FILE: IFBGA
COMPUTER ACCESS AND USE
INTERNET SAFETY
The Internet is a vast, global computer network that provides access to major universities, governmental agencies, other school systems, and commercial providers of data banks. The Bossier Parish School Board shall establish appropriate guidelines for exploring and using Internet resources within the school district to enhance learning and teaching activities. Acceptable use of these resources shall be consistent with the philosophy, goals and objectives of the Bossier Parish School Board.
Age and grade appropriate classroom instruction shall be provided regarding Internet and cell phone safety. Such instruction shall include appropriate online behavior, interacting with other individuals on social networking websites and in chatrooms, and cyberbullying awareness and response, as well as areas of concern as authorized in state and federal law.
In addition, the School Board, in conjunction with local law enforcement agencies, shall develop and distribute age and grade appropriate information to each student regarding Internet and cell phone safety and online content that is a threat to school safety. The information shall include the following:
Instruction on how to detect potential threats to school safety exhibited online, including posting on any social media platform.
Visual examples of possible threats.
The process for reporting potential threats, which shall be in accordance with the procedures referenced in policy EBBB, School and Student Safety.
Such information shall be either distributed to or explained to students and school personnel at the beginning of each school year and shall be posted on an easily accessible page of the School Board’s website and the website of each school.
If information reported to a school is deemed a potential threat to school safety, the school shall present the written form and any further evidence to local law enforcement.
In its continued efforts to comply with the Children's Internet Protection Act, the School Board shall adopt and enforce a policy of Internet safety that incorporates the use of computer-related technology or the use of Internet service provider technology designed to block or filter Internet access for minors and adults to certain visual depictions, including without limitation those that are obscene, child pornographic, or harmful to minors, including without limitation sites that are excessively, violent, pervasively vulgar, or sexually harassing. Sites which contain information on the manufacturing of bombs or other incendiary devices shall also be prohibited. Only authorized persons may disable for an adult user the blocking or filtering mechanism in order to enable Internet access for bona fide research or other lawful purposes, which shall include online services for legitimate scientific or educational purposes approved by the School Board, or access to online services of a newspaper with a daily circulation of at least 1,000.
In addition to filtering requirements, the School Board shall maintain regulations which:
Prohibit access by minors to inappropriate matter on the Internet and World Wide Web;
Address the safety and security of minors when using electronic mail, chat rooms, and other forms of direct electronic communications, such as multimedia messaging;
Prohibit unauthorized access, including what is now known as "hacking" and other unlawful on-line activities by minors online;
Prohibit unauthorized disclosure, use, and dissemination of personal information regarding minors; and
Institutes measures designed to restrict minors' access to materials harmful to minors.
Guidelines are provided so that Internet users are aware of the responsibilities they are about to assume. Responsibilities include efficient, ethical, and legal utilization of network resources. All users, including students, employees, or any other users of School Board computers, hardware, and School Board network shall abide by all policies of the School Board and any applicable administrative regulations and procedures.
The student and parent or guardians shall sign an Acceptable Use of Computers and Internet Agreement, which shall be required before any student will be allowed to use school system computers. The student and parent/guardians signatures shall be legally binding on all parties and shall indicate they have read the terms and conditions carefully and understand their significance.
COMPUTER AND INTERNET USE TERMS AND CONDITIONS
Acceptable Use - The purpose of the Internet is to support research and education in and among academic institutions in the United States by providing access to unique resources and opportunities for collaborative work. Transmission of any material in violation of any U.S., state, local or School Board regulations shall be prohibited. This includes, but is not limited to, copyrighted material, threatening or obscene material, or material protected by trade institutions. Use for product advertisement, political lobbying, or illegal activities shall be strictly prohibited. Subscriptions to listservers, bulletin boards, and on-line services must be pre-approved by the Superintendent or his/her designee.
Privileges - The use of the Internet is a privilege, not a right, and inappropriate use shall result in a cancellation of those privileges and may result in disciplinary or legal action by the administration, faculty, staff, or School Board Technology Committee.
Netiquette - Users shall be expected to abide by the generally accepted rules of network etiquette. These include, but are not limited to, the following:
Be polite. Do not send abusive messages to others. Use appropriate language.
Do not reveal personal addresses or phone numbers of students or colleagues.
