Hesston Unified School District 460

ELECTRONIC INFORMATION SERVICES

Acceptable Use Policy

            USD 460 strongly believes in the educational value of electronic information services.  The district recognizes the potential of such services to support our curriculum.  Our goal in providing this service is to promote the educational excellence by facilitating resource sharing, innovation, and communication.  USD 460 will make every effort to protect staff and students from misuses and abuses as a result of their experiences with an information service.  All users must be continuously on guard to avoid inappropriate and illegal interaction with the information service.

            The policy outlined herein applies to all USD 460 employees and students (hereafter referred to as “users”) using school computers and/or equipment.  This policy also applies to the use of private home computers for the purpose of accessing or in any way utilizing the local school network.  The intent of USD 460 is to use connections on the Internet only for reasons consistent with work purposes and educational needs.  Anyone who uses the network illegally or improperly will lose the privilege of using it as well as face disciplinary action.

Terms and Conditions

1.            Personal Responsibility

As a representative of this school, the user accepts personal responsibility for reporting any misuse of the network to the system administrator.  Misuse can come in many forms but can be viewed as any messages sent or received that indicate or suggest pornography, unethical or illegal solicitation, racism, sexism, inappropriate language, or other issues outlined within the context of this document.  The network account will not be used to perform the actions noted below.

a.         Transmit or cause the transmission of any harassing, threatening, or otherwise abusive messages, data, or information

b.         Post or transmit any unsolicited advertising, promotional or marketing materials

c.         Violate any privacy rights of any person

d.         Attempt or assist others in attempting to compromise the security or integrity of the district’s computer network or electronic information service

2.            Acceptable Use

District computer systems are for educational and professional use only.  The use of district provided user accounts must support the educational goals of USD 460.  Users are personally responsible for abiding by the terms of this policy at all times when using the electronic information service.  The inappropriate use of electronic information resources can be a violation of local, state, and federal laws, and users can be prosecuted for violating these laws.

a.         Use of other organization’s network or computing resources must comply with rules appropriate to that network.

b.         Transmission of any material in violation of the following is prohibited: copyrighted material, threatening or obscene materials, and materials protected by trade secrets.

c.         Use of commercial activities by for-profit institutions is not acceptable.

d.         Use of product advertisement or political lobbying is prohibited.

e.         Intentional uploading, downloading, or viewing obscene or pornographic material is prohibited.  Although USD 460 attempts to filter or block such material, it is the user’s responsibility to avoid such material.

f.          The unauthorized disclosure, use, or dissemination of personal information regarding minors and employees is prohibited.

3.            Vandalism

Vandalism is defined as any malicious attempt to bypass security measures with the intent to view, harm, or destroy data of another user or any other agency or network that is connected to the system.  This includes, but is not limited to, hacking, manipulation of computer settings (e.g., wallpaper, background, screen savers, startup screens, shutdown screens), and the uploading or creation of computer viruses.  Any vandalism will result in the loss of computer services, disciplinary action, and legal referral.

4.            Services

USD 460 makes no warranties of any kind, whether expressed or implied, for the service it is providing.  These damages include, but are not limited to, the loss of data as a result of delays, non-deliveries, mis-deliveries, or service interruptions caused by the system or by user errors and omissions.  Use of any information obtained via the information system is obtained at the user’s risk.  Users are responsible for protecting personal computers from viruses that may be inadvertently downloaded from the Internet and network resources.  USD 460 disclaims any responsibility for the accuracy of information obtained through its services.

5.            Security

Security on any computer system is a high priority because there are so many users.  If the user identifies a security problem, the system administrator should be notified at once.  Never demonstrate the problem to other users.  Never use another individual’s account.  All use of the system must be under the user’s own account.  Any user identified as a security risk will be denied access to the information system.

6.            Copyright

There is potential copyright violation in using material downloaded from the Internet.  If material has a copyright symbol, users should be on guard.  If there are questions about what can or cannot be used, a district media specialist should be contacted before proceeding.  All material downloaded from the Internet must be done in a manner that respects the publisher’s copyright ownership. 

7.            Trademark

Trademark policies must be followed.  All USD 460 domain names and trademarks are the property of USD 460.  Employees and students have no ownership rights in them.  All information, computer materials, and devices created as a part of any assigned district responsibility or classroom activity undertaken on school time shall be the property of the board. 

8.            Installation

No software, including freeware or shareware, may be installed on any district computer or computer system until cleared by the network administrator.  The administrator will verify the compatibility of software with existing software and hardware and prescribe installation and de-installation procedures.   Program files must have the superintendent’s approval to be installed on any district server or computer.  Students shall not install software on district computers or computer systems.  Additionally, no unapproved hardware shall be installed on district computers.  Furthermore, no changes may be made to software settings that support district hardware. 

9.            Netiquette

Users are expected to abide by the generally accepted rules of network etiquette.  These rules include, but are not limited to, the guidelines identified below.

a.         Users should be polite.  Never send or encourage others to send abusive messages.

b.         Appropriate language should be used.  While a user may be alone with his/her computer, what is stated can be viewed globally.

c.         Do not reveal personal contact information (i.e., home address and phone number) for self or others.

d.         Do not use the network in any way that would disrupt the use of the network by others.

e.         Do not flame.  Impolite messages, a piece of mail, a usenet posting which is violently argumentative, or calling each other “names” is all considered flaming. Flaming is considered bad manners.

f.          Use one-on-one e-mail, rather than send to an entire list, when possible.  The most appropriate audience, not the widest audience, should be considered.

g.         Be brief when using e-mail.  Few people will bother to read long messages.

h.         Remember that humor and satire is very often misinterpreted.

i.          Forgive the spelling and grammar errors of others.

10.            Privileges

The use of the Internet and school information system is a privilege, not a right, and inappropriate use will result in the cancellation of this privilege.  The primary use of the Internet and school information system is for school related purposes.  Users shall have no expectation of privacy when using district e-mail or other official communication systems.  Use of any school supplied facility or equipment is subject to unannounced monitoring and review by the district at its discretion.  School management may access and read user Internet messages or review Internet sites visited by users at any time.  Using this account in support of illegal activities is prohibited.  District administrators, operating under the auspices of the USD 460 Board of Education, will decide what is appropriate use, and their decision is final.  At any time deemed necessary, the district administration may request that the system administrator deny, revoke, or suspend specific user accounts.  In addition to losing user privileges, any student or employee who illegally or improperly uses the Internet or district computer systems will face disciplinary action.  The district retains the right to discipline any student (up to and including expulsion) and any employee (up to and including termination) for violation of this policy.