CHICKAMAUGA CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT
Student Internet Acceptable Use Agreement
Internet users are expected to use the Internet as an educational resource. The following procedures and guidelines are used to help ensure appropriate use of the Internet at the Chickamauga City School District.
Student Expectations in Use of the Internet
Acceptable network use by district students and staff includes:
• Creation of files, projects, videos, web pages and podcasts using network resources in support of educational research;
• Participation in blogs, wikis, bulletin boards, and groups and the creation of content for podcasts, e-mail and web pages that support educational research;
• With parental permission, the online publication of original educational material, curriculum related materials and student work. Sources outside the classroom or school must be cited appropriately;
• Student use of the network for incidental personal use in accordance with all district policies and guidelines;
Unacceptable network use by district students includes but is not limited to:
• Personal gain, commercial solicitation and compensation of any kind;
• Liability or cost incurred by the district;
• Downloading, installation and use of games, audio files video files or other applications (including shareware or freeware) without permission or approval from Technology Department Staff.
• Support or opposition for ballot measures, candidates and any other political activity;
• Hacking, cracking, vandalizing, the introduction of viruses, worms, Trojan horses, time bombs and changes to hardware, software, and monitoring tools;
• Unauthorized access to district school computers, networks, or information systems;
• Cyberbullying, hate mail, defamation, harassment of any kind, discriminatory jokes and remarks;
• Information posted, sent or stored online that could endanger others (e.g., bomb construction, drug manufacture);
• Accessing, uploading, downloading, storage and distribution of obscene, pornographic or sexually explicit material; and
• Attaching unauthorized equipment to the district network. Any such equipment will be confiscated.
• Students are not permitted to use their own computing devices to access the Internet via personal WiFi accounts or by any manner other than connecting through the secure wireless connection provided by the school system. Chickamauga City School District reserves the right to inspect any personal device brought onto Chickamauga City School District property.
No Expectation of Privacy
The district provides the network system, e-mail and Internet access as a tool for education and research in support of the district's mission. The district reserves the right to monitor, inspect, copy, review and store, without prior notice information about the content and usage of:
• The network
• User files and disk space utilization
• User applications and bandwidth utilization
• User document files, folders and electronic communications
• E-mail
• Internet access
• All information transmitted or received regarding network and e-mail use
• No student or staff user should have any expectation of privacy when using the district's network. As noted previously, electronic mail is subject to monitoring, and the release of specific information is subject to applicable state and federal laws and School System rules, policies, and procedures on confidentiality
Enforcement of policy
• The Chickamauga City School District uses a technology protection measure that blocks or filters Internet access to block access to some Internet sites that are not in accordance with the policy of the Chickamauga City School District.
• The technology protection measure that blocks or filters Internet access may be disabled by a Chickamauga City School District staff member for bona fide research purposes by an adult.
• A Chickamauga City School District staff member may override the technology protection measure that blocks or filters Internet access for a student to access a site with legitimate educational value that is wrongly blocked by the technology protection measure that blocks or filters Internet access.
• The Chickamauga City School District staff will monitor students' use of the Internet, through either direct supervision, or by monitoring Internet use history, to ensure enforcement of the policy.
Any violation of school policy and rules may result in loss of school-provided access to the Internet. Additional disciplinary action may be determined in keeping with existing procedures and practices regarding inappropriate language or behavior. When and where applicable, law enforcement agencies may be involved. The signature(s) on the Chickamauga City School District Internet Acceptable Use Agreement is (are) legally binding and indicate(s) that the party (parties) who signed has (have) read the terms and conditions carefully and understand(s) their significance. I understand and will abide by the stated terms and conditions. I further understand that any violation of these regulations is unethical and may constitute a criminal offense. Should I commit any violation, my access privileges may be revoked, school disciplinary action may be taken, and/or appropriate legal action may be pursued. Parents are notified that filtering technology does not block access to all inappropriate sites one hundred percent of the time. Due to the nature of the Internet, it is neither practical nor possible for the Board of Education to enforce compliance with user rules at all times. Since the Internet opens the world to unrestricted access, teachers cannot assume the responsibility for monitoring every document to which a student may gain access. Therefore, teachers are not to be held accountable for what the student may access through the Internet beyond instructional directives. All users are fully responsible for their own actions, including legal, financial, or otherwise. All users are responsible for reporting inappropriate materials and location to the teacher in charge immediately. Accordingly, parents and students must recognize that students will be required to make independent decisions and use good judgment in their use of the Internet. Therefore, parents must participate in the decision whether to allow their children access to the Internet and must communicate their own expectations to their children regarding its use.
