FILE:  EFA

Cf:  IFBGA

 

EMPLOYEE COMPUTER AND INTERNET USE

 

 

The Lafayette Parish School Board recognizes that access to technology in school gives students greater opportunities to gain future-ready technology and communication skills that will prepare them for work, life, and citizenship.  To that end, we are committed to providing access to district network resources and technologies for student and staff use.

 

The School Board authorizes the Superintendent and staff to establish appropriate guidelines for exploring and using network resources and technology 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 School Board.  Any employee who wishes to use any district technologies and/or network resources, including computers, the Internet, or email services, must sign an Employee Computer and Internet Use Agreement.

 

DEFINITIONS

 

Technology devices, technologies, and/or network resources, as used herein, may include, but shall not be limited to, the following: district network, servers, and cloud; Internet access; desktop computers; mobile computers (laptops, iPads, tablets, etc.); district owned/issued mobile phones and other mobile devices; videoconferencing capabilities; online collaboration capabilities; message boards; and email.

 

Educational purposes, as used herein, includes classroom activities and assignments, directed student research, interpersonal communication, professional development, collaborative projects, and dissemination of successful educational practices, methods, and materials.

 

ACCOUNTABILITY

 

Employee use of technology devices and/or network resources shall be reserved for educational purposes and the conducting of business aspects of the school system.  Network resources shall not be used for commercial, political, or religious purposes, or for personal or financial gain, fraud, or to engage in any other illegal acts.  All employees using district technology devices and/or network resources shall be accountable for their use.

 

Employees shall log off or lock technology devices at the end of each day and anytime the device is not in use, and employees shall not share or allow others to use their user IDs, passwords, or email accounts.  Access codes and/or passwords shall be maintained on file in a secured location to allow for access to technology devices or network resources by School Board personnel.  Should a password need to be changed, the employee shall notify the Technology Department immediately.

 

Any materials or files created with district technologies or during periods for which the employee is compensated by the School Board, including but not limited to, lesson plans, schedules, letters, memos, documents, programs, spreadsheets, databases, and/or presentations, become the intellectual property of the Lafayette Parish School Board.  Teacher, class, or other files on the network shall be treated as district property subject to control and inspection by School Board personnel.

 

Tampering with technology devices and/or network resources shall be prohibited.  Any use by any person of network resources that incurs expenses to the district other than authorized user fees and/or rates shall be strictly prohibited.  Use of technology devices and/or network resources for any illegal activities shall also be prohibited. Illegal activities may include but are not limited to: (1) tampering with technology hardware or software, (2) unauthorized access into technology devices and files (hacking), (3) knowledgeable vandalism or destruction of equipment, (4) deletion of computer files, (5) unsanctioned communications between staff and students, and (6) cyberbullying.  Such activity is considered a crime under state and federal law.

 

The School Board does not condone the use of network resources for any illegal or inappropriate activities and shall not be responsible for such use by staff. Use of network resources shall be considered a privilege and any inappropriate use may result in loss of privileges to use same and/or disciplinary action.  District policies and/or agreements governing use of the Internet and/or network resources do not warrant or guarantee use of or access to same.  The School Board may, at any time and in its sole discretion, suspend or terminate the privilege of any individual to use or access the Internet and/or network resources without notice, cause, or reason.

 

INTERNET USE

 

Any use of the Internet or network resources that adversely affects its operation in pursuit of teaching and learning or jeopardizes its use or performance for other users shall be prohibited and may result in loss of Internet privileges and/or disciplinary action.  The provisions of this policy shall also apply to the use of private email accounts when accessed using School Board devices or networks and when accessed using personal devices while on School Board property.

 

INTERNET SAFETY

 

In compliance with the Children’s Internet Protection Act, the School Board shall use technology protection measures that block and/or filter Internet access or exposure to harmful materials or information, such as sites or servers that contain obscene, pornographic, pervasively vulgar, excessively violent, or sexually harassing material or information, or sites that may contain information on the manufacturing of bombs or other incendiary devices.

