2361/page 1 of 8 M 2361 ACCEPTABLE USE OF COMPUTER NETWORK/COMPUTERS AND RESOURCES The Board shall develop a technology plan that effectively uses electronic communication to advance and promote learning and teaching. This system of technology shall be used to provide local, statewide, national, and global communications opportunities for staff and pupils. Educational technology shall be infused into the district curriculum to maximize pupil achievement of the Core Curriculum Content Standards. Purpose To support its commitment to providing avenues of access to the universe of information available, the district s system of electronic communication shall include access to the Internet for pupils and staff. Limitation of Liability The Internet constitutes an unregulated collection of resources that changes constantly, so it is not possible to totally predict or control the resources that users may locate. The Board cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information or the appropriateness of materials that a user may encounter. Furthermore, the Board shall not be responsible for any damage users may suffer, including but not limited to, loss of data or interruptions of service. Nor shall the Board be responsible for financial obligations arising through the unauthorized use of the system. District Rights and Responsibilities The computer system is the property of the district, and all computer software and hardware belong to it. Therefore, the district retains the right to monitor all computer usage and all access to and use of the Internet. The Superintendent or his/her designee maintains the right to block any Internet site. The Board designates the Superintendent as the coordinator of the district system. He/she shall recommend to the Board of Education qualified staff persons to ensure provision of individual and class accounts necessary for access to the Internet, designation of quotas for disk usage on the system, establishment of a document retention schedule, establishment of a virus protection process and coordination of other activities as required to maintain the system.
2361/page 2 of 8 Each Principal, with the assistance of the district Supervisor of Technology, shall coordinate the district system in his/her building by approving all activities for that building; ensuring that teachers receive proper training in the use of the system; ensuring that pupils are adequately supervised when using the system; maintaining executed user agreements; and interpreting this acceptable use policy at the building level. Access to the System This acceptable use policy shall govern all use of the system. Sanctions for pupil misuse of the system shall be included in the disciplinary code for pupils, as set out in regulations for policy 5600 Pupil Discipline/Code of Conduct. Employee misuse may result in appropriate discipline in accord with the collective bargaining agreement and applicable laws and regulations. Use may be revoked at any time based on extenuating circumstances. The Board shall ensure the acquisition and installation of blocking/filtering software to deny access to certain areas of the Internet. World Wide Web All pupils and employees of the Board shall have access to the Web through the district s computers. Parents/guardians and staff members shall agree to the District s Acceptable Use Policy in writing. A request to deny access to a pupil must be submitted in writing to the Building Principal by the pupil's parent(s) or legal guardian(s). Employee Conduct in Electronic Forums It is important for employees to conduct themselves with care in any electronic forum. Professional educators and school employees must be highly cognizant of any information placed or posted on the Internet or shared electronically in any manner. Employees shall adhere to the following when conducting themselves in electronic forums: 1. Employees shall not post any language or information in a public fashion that can be construed as unprofessional or unbecoming of a professional educator or school employee. 2. The Board of Education considers the confidentiality of students, employees and district business of the utmost importance. Violations of such confidentiality are strictly prohibited.
2361/page 3 of 8 3. The privacy of all children must be protected at all times. Employees may not share any information about a student, or divulge any information that could potentially identify a student, in any electronic or other forum that is not for the sole purpose of conducting confidential school business. Employees may not post any images of a student or students in any electronic forum without the express written consent of the district and parent(s)/guardian(s). 4. Employees shall refrain from discussing confidential or sensitive official school business in any forum not for the sole purpose of such business. 5. Employees should refrain from interacting with students via social networking and text messaging, other than for official school-related business. 6. Employees who learn that a student, parent or employee, or other individual has posted disparaging or threatening content about any school employee, student, or the district on any Internet page or in any electronic forum, shall immediately report the matter to a building administrator or supervisor for investigation. 7. Additional information and expectations regarding employee conduct in Social Networking forums may be found in Policy #S3232 and #S4282 Use of Social Networking Sites. Individual Network Accounts for Pupils Pupils in grades three through twelve may have individual accounts at the request of teachers and with the consent of parent(s) or legal guardian(s). An individual account for any such pupil shall require an agreement signed by the pupil and his/her parent(s) or legal guardian(s). District emails are the property of the school district and may be inspected by the administration at any time. Accounts for students in grades 3-12 may include email. Parents/guardians shall be notified that email is an important instructional management tool that enhances student-to-teacher, teacher-to-student, and student-tostudent communication and collaboration, and can enhance the instruction process for students. However, parents/guardians shall be notified of their right to opt their child out of being assigned an email account. In such case, the student would still be provided a network account with the permission of parent/guardians for electronic document storage, which is important for many classroom assignments and regular classwork.
