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EAST MEADOW UNION FREE PUBLIC SCHOOLS TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR USE OF THE INSTRUCTIONAL COMPUTER NETWORK AND INTERNET
Users of the Instructional Network with all of its resources and the Internet in any of the East Meadow Public Schools must agree to the following terms and conditions:
Terms and Conditions
You agree to seek information that has educational value in the context of the East Meadow Public School setting. This means that you are seeking information directly related to course and class work in the school. You agree to efficient, ethical, and legal utilization of the school’s computer resources. Any breach of these conditions may lead to withdrawal of your access, monitoring and/or retrospective investigation of your use of services, and in some instances could lead to criminal prosecution. Any misuse of the conditions in this agreement will also be considered a disciplinary matter. The Instructional Network and its resources, including Internet access, should not be used for personal reasons.
Your signature at the end of this document indicates that you have read these terms and agree to them.
Acceptable Use: The purpose of the Instructional Network is to support research and education by providing access to unique resources and the opportunity for collaborative work. The use of the Instructional Network must be in support of education and research, and it must be consistent with the educational objectives of the schools.
You will not transmit any material in violation of any United States or state regulation, state law, or Board of Education policy. This includes, but is not limited to copyrighted material, threatening or obscene material, or other inappropriate or harmful material.
Privileges: The use of the Instructional Network and its resources, including the Internet, is a privilege, not a right, and must be treated with the highest ethical standards. Inappropriate use will result in the cancellation of your privileges by the school administrator or the Director of Instructional Technology. The school will determine what is appropriate use and its decision is final, subject to appeal to the Superintendent of Schools or his designee. The school may close an account or prohibit you from using the Instructional Network or the Internet at any time as deemed necessary by administrative staff. Any problems and/or questions must be directed to the principal first. You have the full responsibility for the use of the account, and under no conditions should you share an account or a password with any other person.
Netiquette: You are expected to abide by the generally accepted rules of network etiquette. These include but are not limited to the following:
Unacceptable Use: Examples of unacceptable use include but are not limited to the following:
Cyberbullying & Sexting: Cyberbullying is “the repeated use of information technology, including but not limited to email, instant messaging, blogs, chat rooms, cell phones and gaming systems to deliberately harass, threaten or intimidate others.” Sexting is defined as “sending, receiving or forwarding sexually suggestive nude or nearly nude photos through text message or email.” Disciplinary or referral actions may be taken.
Plagiarism: Plagiarism is taking the ideas or writings of others and presenting them as if they were yours. Do not plagiarize works that you find on the Internet as this is delineated in the East Meadow Code of Conduct. Copyright infringement occurs when you inappropriately reproduce a work that is protected by a copyright. Respect the rights of copyright owners. If a work contains language that specifies appropriate use of that work, you should follow the expressed requirements. If you are unsure whether or not you can use a work, you should request permission from the copyright owner. Copyright law can be very confusing. If you have questions, you should ask a teacher.
Warranties: The school or district is not responsible for loss of data resulting from delays, non-deliveries, mis-deliveries, or service interruptions caused by any reason. Use of any information obtained from the Internet is at your own risk. The East Meadow School District cannot be responsible for the accuracy or quality of information obtained through the Internet Service Provider. It is your responsibility to verify the integrity and authenticity of information. The East Meadow School District makes a reasonable attempt to filter inappropriate material; however, no filtering system is absolute. If sites are received over the Instructional Network that are inappropriate and brought to the attention of the district or school, every effort will be made to block the site(s).
Services: There will be no warranties of any kind, whether expressed or implied, for the network service offered by the school. The school will not be responsible for any damages suffered while on the system. The damages include loss of data as a result of delays, non-deliveries, or service interruptions caused by the system or your errors of omission. Use of any information obtained via the network is at your 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 or access to the District’s computer network or Internet.
No Privacy Guarantee: Anyone using the district’s computer network should not expect, nor does the district guarantee privacy for any use of the District’s computer network. The District reserves the right to access and view any material stored on the District’s equipment or any material used in conjunction with the District’s computer network.
Online communications between staff and students pose unique learning opportunities as well as potentially negative consequences. Staff and students should always be aware that online communications can become part of the public domain and should not be considered private. They should also be aware that information stored on District equipment is subject to review.
Security Issues: Security on any computer is a high priority, especially when the system involves many users. If you identify a security problem on the Instructional Network or the Internet, you must notify a teacher, library media specialist or the principal immediately. Due to the potential for virus transmissions, students with home "always-on" access such as Cablevision or DSL connections will not be allowed to FTP to their home computers.
Vandalism: Any act of vandalism may result in the imposition of penalties, including, but not limited to, revocation of access privileges, school disciplinary action and legal action. Vandalism is defined as any attempt to harm or destroy data or hardware or to change the operating configuration of any computer or any networks connected to the computer. This includes, but is not limited to, the uploading or creation of computer viruses.
If you attempt to login to any computer as a system administrator, or attempt to by-pass or remove any security component, or place any inappropriate material on the computer, your privileges will be canceled and other disciplinary action may be taken. If you are identified as a security risk or as a student who has a history of infractions with other computer systems, you may be denied access to a computer and/or the Internet.
Personal Devices: The District will NOT be held liable for any personal device lost or stolen while on school property.
Physical Security: Students and staff are expected to ensure that portable equipment such as laptops, digital cameras, and video cameras are securely locked away when they are not being used.
Willful Damage: Vandalism will result in the cancellation of your privileges. Vandalism is defined as any attempt to harm or destroy data or hardware, or to change the operating configuration of any computer or any networks connected to the computer. This includes, but is not limited to, the uploading or creation of computer viruses.
Software Agreement: Throughout the school year, the district will ask students to use certain third party software for educational purposes. Examples of this software include, but are not limited to, Castle Learning, Google Apps, Turn It In, etc. Some of these third party providers require students who are between the ages of 13-17 to receive parent permission to use their product. To the best of its ability, the district verifies that said software does not collect personal data or claim a student’s work becomes the property of the provider. Signing this agreement confers consent to use said software.
Publishing Student Photographs and Work: Part of the value of the Internet is to broadcast some of the outstanding work and activities our students are doing in our schools. The school district may publish student photographs while engaged in schoolwork or school activities. The district will not publish student names, addresses, or personal information, although the teacher’s name may be used to identify the class or group. In the case of student work, students may only be identified by first name and teacher name, such as “Jane, 5th grader in Mrs. Jone’s Class at the Barnum Woods Elementary School.” If further identification is required, parents will be contacted to obtain their explicit permission to publish the student’s name. Faculty will only post pictures of children in groups.
Media Publications: For the safety of our students, District employees should follow these guidelines when posting student-related information to the District’s website and sites that link from the District website:
Publishing includes, but is not limited to:
Online newspapers
YOU MUST SIGN THE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT SHEET INDICATING THAT YOU AGREE TO THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS TO BE ABLE TO USE THE INSTRUCTIONAL NETWORK AND THE INTERNET IN SCHOOL. Student's Signature: __________________________ Date: ________________ Parent's Name: (print) ________________________ "I have read the above information about the appropriate use of computers at school and have discussed the contents with my child. I understand this agreement will be kept on file at the school." (Questions should be directed to the principal for clarification.) Parent's Signature: ___________________________ Date: ________________ RETURN ONLY THIS PAGE TO YOUR CHILD'S SCHOOL. THANK YOU FOR YOUR THOUGHTFUL ATTENTION TO THESE MATTERS.