Acceptable+Use+Policy

The Quakertown Community School District makes available to its students access to interconnected computer systems within the District and to the Internet, the world-wide network that provides various means of accessing significant educational materials and opportunities. In order for the School District to be able to make its computer network and Internet access available, all students must take responsibility for appropriate and lawful use of internet resources. Teachers and other Staff will make reasonable efforts to supervise student use of network and Internet access. Students must understand that inappropriate internet use can result in one or more of the following; school discipline, loss of the privilege of using internet resources and/or criminal prosecution. Below is the Acceptable Use and Internet Safety Policy ("Policy") of the School District and the Data Acquisition Site that provides Internet access. Upon reviewing, signing, and returning this Policy, a student will be eligible for Internet access at the school he/she attends. If a student is under 18 years of age, the “PARENT’S OR GUARDIAN’S AGREEMENT” must be signed and returned. The School District cannot provide access to any student who is 18 or older until the Policy is signed and recorded or to a student under 18, until the “PARENT’S OR GUARDIAN’S AGREEMENT is signed and recorded. Listed below are the provisions of your agreement regarding computer network and Internet use. If you have any questions about these provisions, you should contact Mrs. Maccarone. By signing this Policy, you are agreeing to follow all rules outlined in the policy and to report violations of the policy by other students. A student who returns a properly signed Policy will have computer network and Internet access during the remainder of the students’ academic career while enrolled in the school the student presently attends in the Quakertown Community School District. Among the uses that are considered unacceptable and which constitute a violation of this Policy are the following: 1.  Uses that violate the law or encourage others to violate the law. 2.  Transmittal of offensive or harassing messages. 3.  Any use which is commercial in nature. 4.  To use the Internet to view, transmit or download pornographic or otherwise objectionable materials. 5.  To use the Internet to transmit confidential or copyright materials. 6.  To use the internet to download any program, partial program or game without the express permission of the supervising teacher and Quakertown Community School District Technology Director. 7.  Any use of the internet which causes harm to others or their property. 8.  Any improper use of passwords. 9.  Any programming vandalism. 10.   Any “hacking” activities 11.   Any activities designed to expose school district or other computers to computer “viruses”. 12. Students cannot provide private information about themselves over the internet including the students credit card or social security number. 13.Students cannot provide private information about any other individual over the internet, including credit card numbers and social security numbers. 1. Be polite. Use appropriate language. No swearing, vulgarities, suggestive, obscene, belligerent, or threatening language. 2. Avoid language and uses that may be offensive to other users. Do not use, distribute, or redistribute jokes, stories, or other materials that are based upon slurs or stereotypes relating to race, gender, ethnicity, nationality, religion, or sexual orientation. 3. Do not assume that a sender of e-mail is giving his or her permission for you to forward or redistribute the message to third parties or to give his/her e-mail address to third parties. This should only be done with permission or when you know that the individual would have no objection. 4. Be considerate when sending attachments with e-mail (where this is permitted). Be sure that the file is not too large to be accommodated by the recipient's system and is in a format that the recipient can open. Internet filtering software or other technology-based protection systems may be disabled by a supervising teacher or school administrator, as necessary, for purposes of bona fide research or other educational projects being conducted by students age 17 or older. The term "harmful to minors" is defined by the Communications Act of 1934 (47 USC Section 254 [h] [7],  as meaning any picture, image, graphic image file, or other visual depiction that  - taken as a whole and with respect to minors, appeals to a prurient interest in nudity, sex, or excretion;  - depicts, describes, or represents, in a patently offensive way with respect to what is suitable for minors, an actual or simulated sexual act or sexual contact, actual or simulated normal or perverted sexual acts, or a lewd exhibition of the genitals;  - taken as a whole, lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value as to minors.  Network and Internet access is provided as a tool for your education. The School District reserves the right to monitor, inspect, copy, review and store at any time and without prior notice any and all usage of the computer network and Internet access and any and all information transmitted or received in connection with such usage. All such information files shall be and remain the property of the School District and no user shall have any expectation of privacy regarding such materials. VI. FAILURE TO FOLLOW POLICY ** The user's use of the computer network and Internet is a privilege, not a right. A user who violates this Policy, shall at a minimum, have his or her access to the computer network and Internet terminated, which the School District may refuse to reinstate for the remainder of the student's enrollment in the School District. A user violates this Policy by his or her own action or by failing to report any violations by other users that come to the attention of the user. Further, a user violates this Policy if he or she permits another to use his or her account or password to access the computer network and Internet, including any user whose access has been denied or terminated. The School District may also take other disciplinary action in such circumstances. In some instances inappropriate computer