Note that Electronic Mail (E-Mail) is not guaranteed to be private. People who operate the system do have access to all mail. Messages relating to or in support of illegal activities must be reported to the authorities. All users should be aware that routine monitoring of the system may lead to discovery that the user has or is violating, provisions the Acceptable Use Agreement, School Board policies, school regulations, the Student Handbook and/or the law. Routine maintenance of the system may also purge files from individual accounts.
Do not use the network in a way that would disrupt the use of the network by other users (e.g. downloading huge files during prime time, sending mass e-mail messages, or annoying other users using the talk or write functions). Hardware or software shall not be destroyed, modified, or abused in any way.
Malicious use of the network to develop programs that harass other users or infiltrate a computer or computing system and/or damage the software components of a computer or computing system shall be prohibited.
Hate mail, harassment, discriminatory remarks and other antisocial behaviors shall be prohibited on the network.
The illegal installation of copyrighted software for use on district computers shall be prohibited.
Use of the network to access or process pornographic material, inappropriate text files, or files dangerous to the integrity of the local area network (LAN) shall be prohibited.
Security - Security on any computer system is a high priority, especially when the system involves many users. Any suspected security problem on the Internet shall be reported to the building technology coordinator or the principal. The problem shall not be demonstrated to other users. Any user identified as a security risk or having a history of problems with other computer systems shall be denied access to the Internet.
Vandalism - Vandalism shall result in cancellation of privileges and or other disciplinary actions. Vandalism is defined as any malicious attempt to harm or destroy hardware or software data of the school system, another user, the Internet Service Provider, or other networks that are connected to Internet. This includes, but is not limited to, the uploading or creation of computer viruses. No software, programs, or files may be installed or downloaded by any user without the prior permission of the building technology coordinator, who must scan for appropriateness and viruses.
Consequences of Misuse - School principals may suspend from school any student who accesses, sends, receives, or configures electronically any profane or language or pictures or violates the Code of Conduct for computer use, or any rules contained in the Acceptable Use Agreement.
Monitoring – School Board employees shall be responsible for monitoring and reviewing student Internet and/or computer-related activities, including e-mail, routing of information, or visiting sites, etc., using the system’s network or any of its technology resources. Other monitoring activities to limit student access to inappropriate Internet sites shall be employed by the School Board.
ACCEPTABLE USE
The Bossier Parish School Board acceptable use provisions apply to all users of the Internet. Honesty, integrity, and respect for the rights of others should be evident at all times.
The use of the Internet, including the World Wide Web and e-mail in any school must be in support of education and academic research and consistent with the educational objectives of the Bossier Parish School Board. Neither the School Board nor any of the schools shall be responsible for any financial obligations incurred by users of the Internet.
Internet activities that are permitted and encouraged:
Investigation of topics being studied in school;
Investigation of opportunities outside of school related to community service, employment or further education.
The Internet user shall be held responsible for his/her actions and activities. Unacceptable uses of the network shall result in appropriate disciplinary action, including school suspension or revoking of these privileges.
Terms and Conditions of Use
Regulations for participation by anyone on the Internet shall include but not be not be limited to the following:
Personal Privacy and Safety
Users shall not post personal contact information (e.g., address, phone number) about themselves or any other person. Personal photos and work may be published on the district’s website. Parents may deny the use of these materials by signing the contract to deny the use of such material.
Users shall not agree to meet with someone they have met online without appropriate approval. Inappropriate contacts should be reported to school authorities immediately.
Illegal Activities
Users shall not attempt to gain unauthorized access to any computer system or another person’s accounts or files.
Users shall not intentionally attempt to disrupt or intentionally disrupt the computer system or destroy data by spreading computer viruses or by any other means.
Users shall not engage in any other illegal act, such as drug sales, engaging in criminal gang activity, threatening the safety of a person or person’s, etc.
Security
Users shall be responsible for their individual account and should take all reasonable precautions to prevent others from being able to use their account. Under no condition should users give their password to another person. (System accounts shall be limited to employees.)
Users shall immediately notify school authorities if they have identified a possible security problem. Looking for security problems may be considered as an illegal attempt to gain access.
Users shall avoid the spread of computer viruses by following the district guidelines for file transfers and downloading of software.
