Internet Safety & Acceptable Use Policy

The computers, hardware, software, and local area computer network (LAN) in each school and the district office are maintained to provide a variety of quality educational resources to the students, staff, and communities of the Lake and Peninsula School District, including:

• Electronic mail (e-mail)
• The World Wide Web and other Internet resources
• File sharing of local and district information
• Internet-connected devices and software

The goal in providing these services is to support the District’s Mission and Student Outcomes by facilitating resource sharing, innovations, research, and communication.

In response to the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) and subsequent Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rulings on the implementation of the Act, Lake and Peninsula School District has implemented the following measures to ensure the safety of its students and to comply with the requirements of the Act.

1. To prevent access to visual depictions of an obscene or child pornographic nature, Lake and Peninsula School District will implement a technology protection measure to filter all web access on all computers to inappropriate visual materials and supervise all student use of computers.
2. To prevent access by minors to inappropriate materials on the internet and to ensure the safety and security of minors when using e-mail, chat rooms, etc., Lake and Peninsula School District will supervise all student use of computers and will filter student internet access using filtering software.
3. To prevent unauthorized access such as “hacking” and other unlawful activities by minors, Lake and Peninsula School District will utilize network security and maintenance software and will supervise all student use of computers.
4. To prevent unauthorized disclosure, use, and dissemination of personal information regarding minors, Lake and Peninsula School District will ensure that students are under adult supervision when using computers and will educate students to the risks of disclosure of personal information on the internet.
5. To restrict minors’ access to materials harmful to minors, Lake and Peninsula School District will supervise all student use of computers and will filter student internet access while on campus using filtering software.

With access to computers and people locally and world-wide, materials that may not be considered to be of educational value in the context of the school setting become available. While internet content filtering will enable the blocking of access to known inappropriate resources and services designed to defeat filtering, no electronic technology measure can guarantee blocking of all non-educational materials. The District believes, however, that the benefits of the computer network including the value of the information and the opportunities for interaction with colleagues and peers far outweigh the possibility that users may obtain material that is objectionable, controversial, or not consistent with the educational goals of Lake and Peninsula School District.

The inappropriate use of the Lake and Peninsula School District’s computer network will result in a cancellation of the privilege of using the computer network and possible disciplinary action. Electronic mail, internet use and other network activity is not private. The computer equipment and software within the school, as well as the electronic mail and internet services, are the property of the District. Lake and Peninsula School District reserves the right to access and/or monitor any and all activity and materials performed on, or contained on, District equipment or networks.

Each user will be responsible for complying with the guidelines set forth in this “Internet Safety and Acceptable Use Policy” and applicable internet and technology procedures. Privileges will be denied, revoked or suspended for users who do not comply with the terms of the Internet Safety and Acceptable Use Agreement. Users identified as a security risk, or identified as having a history of inappropriate use or problems with other computer systems will be denied access to the network. Any employee identified as having violated District safety and use guidelines will be subject to disciplinary action up to and including termination of employment.

Harassment and cyberbullying will not be tolerated and shall result in disciplinary action.

Harassment is a single act or course of conduct directed toward an individual or group of people that serves no legitimate purpose other than to annoy, intimidate, frighten, alarm, torment, or abuse that person or group.

Cyberbullying is prohibited and will result in disciplinary action. Cyberbullying encompasses any of the already prohibited actions, such as bullying, discrimination, or harassment, accomplished through electronic means. “Electronic means” include, but are not limited to, information and communication technologies such as e-mail, voice mail, cell phone text messages, instant messaging (IM), personal websites, weblogs, and online personal polling websites. Examples of cyberbullying include:

• Posting slurs or rumors or other disparaging remarks about a student or staff member on any website or weblog;
• Sending e-mail or instant messages that are harassing or threatening;
• Taking and sending an unauthorized and unwanted photograph of a student or staff member.

The District will discipline a student the district determines has engaged in cyberbullying that takes place on school grounds, at any school-sponsored activity, on school-provided transportation or at any official school bus stop, through the use of the District Internet system or on any District equipment, or at any time off-campus if the cyberbullying causes or threatens to cause a substantial and material disruption at school or interference with a student’s education or security. Any action by a student or parent deemed inappropriate will be fully investigated by an LPSD administrator. Consequences for student actions that violate this policy shall be determined by an LPSD administrator and could result in disciplinary action.

1. Students accessing network services must be under the supervision of a staff member or adult approved by the local site administrator.
2. Users must follow the directions of the adult responsible for supervision, the terms of this Internet Safety and Acceptable Use Agreement and proper network etiquette.
3. Users must comply with the established rules of other organizations’ network or computing resources while using those networks or resources.
4. User IDs are to be used only by the authorized owner of the account. Users shall not intentionally seek information on, obtain copies of, or modify files, other data, or passwords belonging to other users.
5. Users identifying a security problem on the network must immediately notify the site administrator or the LPSD Helpdesk and shall not demonstrate the problem to others.
6. All District electronic communication shall be conducted on District electronic mail systems and web servers.
7. Users finding an inappropriate e-mail message, website, or file must immediately back out of the area and report the incident to the supervising adult or local network administrator.
8. Users may not pass bulk “chain mail” via District e-mail systems.
9. Students will not reveal their home address, home phone number, social security number or any other personal information for themselves or others to anyone online.
10. Users may publish only those documents which conform to the District’s Publishing Guidelines, have been edited by a staff member, and have proper approval.
11. Users shall be responsible for additional online fees or merchandise charges they incur that are not covered by District or School access services.
12. Users must follow applicable copyright laws, obtaining proper use permissions and include the author or source of e-mail messages, web pages, or files when copying portions of documents.
13. Never read someone else’s e-mail or files without permission; provided however, that this provision shall not impair or prohibit the District’s right to review and monitor computer and network usage.
14. Users must act in a responsible, ethical and legal manner in accordance with any Federal, State or District laws, rules, policies, guidelines or regulations. Use of the network for the following purposes is prohibited:
    • Facilitating illegal activity.
    • Promoting or advertising for commercial or for-profit products or services.
    • Promoting political campaigning, political lobbying or religious purposes.
    • Performing non-work/school related work during regular school/work hours.
    • Creating or transmitting hate mail, discriminatory remarks, profane or inappropriate language, offensive or inflammatory communication.
    • Illegally installing, distributing, modifying, reproducing or using copyrighted material.
    • Accessing obscene or pornographic material.
    • Intentionally obtaining or modifying files, passwords or data belonging to others.
    • Impersonating other users (utilizing another user’s password or access).
    • Posting anonymous messages.
    • Installing, downloading, or uploading unauthorized or non-licensed games, programs, files, or other electronic media.
    • Destroying, modifying or abusing hardware, software, or data that could disrupt network services.
    • Disrupting the work or learning environment of other users on the network.
    • Quoting or forwarding personal communications in a public forum, including, but not limited to chat rooms and listservs, without the original author’s prior consent.
    • Student participation in non-District sponsored “chat” areas.
    • Student use of non-District sponsored e-mail accounts.

• Student / Parent Handbook (Appendix B)PDFIncludes the signature pages for the user agreement
• Board Policy Manual↗BP 6161.4, Internet

Contact your site administrator or the district technology department at helpdesk@lpsd.com.