Coventry Public Schools
offers data networking and Internet service through CNET (Coventry Network for
Educational Technology. This document contains the Acceptable Use Policy for
your use of CNET.
a.
CNET has been
established for a limited educational purpose.
The term "educational purpose" includes classroom activities
and career development.
CNET has not been
established as a public access service or a public forum. Coventry Public Schools has the right to
place reasonable restrictions on the material you access or post through the
system. You are also expected to follow
the rules set forth in the School Board Policy #, Student Handbook or CNET
Handbook for elementary schools and the law in your use of CNET.
a.
You may not use
CNET for commercial purposes. This means
you may not offer, provide, or purchase products or services through CNET.
b.
You may not use
CNET for political lobbying. But you
may use the system to communicate with elected representatives and to express
your opinion on political issues.
a.
All students
will have access to network and Internet information resources through their
classroom, library, or school computer lab.
b.
All students
will have access to an individual home directory for grades 4-12 students and a
classroom home directory for K – 3 students for the purpose of storing classwork.
c.
You and your
parent must sign an Account Agreement to be granted an individual CNET
account. This Agreement must be renewed
on an annual basis. Your parent can
withdraw their approval at any time in writing to the building administrator.
d.
If approved by
your building administrator or his/her designee, you may create a personal Web
page on CNET. All material placed on
your Web page must be pre-approved in a manner specified by the school. Material placed on your Web page must relate
to your school and career preparation activities.
The following uses of
CNET are considered unacceptable:
a.
Personal Safety
1.
You will not
post personal contact information about yourself or other people. Personal contact information includes your
address, telephone, school address, work address, etc.
2.
You will not
agree to meet with someone you have met online without your parent's
approval. Your parent should accompany
you to this meeting.
3.
You will
promptly disclose to your teacher or other school employee any message you
receive that is inappropriate or makes you feel uncomfortable.
b.
Illegal
Activities
1.
You will not
attempt to gain unauthorized access to CNET or to any other computer system
through CNET or go beyond your authorized access. This includes attempting to log in through
another person's account or access another person's files. These actions are illegal, even if only for
the purposes of "browsing.
2.
You will not
make deliberate attempts to disrupt the computer system or destroy data by
spreading computer viruses or by any other means. These actions are illegal.
3.
You will not
use CNET to engage in any other illegal act, such as arranging for a drug sale
or the purchase of alcohol, engaging in criminal gang activity, threatening the
safety of person, etc.
c.
System Security
1.
You are
responsible for your individual account and should take all reasonable
precautions to prevent others from being able to use your account. Under no conditions should you provide your
password to another person.
2.
You will
immediately notify a teacher, administrator or the Director of Technology if
you have identified a possible security problem. Do not go looking for security problems,
because this may be construed as an illegal attempt to gain access.
3.
You will avoid
the inadvertent spread of computer viruses by following the District virus
protection procedures if you download software.
d.
Inappropriate
Language
1.
Restrictions
against Inappropriate Language apply to public messages, private messages, and
material posted on Web pages.
2.
You will not
use obscene, profane, lewd, vulgar, rude, inflammatory, threatening, or
disrespectful language.
3.
You will not
post information that could cause damage or a danger of disruption.
4.
You will not
engage in personal attacks, including prejudicial or discriminatory
attacks.
5.
You will not
harass another person. Harassment is
persistently acting in a manner that distresses or annoys another person. If you are told by a person to stop sending them messages, you must stop.
6.
You will not
knowingly or recklessly post false or defamatory information about a person or
organization.
e.
Respect for
Privacy
1.
You will not
re-post a message that was sent to you privately without permission of the
person who sent you the message.
2.
You will not
post private information about another person.
f.
Respecting
Resource Limits.
1.
You will use
the system only for educational and career development.
2.
You will not
download large files unless absolutely necessary. If necessary, you will download the file at a
time when the system is not being heavily used and immediately remove the file
from the system computer to your personal computer. Your home directory must
not exceed 10MB in size. Home
directories that exceed this limit will be searched and emptied.
3.
You will not
post chain letters or engage in "spamming." Spamming is sending an annoying or
unnecessary message to a large number of people.
g.
Plagiarism and
Copyright Infringement
1.
You will not
plagiarize works that you find on the Internet.
Plagiarism is taking the ideas or writings of others and presenting them
as if they were yours.
2.
You will
respect the rights of copyright owners.
Copyright infringement occurs when you inappropriately reproduce a work
that is protected by a copyright. If a
work contains language that specifies appropriate use of that work, you should
follow the expressed requirements. If
you are unsure whether or not you can use a work, you should request permission
from the copyright owner. Copyright law
can be very confusing. If you have
questions ask a teacher.
h.
Inappropriate
Access to Material
1.
You will not
use CNET to access material that is profane or obscene (pornography), that
advocates illegal acts, or that advocates violence or discrimination towards
other people (hate literature). A
special exception may be made for hate literature if the purpose of your access
is to conduct research and both your teacher and parent have approved.
2.
If you
mistakenly access inappropriate information, you should immediately tell your
teacher, administrator, or any faculty member. This will protect you against a
claim that you have intentionally violated this Policy.
3.
Your parents
should instruct you if there is additional material that they think it would be
inappropriate for you to access. The
district fully expects that you will follow your parent's instructions in this
matter.
a.
Free Speech
Your right to free
speech, as set forth in the Student Handbook or CNET Handbook applies also to
your communication on CNET. CNET is considered a limited forum, similar to the
school newspaper, and therefore the District may restrict your speech for valid
educational reasons. The District will
not restrict your speech on the basis of a disagreement with the opinions you
are expressing.
b.
Search and
Seizure.
1.
You should
expect only limited privacy in the contents of your personal files on the
District system. The situation is
similar to the rights you have in the privacy of your locker.
2.
Routine
maintenance and monitoring of CNET may lead to discovery that you have violated
this Policy, the Student Handbook, or the law.
3.
An individual
search will be conducted if there is reasonable suspicion that you have
violated this Policy, the policies set in the Student Handbook, or the
law. The investigation will be
reasonable and related to the suspected violation.
4.
Your parents
have the right at any time to request to see the contents of your folders and
files. They are to make this request in writing to the building administrator.
c.
Due Process
1.
The District
will cooperate fully with local, state, or federal officials in any
investigation related to any illegal activities conducted through CNET.
2.
In the event
there is a claim that you have violated this Policy or the policies set in the
Student Handbook in your use of the CNET, you will be provided with a written
notice of the suspected violation and an opportunity to present an explanation
before an administrator.
3.
If the
violation also involves a violation of other provisions of the Student
Handbook, it will be handled in a manner described in the Student
Handbook. Additional restrictions may be
placed on your use of your Internet account.
The District makes no
guarantee that the functions or the services provided by or through the
District system will be error-free or without defect. The District will not be responsible for any
damage you may suffer, including but not limited to, loss of data or
interruptions of service. The District
is not responsible for the accuracy or quality of the information obtained
through or stored on the system. The
District will not be responsible for financial obligations arising through the
unauthorized use of the system.
When you are using the
CNET, it may feel like you can more easily break a rule and not get
caught. This is not really true because
whenever you do something on a network you leave little "electronic
footprints," so the odds of getting caught are really about same as they
are in the real world.
But the fact that you can do something or think you
can do something without being caught does not make it right to do so. Even if you
don't get caught, there is always one person who will know whether you have
done wrong -- and that person is you.
Your use of the Internet can be a mirror that will show you what kind of
a person you are.