 

SECURITY

 

Employees who have technology devices in their charge shall be responsible for the security of those devices in terms of both hardware and software.  Devices must be secured such that students acting without the consent or supervision of a teacher or administrator cannot enter the device or access the Internet.

 

TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF USE

 

  1. The School Board expects all users of district technologies and network resources, including email and telecommunications tools, to apply them in appropriate ways for the performance of responsibilities associated with their positions and assignments.

  2. Users shall abide by such laws, policies, agreements, and procedures concerning technology use in the Lafayette Parish School System.

  3. No personal or student information which is protected by the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act shall be disseminated on or through the district’s network resources or technologies, including but not limited to the Internet.

  4. Users of the district’s technologies and/or network resources, including but not limited to the Internet, shall consent to the monitoring, access, review, and retention by the Superintendent or his/her designee of any network activity and/or stored electronic communications, including but not limited to email transmission.

  5. Lafayette Parish School Board-provided email accounts are for the purpose of school-related communication, shall be used only as allowed by district policy, and users shall be responsible for the content of email messages in their accounts.  Email communication is not a confidential medium for transmitting personal information and should be viewed as public in nature.

  6. Data stored on district-owned devices and accounts shall be for educational purposes only.

  7. Users shall not post, email, or otherwise disseminate messages or materials on network resources or the Internet that are indecent, vulgar, lewd, slanderous, abusive, inflammatory, threatening, sexually harassing, or terrorizing.

  8. Users shall not abuse or waste network resources through frivolous and/or non-educational use, send or forward “chain letters” or annoying or unnecessary messages to large numbers of people, or send mass emails or “spam” any users (internal or external) with unauthorized communications or solicitations.

  9. Users shall respect copyrighted material and other intellectual property. Users may not duplicate or distribute electronic resources without the appropriate permissions, documentations, or citations.

  10. District-owned Mobile Devices - the School Board may provide users with mobile computers or other devices to promote learning outside of the classroom.

 

 

  1. Personally-owned Devices

 

 

  1. Users are expected to take reasonable safeguards against the transmission of security threats over network resources.

  2. Users should not open or distribute files or programs of unknown or untrusted origin.

  3. Users shall not attempt to gain unauthorized access to network resources, technology devices, or another person’s account or files.

  4. Users shall not use or distribute another person’s password or email address.

  5. Users shall not download or attempt to download or run .exe programs over or onto network resources without express permission form IT staff.

  6. Users of the district network or other technologies are expected to alert IT staff immediately of any concerns for safety or security.

 

CONSEQUENCES OF INAPPROPRIATE USE

 

The regulations, terms, and conditions for the use of technology devices and/or network resources are not exhaustive but are only representative and illustrative.

 

Violation of district policies and/or agreements regarding computer and Internet use and/or other inappropriate use or access of district technologies and/or network resources may result in:  (1) suspension or termination  of privileges regarding the use of technology devices and/or network resources, (2) disciplinary action up to and including termination, and/or (3) any activity that may be in violation of local, state, or federal laws shall be reported to the appropriate law enforcement agency. Inappropriate use may also require restitution for costs associated with system restoration, hardware, or software costs.

 

LIMITATION OF LIABILITY

 

The Lafayette Parish School Board technology network and computer 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 and 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.  The School Board does not warrant that its technologies and/or network resources will operate 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 are those of the providers and not necessarily the School Board.

 

The Lafayette Parish School Board makes a reasonable effort to ensure online safety and security for users of its network resources but shall not be responsible for damage or harm to persons, files, data, or hardware that results from the use of same.  The School Board shall not be responsible, financially or otherwise, for unauthorized transactions conducted through use of its network resources.

 

The School Board will cooperate fully with local, state, or federal officials in any investigation concerning or relating to misuse of the School Board’s technology devices or network resources.

 

Adopted:  October 17, 2012

Revised:  November 11, 2015

Revised:  July 26, 2017

 

 

Ref:    20 USC 7131 (Internet Safety)

47 USC 254 (Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA))

La. Rev. Stat. Ann. §§17:81, 17:100.7, 17:280

Board minutes, 10-17-12, 11-4-15, 7-26-17

 

Lafayette Parish School Board