7540.03 Student Acceptable Use of Technology

The School District’s technology resources, including the District’s technology-related equipment,  software, networks, network connections, and internet access, are open to limited and regulated use by students as a privilege. Each student who uses the District’s technology resources is required to follow the School District’s established expectations for acceptable use.  

In general, “acceptable use” means that a student is required to use technology resources in a manner that:

• has a legitimate educational or other school-authorized purpose;
• is legal;
• is ethical (including, for example, avoiding plagiarism);
• avoids harm to any person (including, for example, making threats, harassing or bullying  someone, violating someone’s privacy, accessing another person’s accounts, records or files, etc.);
• avoids harm to property (including, for example, damaging hardware, software, equipment, another person’s work or electronic files, etc.);
• avoids accessing or transmitting harmful or inappropriate material;
• is respectful of others; and
• is consistent with all applicable school notices, rules, and regulations, as well as any additional instruction and directives that may be provided by District staff.  

Students should approach their use of technology resources with the understanding that all of the school rules and expectations that apply to in-person interactions and to the student’s general conduct while at school or while under the supervision of a school authority also apply to their use of School District technology, their on-line conduct, and their electronic communications. This document and various other District policies, rules, and regulations include additional requirements and expectations that are directly related to the use of technology resources and electronic devices. 

Policies, rules, and regulations cannot directly address every situation that a student may encounter. Therefore, an additional aspect of “acceptable use” is that the District expects each student who uses the resources to take an appropriate degree of personal responsibility for exercising sound judgment in his/her use of technology and in his/her technology-related activities and communications.  

If a student has a question concerning any notice, rule, regulation, or directive that relates to technology resources, or if a student encounters a situation in which they are uncertain about any expectation for acceptable use or about how to proceed, the student should contact a teacher or an administrator to obtain appropriate guidance. 

NOTICES AND WARNINGS TO STUDENTS WHO USE SCHOOL DISTRICT TECHNOLOGY RESOURCES 

• The School District owns, controls, and oversees all of the school’s technology resources, including the District’s technology-related equipment, software, applications, networks, network connections, and internet access. LCASD assumes no liability for any material accessed on the computing device.
• LCASD has installed software on its computing devices to facilitate the monitoring of student internet usage. While the LCASD is committed to protecting students, no technical or human supervision is fail-safe. The LCASD reserves the right to investigate, review, monitor, and restrict information stored and transmitted on District-owned devices. Any attempt by students to circumvent the monitoring and filtering systems in place including, but not limited to, resetting the device or attempting to install or use proxy servers, will result in disciplinary action. This action may result in loss of student use of the device and/or other consequences deemed appropriate by LCASD administration up to, and including, expulsion.
• Any student who uses School District technology resources does so solely at their own risk regarding possible damage to or any other potential loss of data, content, software, or equipment. This includes loss of data for any reason whatsoever, including the District’s own negligence, errors, or omissions. The District offers no warranties or remedies to users regarding any damage, deletion, or other loss, or property/data. Further, the District makes no promises or warranties of any kind, whether expressed or implied, for the technology-related services it provides. The District is also not responsible for the accuracy or quality of information obtained through its technology-related services.
• Unless otherwise prohibited by law, at all times, and without further notice.
  • Each user of District technology resources is subject to direct and regular District oversight of, and District access to, any and all data, files, communications, or other material that the user creates, stores, sends, deletes, receives, or displays on or over the District’s internet connection, network resources, file servers, computers or other equipment;
  • All aspects of any individual’s use of the District’s technology-related equipment and resources, including any online activities that make use of District-provided internet access and District-provided equipment, are subject to monitoring and tracking by District officials.
• Except as to any privacy rights that independently exist under state or federal law, no person who accesses and uses the District’s electronic networks and other technology-related equipment and resources does so with an expectation that any privacy right exists that would prevent District officials from (1) monitoring the person’s activities; or (2)  accessing any user’s equipment, data, communications, and other materials.
• If a student wishes to use technology (including engaging in electronic communications)  in a manner that is secured and private, he/she should not use the School District’s technology resources.
• If a student uses School District technology resources in a manner that violates the District’s expectations for acceptable use, or any other established policy, regulation, rule, or directive, the student is subject to possible discipline. Examples of possible consequences for improper use of technology include the following:
  • Suspension, restriction, or revocation of the privilege of use of School District technology resources;
  • The imposition of academic consequences for academic-related violations;
  • Suspension and/or expulsion from school; and/or
  • Referral to law enforcement.  

ADDITIONAL RULES, REGULATIONS, AND EXPECTATIONS FOR STUDENT USERS

THE STUDENT MUST BE AN AUTHORIZED USER. No student shall use School District technology resources unless he/she is currently an authorized user, as determined by the District.

