Revised: June 1, 2007

La Feria Independent School District

Acceptable Use Policy (Administrative Policy #5)

La Feria ISD District Website

www.laferiaisd.net

ACCEPTABLE USE GUIDELINES FOR STUDENT AND EMPLOYEE INTERNET USE Introduction:

La Feria I.S.D. is pleased to be able to provide Internet access to students and employees of the District. We believe that in order for our students to be competitive in our world today and in the future, they need to have access to technologies such as the Internet. The main goal of the District in providing this service is to provide students access to new and exciting educational experiences, provide a new research resource, increase and promote communication and provide teachers with additional teaching resources for use in their classroom. Use of the new technologies is a privilege not a right. All users will be required to acknowledge receipt and understanding of all administrative- regulations governing use of the system and shall agree in writing to comply with the following regulations and guidelines. Non-compliance with applicable regulations may result in suspension or termination of privileges and other disciplinary action consistent with District policies. Violations of law may result in criminal prosecution as well as disciplinary action by the District. Electronic transmissions and other use of the Electronic Communications Systems by students and employees shall not be considered confidential and will be monitored at all times by designated District staff to ensure appropriate use for educational or administrative purposes. The District shall not be liable for user's inappropriate use of electronic communication resources or violations of copyright restrictions, user's mistakes or negligence or costs incurred by users. Although the La Feria Independent School District’s Internet Service Provider delivers filtered access to the District, using the filtering hardware or software, families should be aware that some materials that are illegal, defamatory, inaccurate, inappropriate, and potentially offensive may still be accessible to minors. The District shall not be responsible for ensuring the accuracy or usability of any information found on the Internet.

Regulations:

The District's Electronic Communications Systems will be used only for administrative and educational purposes consistent with the District's mission and goals. Commercial, personal, political, obscene or other use not directly related to administrative or educational purposes are strictly prohibited.

The District will provide training to employees and students in the proper use of the system and will provide all users with copies of acceptable use guidelines. All training in the use of the District's system will emphasize the ethical use of this resource.

Copyrighted software or data may not be placed on any system connected to the District's system without the permission from the copyright holder.

La Feria ISD District Website

www.laferiaisd.net

System Access:

Access to the District's Electronic Communications Systems will be governed as follows:

1. With the approval of the immediate supervisor, District employees will be granted access to the District's system. Students will be granted access with permission of their teachers or with the permission of the principal or his designee.

2. The District will require that all computer user passwords be changed every semester and be kept on file in the office of the immediate supervisor.

3. A teacher may apply for a class account and, in doing so, will be ultimately responsible for the use of the account. Teachers with accounts will be required to maintain password confidentiality by not sharing the password with students or others. Teachers will monitor all student usage, by physically looking at every student’s monitor frequently, while they are using the District’s Electronic Communications Systems and computers.

4. Schedules for use of District systems will be under the control of campus-level coordinators for each designated campus, library, laboratory, room, or computer on that campus. Campus-level coordinators will ensure that student’s do not use the District’s Electronic Communications Systems or computers unmonitored. The superintendent or his designee will give final approval to all schedules.

5. Any system user identified as a security risk as defined by the campus principal or by having violated any District or campus rules or guidelines may be denied access to the District's system.

Campus-Level Coordinator Responsibilities:

Campus-level coordinators for the Electronic Communications Systems will be the principal. The principal may designate teachers, librarians, or other professional or paraprofessionals as his designees to coordinate or facilitate the District system. The principal or designee will:

1. Be responsible for disseminating and enforcing applicable District policies and acceptable use guidelines for the District's system at the campus level.

2. Ensure that all users of the District system complete and sign an agreement to abide by District policies and administrative regulations regarding such use. All such agreements will be maintained on file in the principal's office.

3. Ensure that employees supervising students who use the District’s system provide training emphasizing the appropriate use of this resource.

4. Be authorized to monitor or examine all system activities, including electronic mail transmissions, as deemed appropriate to ensure proper use of the system.

5. Be authorized to establish a retention schedule for messages on any electronic bulletin board, software or hardware, and to remove messages posted locally that are deemed to be inappropriate.