2361/page 4 of 8 Student email accounts shall utilize the following standard email signature. Modifications or additions are not permitted. Students are prohibited from deleting the signature in an email. first initial and last name Student Burlington Township School District, www.burltwpsch.org Notice: All emails sent or received by a district-assigned account are the property of the Burlington Township School District and may be inspected at any time. Per Policy #2361 Acceptable Use of Computer Networks/Computers, the BTSD prohibits the use of obscene, profane, lewd, vulgar, rude, harassing, discriminatory, or defamatory language in online communication, or the transmission or sharing of any content, attachments, links, or other media of such language. Per policies #S5512 and #S5512.02, harassment, intimidation and/or bullying online are strictly prohibited. Any individual receiving or viewing a message violating any of the aforementioned shall report such violations to the school principal and/or Superintendent of Schools. Deleting this signature is strictly prohibited. Individual Network Accounts for District Employees District employees shall be provided with an individual account and remote access to the system. District emails may be public documents and are the property of the school district. All District emails may be inspected by the administration at any time. All employees shall only use their school district issued email account for all school district business. All employees shall regularly check and respond in a timely manner to email. When practicable, employees shall a knowledge receipt or respond to email with two business days of receipt of the email. Employee email accounts shall utilize the following standard email signature. Modifications or additions are not permitted. Name Title School Burlington Township School District Street Address
2361/page 5 of 8 Burlington, NJ 08016 Phone: Fax: Website: optional Blog: optional Email: BTSD All Students Achieving CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This email is the property of the Burlington Township Board of Education and is intended solely for the designated recipient(s). The information contained in this email may be privileged and confidential or may be subject to public disclosure. If you are not an intended recipient of this email, the reading, dissemination, distribution, copying or use of the information contained in this email is strictly prohibited. If you have received this email message in error, please email the sender and delete this email message which you have mistakenly received. Supervision of pupils Pupil use of the Internet shall be supervised by qualified staff. District Web Site The Board authorizes the Superintendent to establish and maintain a district web site. The purpose of the web site will be to inform the district educational community of district programs, policies and practices. Individual schools and classes may also establish web sites that include information on the activities of that school or class. The Building Principal shall oversee these web sites. The Superintendent shall publish and disseminate guidelines on acceptable material for these web sites. The Superintendent shall also ensure that district and school web sites do not disclose personally identifiable information about pupils without prior written consent from parent(s) or legal guardian(s). Consent shall be obtained on the form developed by the State Department of Education. "Personally identifiable information" refers to pupil names, photos, addresses, e-mail addresses, phone numbers, locations, and times of class trips. Parental Notification and Responsibility
2361/page 6 of 8 The Superintendent shall ensure that parent(s) or legal guardian(s) are notified about the district network and the rules governing its use. Parent(s) or legal guardian(s) shall sign an agreement to allow their child(ren) to have an individual account. Pupil Safety Practices Pupils shall not post personal contact information about themselves or others. Nor shall pupils engage in any kind of personal contact with individuals they meet online. Attempts at contact from such individuals shall be reported immediately to the staff person monitoring that child's access to the Internet. Personal contact information includes but is not limited to names, home/school/work addresses, telephone numbers, or personal photographs. Prohibited Activities Users shall not attempt to gain unauthorized access to the district system or to any other computer system through the district system, nor shall they go beyond their authorized access. This includes attempting to log in through another individual's account or accessing another's files. Users shall not deliberately attempt any type of vandalism, which is defined as any attempt to harm or destroy hardware, equipment systems, and/or the data contained therein nor attempt to disrupt the district's computer system performance or destroy data by spreading computer viruses, worms, "Trojan Horses," trap door program codes or any similar product that can damage computer systems, firewalls, servers or network systems. Users shall not deliberately attempt to circumvent the district s security and/or Internet filtering system. Users shall not use the district system to engage in illegal activities. Users shall not access material that is profane or obscene, that advocates illegal acts, or that advocates violence or hate. Inadvertent access to such material should be reported immediately to the supervising staff person. Users shall not plagiarize material that is available on the Internet. Plagiarism is presenting another's ideas/words as one's own. Users shall not infringe on copyrighted material and shall follow all dictates of copyright law and the applicable policies of this district. Prohibited Language
2361/page 7 of 8 Prohibited language applies to public messages, private messages, and material posted on web pages. Users shall not send or receive messages that contain obscene, profane, lewd, vulgar, rude, inflammatory, or threatening language. Users shall not use the system to spread messages that can reasonably be interpreted as harassing, discriminatory, or defamatory. System Security Users are responsible for their accounts and should take all reasonable precautions to prevent unauthorized access to them. In no case should a user provide his/her password to another individual. Users shall immediately notify the supervising staff person or the Technology office if they detect a possible security problem. Users shall not access the system solely for the purpose of searching for security problems. Users shall not install or download software or other applications without permission of the Technology office. Users shall follow all district virus protection procedures when installing or downloading approved software. System Limits Users shall access the system only for educational, professional, or career development activities. This applies to discussion group mail lists, instant message services, and participation in Internet "chat room" conversations. Users shall check e-mail frequently and delete unneeded messages promptly. Privacy Rights Users shall respect the privacy of messages that they receive and refrain from reporting messages without the approval of the sender. Users shall not publish private information about another individual.
2361/page 8 of 8 Implementation The Superintendent shall prepare regulations to implement this policy. First Reading: 30 March 2011 Adopted: 20 April 2011 Revised First Reading: 17 October 2012 Final Adoption: 28 November 2012