• Grades K-4. Students are authorized to use particular equipment by staff at the building level. Students in grades K-4 will generally use technology only in structured educational settings, and with a greater degree of monitoring and supervision than is expected for older students.
• Grades 5 through 12. The primary step in becoming an authorized user for any student in grade 5 or above is that the student and the student’s parent or guardian must first sign a School Technology User Agreement. Access to specific networks, domains, applications, etc. (e.g., Google Apps for Education™, etc.)  may be restricted pending a determination of need and/or pending successful completion of District-specific training/instruction.
• The District reserves the right to deny, revoke, suspend, or limit specific user accounts and/or the user’s access privileges.
• If a student who is not an authorized user nonetheless proceeds to use District technology resources in violation of District rules, all other District rules and expectations regarding acceptable use still apply to the student and may become independent grounds for discipline.

UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS AND OTHER PROHIBITED ACTIVITIES. Students are prohibited from engaging in (or attempting to engage in) the following conduct at all times:

• Installing any software programs or applications without District permission;
• Knowingly exposing the District’s technology resources to possible viruses, malware, spyware, or any other similarly harmful material;
• Accessing any network, drive, file, application, database, or system, including personal email and social media accounts that the District has not authorized for the student’s use/access, including all forms of computer or computer system hacking;
• Modifying the security settings (including any settings or filters that limit access to particular content) on any system, network, application, portal, website, or device;
• Using another person’s login or password information; or allowing another person to use the student’s own login or password information;
• Physically connecting any personally-owned technology equipment to a School District network (including computers, laptops, printers, etc.) except for authorized wireless connections;
• Modifying without permission any District records, any District-controlled web pages or web-based accounts, or any of the District’s Internet-based resources;
• Removing from school grounds or from its District-designated location within a building any School District equipment;
• Using District technology resources for any private commercial activities (for example, solicitations or advertisements) or for any activities that involve political advocacy connected to any election.

RULES AND EXPECTATIONS RELATED TO COPYRIGHT LAW, LICENSING AGREEMENTS, AND RELATED ISSUES.

• While using the District’s technology resources, students are individually responsible for following applicable laws, regulations, and agreements that relate to the use of any other person’s or entity’s products, services, or content.
• Students may not use any electronic content, application, software, or technology service (1) that has not been properly purchased or licensed, or (2) in any manner that violates a license, user agreement, or the terms of use established by the owner/manufacturer/vendor of the product, service, or content.
• Students may not use District technology resources in connection with any unlawful or any non-school related file-sharing activities, including the improper copying, storing, downloading, uploading, or transferring of copyrighted works.
• Students are expected to verify their authority (by obtaining permission when necessary) to copy, use, incorporate, or adapt any work that is subject to copyright, trademark, or other similar legal protection. This expectation applies regardless of the format of the work in question. Students are cautioned that the fact that an image, video, recording, article, file, program, book, or other work that is subject to copyright or trademark protection is available through the internet does not mean that it is in the public domain (i.e., able to be freely used), or that it can be further used, copied, or adapted without first obtaining appropriate permission from the person or entity who holds the applicable rights.
• Property created by a student that is submitted as an assignment or for an assessment, or for a grade or course credit, may be retained by the District as a student record and displayed for school purposes subject to the District policy and laws that govern such records. The District may further extend its right to retain, reproduce, distribute, or otherwise use student-created intellectual property by obtaining specific permission and a waiver from the student and the parent/guardian of a minor student.
• To the extent consistent with applicable law, the District retains the exclusive right to determine, at its discretion, the content that is permitted to be displayed or otherwise made available to the school community and/or to the general public through the District’s technology resources.

RULES AND EXPECTATIONS RELATED TO ACADEMIC INTEGRITY.

• District and individual teacher expectations regarding honesty and fairness in academic contexts apply fully to activities that involve the use of technology.
• Students may never (expressly or implicitly) represent the work or ideas of another person as their own, or seek to gain an unfair advantage over other students.
• Due to the scope and nature of electronic resources, the District has a heightened expectation that students who are using technology resources and/or engaging in electronic research take special care to avoid plagiarism, which includes copying, close paraphrasing, or representing as one’s own the writing, ideas, or other work of another person without appropriate attribution.

