TECHNOLOGY ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY—MIDDLE SCHOOL & HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL

The use of technology is an important part of education in the 21st century.  This School Committee policy was developed to guide the use of technology by students.  Students must agree to the following stipulations in order to be allowed to use technology at school (the acknowledgement of this policy in the student handbook will serve as agreement).

1. Students shall use the Internet and all forms of school technology responsibly. School technology includes, but is not limited to, computers, tablets, printers, copiers, cameras, and interactive web resources that serve educational purposes. This agreement extends to use of technology that students may be able to use off site.
2. Students shall respect the rights of copyright owners by limiting copying to essential materials and providing attribution (citations) for images and text. Students shall avoid plagiarism by ensuring that their papers and projects reflect their thoughts and ideas as well as cited paraphrases, summaries and quotations. Students will ask teachers or media staff for assistance if they have questions regarding these terms.
3. Students shall understand that they may use a personal device on the school network, that they may be required to provide information about their device to the technology department to ensure that it can operate safely without disrupting others, that all school policies apply to them whether they are using their own device or school technologies, and that this privilege may be limited or revoked.
4. Students shall understand the network is a valuable resource for teaching, learning and many other forms of productivity for students, staff and parents. Students shall understand that downloading large files or attachments may compromise network speed and they will avoid this type of activity without permission even if they are using a personal device. Students shall limit their use of downloading large files to classroom lessons and research. Students engaging in school work shall be given priority when accessing school technology.
5. Students shall understand that their participation in school interactive web resources--using a personal device or not--must represent what is expected from a student in the Shrewsbury Public Schools. Therefore, anything that is considered inappropriate in the classroom is also inappropriate in all uses of email, blogs, podcasts, social networking sites, messaging/chat sites, or other digital communication tools. This includes, but is not limited to disrespectful, profane, racist, sexist or other discriminatory remarks. Additionally, students shall promptly inform a teacher or administrator if any messages received or material reviewed is inappropriate.
6. Students shall understand that the district’s Bullying Prevention and Intervention Plan applies to online behaviors and they shall comply with all provisions of that policy.
7. Students shall understand and shall comply with all personal technology guidelines associated with their school.
8. Students shall understand that school provided access to the Internet has to be filtered. If they need access to a blocked site, they shall work with their teachers to explore options available. Students shall not attempt to bypass any blocked sites or circumvent the filter in any manner.
9. Students shall not impersonate nor attempt to impersonate another nor use or attempt to use somebody else’s accounts on any device. Students shall not delete or tamper with anyone else’s files, folders, or work. Students shall not let another student use their accounts on any device.
10. Students shall understand that files, services, and devices provided by and/or managed by the school are not private. There is no expectation of privacy when students use the school district’s network, devices, and services and anything they do can be viewed by administration at any time.
11. Students and their families shall understand that unless superseded by the liability schedule of a specific program they will be liable for full repair and replacement costs for damage to school property, whether intentional or through negligence, including electronic devices.
12. Students shall understand that attempts to override, disable, alter, or circumvent security restrictions, management systems, or device firmware will be considered intentional damage.

Students shall understand that should they be found in violation of this policy, the consequences could include, but are not limited to; restricting access to the device, disabling device features or applications, the revocation of all network access, suspension or exclusion from school, or legal action by the authorities. Students or parents should contact the district or school administration if they have any questions about this agreement or its implementation.
This policy will be reviewed within five years of adoption, or when necessary due to significant change in technology access or usage by students.

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