Users shall only use drives that have been scanned and found to be free of viruses.
Inappropriate Language
Users shall not use obscene, profane, lewd, vulgar, rude, inflammatory, threatening or disrespectful language. This includes personal attacks or harassment of another person.
Resource Limits
Users shall use the system only for educational and career development activities.
Users shall not download large files unless absolutely necessary.
Users shall not post chain letters or send annoying or unnecessary messages to others.
Users shall download and remove their e-mail from the server frequently.
Users shall subscribe only to high-quality discussion group mail lists that are relevant to educational or career development activities and not subscribe to others without their consent.
Access and Use of Materials
Users shall not take the ideas or writings of others and present them as if they were their own.
Users shall respect copyrighted materials.
Users shall immediately report to school authorities any site they access with inappropriate information.
Consequences of Misuse
The use of the Internet is a privilege, not a right, and inappropriate use may result in a cancellation of privileges by administration, faculty, and staff.
Users should expect no privacy of the contents of personal files and e-mail on the district system. Messages relating to or in the support of illegal activities must be reported to the authorities.
The Bossier Parish School Board prohibits inappropriate or illegal use of the Internet by students and employees. If such usage is found, suspension of use of the technology system by the user is authorized by the Board. Other disciplinary action may also be warranted.
Misuse of the system can result in possible prosecution and may require restitution for costs associated with system restoration, hardware, or software costs.
Users bringing illegal and/or inappropriate materials into the system’s electronic environment shall be subject to disciplinary action or legal action as deemed appropriate by school administration.
BRING YOUR OWN TECHNOLOGY (BYOT)
The Bossier Parish School Board Bring Your Own Technology (BYOT) initiative is available, at the principal’s discretion, in schools where eligibility requirements have been met. In those schools/locations, in accordance with all district policies and procedures (including the BYOT Handbook and the Acceptable Use Policy), students and staff may use personal mobile learning devices (e.g. laptops, iPods, iPads, smart phones, e-readers) to further the educational and research mission of the district. School staff shall retain the final authority in deciding if, when, and how students may use personal electronic devices on school grounds and during the school day.
All computers/mobile learning devices shall be setup and maintained with connection to the Bossier Parish School Board Technology System domain for network administration and security. Removing a computer from the domain without the permission of a School Board technology support staff member shall be considered an act to circumvent district network security and is strictly prohibited.
Mobile learning devices connected to the Bossier Parish School Board Technology System must be via wireless and must be equipped with up-to-date virus software, compatible network card and be configured properly. Connection of any personal electronic device is subject to all regulations and procedures of the Board.
While using personal digital devices, students shall be expected to follow the same acceptable use policies for conduct and ethics that are outlined in the Student Acceptable Use of Computers and Networks. In addition, policy states that bringing digital devices to school is optional, and each student is responsible for his/her own personal property. The School Board shall not be held accountable for the devices due to damage, loss, or theft. At the beginning of each school year, students shall be given a copy of the School Board’s acceptable use policy, and shall sign an agreement stating that they understand and agree to the rules of conduct.
DISCLAIMER
The School Board’s technology system is provided on an “as is, as available” basis. The School Board does not make any warranties, whether expressed or implied, including, without limitation, those of fitness for a particular purpose with respect to any services provided by the system and any information or software contained therein. The School Board uses a variety of vendor-supplied hardware and software. Therefore, the School Board does not warrant that the functions or services performed by, or that the information or software contained on the system will meet the user’s requirements. Neither does the School Board warrant that the system will be uninterrupted or error-free, nor that defects will be corrected. Opinions, advice, services, and all other information expressed by system users, information providers, service providers, or other third party individuals in the system are those of the providers and not necessarily the School Board or School District.
The School Board shall cooperate fully with local, state, or federal officials in any investigation concerning or relating to misuse of the District’s computer systems and networks.
Revised: June, 2012
Revised: December 6, 2012
Revised: October 4, 2018
Ref: 20 USC 7131 (Internet Safety)
47 USC 254 (Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA))
47 CFR 54.520 (Children's Internet Protection Act Certifications for Schools and Libraries)
La. Rev. Stat. Ann. §§17:81, 17:100.7, 17:280, 17:410
Board minutes, 6-7-12, 12-6-12, 10-4-18
Bossier Parish School Board