STUDENT E-MAIL ACCOUNTS

• To promote effective communications, students in grades 1 – 12 will be provided district e-mail accounts through the School District’s Google Apps™ domain. District-provided student e-mail accounts are a privilege and District guidelines regarding the use of student e-mail must be strictly followed.
• Student e-mail accounts that have been issued by the District must be used for educational purposes only.
• A student e-mail account issued by the School District is not confidential or private, and a student’s e-mail may be read by teachers or district personnel. Students who use a District-issued e-mail account should view the messages that they send in the same manner that they view (1) verbal exchanges that occur in a classroom, and (2) assignments that are presented to a teacher. The content of e-mails can lead to disciplinary and other consequences.
• Acceptable use of student e-mail includes:
  • Communicating with a teacher regarding schedules, assignments, curriculum content, class projects, and class activities.
  • Communicating with other students to facilitate collaboration, planning, and research for school-related projects and activities.
  • When authorized by the building principal, communicating with third parties outside of the School District as a means of collaborative learning, academic research, or other school-related purpose.
  • Giving careful and respectful consideration to (1) the original sender’s intent and expectations, and (2) the possible consequences for others before forwarding an e-mail message.
  • Unacceptable use of student e-mail includes:
    • E-mail must not contain defamatory, discriminatory, threatening, offensive, racist, deceptive, sexually explicit, or obscene content.
    • E-mail must not be used to bully, harass, or intimidate another person.
    • E-mail must not be used to facilitate any unlawful activity or any violation of school rules.
    • E-mail received from another person should not be forwarded gratuitously when the original sender has clearly stated without permission from the sender.
    • Students shall not attempt to send e-mail from another person’s account,  view another person’s e-mail messages, or impersonate another person using e-mail.
    • Students shall not create, transmit, or forward e-mail messages, internet links, images, or attachments that do not have a legitimate educational purpose (for example: spam, jokes, etc.) and/or that may be harmful (for example: executable files, viruses, requests for personal or confidential information, material from an unknown source, etc.)

OTHER ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION BY STUDENTS

• In addition to e-mail, there are various other forms of electronic communication that students may be able to access and use. Examples include social media platforms, chat functionality, message boards, course-management applications that permit student submissions, applications that function like text messaging, etc.
• Students using School District technology resources to engage in any form of electronic communication are expected to follow the District’s rules and expectations for “acceptable use” as defined in this document, and, as far as the content and purpose of their communications, students are more-specifically expected to adhere to the school rules and expectations that apply to in-person interactions and to avoid including or transmitting any of the content that is defined as “unacceptable” for e-mail communications in the section immediately above.

STUDENTS HAVE LIMITED PERMISSION TO POSSESS AND USE PERSONAL ELECTRONIC DEVICES AT SCHOOL

• A student may bring a personal electronic device to school and use the device only to the extent consistent with this document, related School Board Policies 7540 and 7540.03, and any other rules or directives issued by the District to govern the time, place, and manner in which students may possess and use personal electronic devices.
• The District assumes no responsibility for the loss or theft of, or for any damage to, any personal electronic device regardless of (1) when the loss, theft, or damage occurs; (2) where the device is located/possessed at the time the loss, theft, or damage occurs. The School District is not obligated to investigate or otherwise resolve the theft of any personal electronic device.
• Where the District has reason to suspect that any personal electronic device is present or has been used in violation of any school rule, school personnel may temporarily confiscate the device. Staff shall make an effort to store a confiscated device in a reasonably secure location. To the extent consistent with applicable law, a confiscated device may be subject to a search by a school administrator or law enforcement officials.
• Students are required to relinquish electronic devices to school personnel when directed. Refusal to comply or interfering with such a directive (e.g., by removing the battery or memory card without permission) will be considered insubordination and the student will be subject to disciplinary action.
• Taking pictures or making or transmitting any video or audio recording of other students or school staff is prohibited at all times unless the student has obtained advance permission from a teacher or administrator per district guidelines.
• Students are strictly prohibited from using or allowing another person to use any electronic device with recording (audio, photos, video, etc.) or communications capabilities in locker rooms, restrooms, or any other area that could constitute an invasion of any person’s reasonable expectation of privacy. Except in an emergency situation, all such devices should be turned off and put away in all such areas of the buildings. (See also School Board Policy 7540.03).
• Students who bring a personal electronic device to school are responsible for keeping their device(s) silent during instructional time, or completely turned off and put away to the extent otherwise required or directed.
• Students using headphones or earbuds are individually responsible for ensuring that they are still able to hear relevant activity (voices, vehicles, announcements, etc.) in their surroundings. Any time students are moving, except when the student is only a passenger in a vehicle, at least one ear should be completely clear.
• A student may connect an internet-ready device with wireless connectivity to the building’s “Guest” wireless network in order to use the device for an authorized purpose. A personal electronic device shall not be physically connected to any District network other than the “Guest” network.
• Unless otherwise directed by a District staff member, a student of any age may engage in instructional and limited personal use of a personal electronic device that is connected to the District’s “Guest” wireless network if the use (1) occurs outside of the hours of the school’s instructional day; (2) does not interfere with any student’s education or any school-related activity; (3) does not unduly burden the District’s network resources or materially interfere with others’ use of the network; and (4) imposes no tangible costs to the District.
• If a student possesses and uses a personal electronic device that can access a data connection (e.g., 3G/4G) other than a School District network, any use of such a device that occurs at school or in connection with a school activity still must be consistent with District rules of conduct for students, including rules regarding the time, place, and manner of such use. The student shall not use the device to access or transfer harmful or inappropriate material, including but not limited to material that is obscene, sexually explicit, unlawful, threatening, or harassing. These expectations apply even though a device using a non-school data connection is not subject to the District’s Internet filtering and related security measures.
• As an important exception to all rules and directives that might otherwise limit a student’s permission to possess and use a personal electronic device, all students at all grade levels may use a device (at any time of day) to contact a responsible adult in any emergency situation that involves an immediate threat to the health or safety of any person.
• At all times other than emergencies as identified in the paragraph above, permission to possess and/or use personal electronic devices at school or in any school-supervised setting is subject to further modification or limitation by a teacher, activity supervisor, or any school administrator. When a staff member issues a specific directive or limitation related to the possession or use of any electronic device, students are expected to follow that directive/limitation.
• Students and parents/guardians are advised that the best way to contact each other during the school day for all non-emergency reasons is through the school office.

