacy regarding the contents of personal files on the District system. The situation is similar to the rights one has regarding the privacy of his/her locker.
   c.Routine maintenance and monitoring of the UA network may lead to the discovery that individuals have violated the Acceptable Use Policy, the Students’ Rights and Responsibilities Handbook or the law. When such violations have been identified, appropriate actions will follow.
   d.An authorized official review will be conducted of personal files on the UA network anytime there is reason to believe that an individual has violated the AUP policy, the Students’ Rights and Responsibilities policies, or the law.
   e.Due Process:
    1)The District will cooperate fully with local, State, or Federal officials in any investigation related to any illegal activities conducted through the UA network.
    2)In the event there is a claim regarding an individual’s violation of the Acceptable Use Policy or the Students’ Rights and Responsibilities Handbook in the use of the UA network, the individual will be provided with the appropriate notification as defined by the Students’ Rights and Responsibilities Handbook and will be provided with an opportunity to be heard in the manner set forth in the Students’ Rights and Responsibilities Handbook.
    3)If an infringement of use of the UA network involves a violation of other provisions of the Students’ Rights and Responsibilities Handbook, it will be handled in a manner described in the Students’ Rights and Responsibilities Handbook. Additional educationally reasonable restrictions may be placed on the use of any Internet account by individual schools.
    4)Any violation of this Acceptable Use Policy may, in addition to any other penalties which may apply, result in the loss of access to the UA network.
  10;Limitation of Liability
   The District makes no guarantee that the functions or the services provided by or through the District network or the Internet provider will be error free or without defect. The District will not be responsible for any damage an individual may suffer, including but not limited to a loss of or non-delivery of data or interruption 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 UA network.

See Form 7540.03 F1.

H.R. 4577, P.L. 106-554, Children's Internet Protection Act of 2000
47 U.S.C. 254(h), (1), Communications Act of 1934, as amended
20 U.S.C. 6801 et seq., Part F, Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965,
as amended
18 U.S.C. 2256
18 U.S.C. 1460
18 U.S.C. 2246