Box 10.5 Acceptable Use Policy of Eau Claire, Wisconsin Area School District The Eau Claire Area School District offers a good example of policies that establish a set of expectations about the manner in which students and staff will use school networks and technologies. This acceptable use policy sets rules about a number of topics, including guidelines to facilitate safety online, respect copyrighted material--relevant to preventing students from using the Internet's resources to plagiarize material--as well as forbidding users from using the Internet for activities that are not in support of the educational objectives of the school district. What follows is the Eau Claire Area School District's acceptable use policy, the full text of which can be found at <www.ecasd.k12.wi.us/departments/technology/network/inetpol.html>. Use of the Internet and Other Computer Networks The Internet is an electronic network connecting thousands of computer networks and millions of individual subscribers all over the world. Access to the Internet will allow students to explore the rich resources of thousands of university libraries, governmental databases and other online sources while exchanging electronic mail with Internet users throughout the world. Instructional and library materials are routinely evaluated by school district personnel prior to purchase in order to ascertain that such materials are consistent with district goals and guidelines and that they support and enrich the curriculum. However, use of the Internet, because it may lead to any publicly available fileserver in the world, may open classrooms to electronic information resources which have not been screened by educators for use by students. Some items accessible via the Internet may contain material which is inaccurate, defamatory or offensive. Access to the Internet and other computer networks requires that school officials develop guidelines for use. Such guidelines should address the teacher's responsibility for training and guidance, the student's responsibility for appropriate use, and the principal's responsibility for supervising the use. Internet and Other Computer Networks--Use Guidelines The following guidelines define "appropriate use" of the Internet. 1. All use of school resources to access the Internet must be in support of and consistent with the educational objectives of the Eau Claire Area School District. 2. Transmitting any material in violation of any U.S. or state regulation or school board policy is prohibited. This includes, but is not limited to, copyrighted material and material that is threatening or obscene. 3. Hate mail, harassment, discriminatory remarks and other antisocial behaviors are unacceptable in Internet and other network communication. 4. All information accessible via the Internet should be assumed to be private property and subject to copyright protection. Internet sources should be credited appropriately, as with the use of any copyrighted material. Example: The Columbia Guide to Online Style http://www.columbia.edu/cu/cup/cgos/idx_basic.html 5. Users have a responsibility to respect the privacy and property of other users. Users should not intentionally seek information about, obtain copies of, or modify, files, data or passwords of other users. 6. For their own safety, users should not reveal any personal information, such as addresses, phone numbers, or photographs. 7. Employing the Internet for commercial purposes is prohibited. 8. Users should not expect that files stored on district servers will always be private. School and network administrators may review files and communications to maintain system integrity and to ensure that the network is being used responsibly. Teachers will inform students of what is considered appropriate use of the Internet, describing student privileges, rights and responsibilities. As much as possible, teachers will guide students toward materials which have been reviewed and evaluated prior to use. The use of home pages, bookmarks, lists of Web sites, and cataloging Web sites in the library system will help match Internet resources to the curriculum. Because computer use is essentially an individual experience, however, primary responsibility for appropriate use of the Internet resides with the student. A user agreement form will be signed by the student and parent prior to their use. Failure to follow appropriate practices may result in disciplinary action including loss of the individual's access to the Internet. Principals will supervise the use of the Internet and other computer networks in their schools. Procedures will be put in place to ensure that students receive appropriate instruction and supervision in the use of the Internet and other computer networks. NOTE: The committee makes no representation that this acceptable use policy does or does not comply with the requirements of the Children's Internet Protection Act that schools and libraries receiving E-rate funding must adopt and implement an Internet safety policy.