REPORTING STUDENT/PARENT CONCERNS, MISUSE, OR OTHER POSSIBLE VIOLATIONS OF ACCEPTABLE USE

• Any time a student feels unsafe, victimized, or in any way uncertain about a situation involving the use of School District technology resources by any person, the student (or his/her parent or guardian) should immediately contact a teacher or an administrator.
• Students are required to report and provide to a teacher or administrator any electronic communication that they receive while (1) using a District-provided e-mail account, or (2) using any District-provided electronic software, program, application, or platform if any of the following apply:
  • The communication is from an unknown source and either contains inappropriate content, asks the student to respond, or requests the student to reveal personal information;
  • The content of the communication is defamatory, discriminatory, threatening, offensive, racist, deceptive, sexually explicit, or obscene; or
  • The communication represents an attempt to bully, harass, or intimidate another person; or
  • The content of the communication represents an attempt to facilitate or encourage any violation of the law or school rules.
• A student may report to any teacher or to the building principal or any other administrator any concerns about possible violations of the policies, rules, and procedures that govern the acceptable, safe, and responsible use of the District’s technology-related resources.
• If a student has a concern that any School District technology equipment, network, or system may have a security vulnerability, or that any breach of security may have occurred, the student shall report the issue to a teacher or to the building principal or any other administrator. The student should not demonstrate the potential security problem to anyone other than to the person to whom they report the concern.
• If a student or parent/guardian has a concern that any content that is available through the internet is (1) appropriate material that is currently being blocked or filtered; or (2) harmful or inappropriate material that is not being blocked or filtered, the individual may report that concern to the student’s building principal. The District will review the issue and report back to the person making the report.  

Additional Provisions Specific to Elementary School Students

• An elementary school student may not use a personal electronic device during the school day unless the student receives direct permission from a staff member to use the device at that time. A staff member may authorize such use in connection with a specific school-related and school-supervised activity or as a supplement to classroom instruction (e.g. e-readers can be used during classroom reading time).
• When an elementary student has not received permission to use his/her device, the device should be turned off and put away at all times during the school day.  

Additional Provisions Specific to Intermediate and Middle School Students

• Personal electronic devices may be used in the classroom or during a student’s participation in organized school activities only with the advance approval of the teacher, activity supervisor, or an administrator.
• A personal electronic device may not be used for a non-instructional purpose (e.g., to browse the internet, use social media, make phone calls, send text messages, etc.) during the school day.
• Students wishing to use a personal electronic device for an instructional purpose during the school day, but outside of the classroom environment must obtain advance teacher or administrator approval.  

Additional Provisions Specific to High School Students

• Personal electronic devices may be used in the classroom or during a student’s participation in organized school activities only with the advance approval of the teacher, activity supervisor, or an administrator.
• Unless otherwise directed by a District staff member, high school students may engage in instructional and/or limited personal use of a personal electronic device when the student is neither attending a class nor participating in an organized school activity, provided that (1) the use does not interfere with and is not likely to disrupt any student’s education or any school-related activity; (2) the use does not unduly burden the District’s network resources or materially interfere with others’ use of the network; and (3) the use imposes no tangible costs to the District.