and Internet use violates state and/or federal laws and may result in criminal prosecution or juvenile court action. VII. WARRANTIES/INDEMNIFICATION ** The School District makes no warranties of any kind, either express or implied, in connection with its provision of access to and use of its computer networks and the Internet provided under this Policy. It shall not be responsible for any claims, losses, damages or costs (including ** ~ ** fees) of any kind suffered, directly or indirectly, by any user or his or her parent(s) or guardian(s) arising out of the user's use of its computer networks or the Internet under this Policy. By signing this Policy, users are taking full responsibility for his/her use, and the user who is 18 or older or, in the case of a user under 18, the parent(s) or guardian(s) are agreeing to indemnify and hold the School, the School District, the Data Acquisition Site that provides the computer and Internet access opportunity to the School District and all of their administrators, teachers, and staff harmless from any and all loss, costs, claims or damages resulting from the user's access to its computer network and the Internet, including but not limited to any fees or charges incurred through purchases of goods or services by the user. The user or, if the user is a minor, the user's parent(s) or guardian(s) agree to cooperate with the School in the event of the School's initiating an investigation of a user's use of his or her access to its computer network and the Internet, whether that use is on a School computer or on another computer outside the School District’s network. Users, and if appropriate, the user's parents/guardians, may be asked from time to time to provide new or additional registration and account information or to sign a new Policy, for example, to reflect developments in the law or technology. Such information must be provided by the user (or his/her parents or guardian) or such new Policy must be signed if the user wishes to continue to receive service. If after you have provided your account information, some or all of the information changes, you must notify the person designated by the School to receive such information. **__ STUDENT'S __**** __AGREEMENT__ ** I have read, understand and agree to abide by the terms of the foregoing Acceptable Use and Internet Safety Policy. Should I commit any violation or in any way misuse my access to the School District’s computer network and the Internet, I understand and agree that my access privilege may be revoked and School disciplinary action may be taken against me. Student Name___ Home Phone__ Student signature Address Date_ I am 18 or older I am under 18 If I am signing this Policy when I am under 18, I understand that when I turn 18, this Policy will continue to be in full force and effect and agree to abide by this Policy.
 * I. PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY **
 * II. TERM OF THE PERMITTED USE **
 * III. ACCEPTABLE USES **
 * A. Educational Purposes Only. ** The School District is providing access to its computer networks and the Internet for educational purposes only.
 * B. Unacceptable Uses of Network. **
 * C. **  ** Netiquette. ** All users must abide by rules of network etiquette, which include the following:
 * IV. INTERNET SAFETY **
 * A. General Warning; Individual Responsibility of Parents and Users. ** All users and their parents/guardians are advised that access to the electronic network may include the potential for access to materials inappropriate for school-aged pupils. Every user must take responsibility for his or her use of the computer network and Internet and stay away from these sites. Parents of minors are the best guide to materials to shun. If a student finds that other users are visiting offensive or harmful sites, he or she should report such use to his/her supervising teacher..
 * B ** . Personal Safety. Be safe. In using the computer network and Internet, do not reveal personal information such as your home address or telephone number. Do not use your real last name or any other information which might allow a person to locate you without first obtaining the permission of a supervising teacher. Do not arrange a face-to-face meeting with someone you "meet" on the computer network or Internet without your parent's permission. If someone attempts to arrange a meeting with you as a result of an internet contact you must report the communication, immediately, to your supervising teacher.
 * C. "Hacking" and Other Illegal Activities. It ** is a violation of this Policy to use the School's computer network or the Internet to gain unauthorized access to other computers or computer systems, or to attempt to gain such unauthorized access. Any use which violates state or federal law relating to copyright, trade secrets, the distribution of obscene or pornographic materials, or which violates any other applicable law or municipal ordinance, is strictly prohibited.
 * D ** .** Confidentiality of Student Information.** Personally identifiable information concerning students may not be disclosed or used in any way on the Internet without the permission of a parent or guardian or, if the student is 18 or over, the permission of the student himself/herself. Users should never give out private or confidential information about themselves or others on the Internet, particularly credit card numbers and Social Security numbers. Only a member of the school administration may authorize the release of student information, as defined by Pennsylvania law, for internal administrative purposes or approved educational projects and activities.
 * E. Active Restriction Measures. ** The School, either by itself or in combination with the Data Acquisition Site providing Internet access, will utilize filtering software or other technologies to prevent students from accessing visual depictions that are (1) obscene, (2) child pornography, or (3) harmful to minors. The School will also monitor the online activities of students, through direct observation and/or technological means, to ensure that students are not accessing such depictions or any other material that is inappropriate for minors.
 * IV. PRIVACY**
 * VIII. UPDATES **
 * // Every student, regardless of age, must read and sign below: //**