La Feria ISD District Website

www.laferiaisd.net

Individual User Responsibilities:

The following standards will apply to all users of the District's electronic information /communications systems:

On-Line Conduct:

1. The individual in whose name a system account is issued will be responsible at all times for its proper use.

2. The system may not be used for illegal purposes, in support of illegal activities, or for any other activity prohibited by District policy, state law, or federal law.

3. System users may not use another person's system account without written permission from the campus administrator or District coordinator, as appropriate.

4. System users must purge electronic mail in accordance with established retention guidelines. E-mail messages should be saved on your own personal disk or deleted from the system after each session of use.

5. System users may redistribute copyrighted programs or data only with the written permission of the copyright holder or designee. Such permission must be specified in the document or must be obtained directly from the copyright holder or designee in accordance with applicable copyright laws, District policy, and administrative regulations.

6. System users may upload public domain programs to the system with the permission of the immediate campus coordinator, or principal. System users may download public domain programs for their own use or may non-commercially redistribute a public domain program. Professionals and paraprofessionals are responsible for determining whether a program is in the public domain. Students must seek permission from the teacher or campus coordinator whoever is present when the student is using the system.

Vandalism Prohibited:

Any malicious attempt to harm or destroy District equipment or materials, data of another user of the District's system, or any of the agencies or other networks that are connected to the Internet is prohibited. Deliberate attempts to degrade or disrupt system performance may be viewed as violations of District policy and administrative regulations and, possibly, as criminal activity under applicable state and federal laws. This includes, but is not limited to, the uploading or creating of computer viruses.

Vandalism as defined above will result in the cancellation of system use privileges and will require restitution for costs associated with system restoration, hardware, or software costs. In addition users may be subject to all applicable District policies.

La Feria ISD District Website

www.laferiaisd.net

Forgery Prohibited:

Forgery or attempted forgery of electronic mail messages is prohibited. Attempts to read, delete, copy, or modify the electronic mail of other system users or deliberate interference with the ability of other system users to send/receive electronic mail is prohibited and subject to all applicable District policies.

Information Content/Third Party Supplied Information:

System users and parents of students with access to the District’s system should be aware that use of the system may provide access to other Electronic Communications Systems in the global electronic network that may contain inaccurate and/or objectionable material.

A student knowingly bringing prohibited materials into the school's electronic environment will be subject to a suspension and/or a revocation of privileges on the District’s system and will be subject to disciplinary action in accordance with the Student Code of Conduct.

An employee knowingly bringing prohibited materials into the school's electronic environment will be subject to disciplinary action in accordance with District policies.

Network Etiquette: System users are expected to observe the following network etiquette:

1. Be polite; messages typed in capital letters are the computer equivalent of shouting and are considered rude.

2. Use appropriate language; swearing, vulgarity, ethnic or racial slurs, and any other inflammatory language is prohibited.

3. Pretending to be someone else when sending/receiving messages is considered inappropriate.

4. Transmitting obscene messages or pictures is prohibited.

5. Revealing personal addresses or phone numbers of the user or others is prohibited.

6. Using the network in such a way that would disrupt the use of the network by other users is prohibited.

La Feria ISD District Website

www.laferiaisd.net

Termination/Revocation of System User Account:

The District may suspend or revoke a system user's access to the District’s system upon violation of District policy and/or administrative regulations regarding acceptable use.

Termination of an employee's account or of a student's access will be effective on the date the principal or District coordinator receives notice of student withdrawal or of revocation of system privileges, or on a future date if so specified in the notice.

Disclaimer:

The District’s system is provided on an "as is, as available" basis. The District does not make any warranties, whether expressed or implied, including, without limitation, those of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose with respect to any services provided by the system and any information or software contained therein. The District does not warrant that the functions or services performed by, or that the information or software contained on, the system will meet the system user's requirements, or that the system will be uninterrupted or error-free, or 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 in the system are those of the providers and not the District.

The District will cooperate fully with local, state, or federal officials in any investigation concerning or relating to misuse of the District's Electronic Communications Systems.

La Feria ISD District Website

www.laferiaisd.net

LA FERIA INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT

EMPLOYEE AGREEMENT FOR ACCEPTABLE USE OF THE ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS

You are being given access to the District’s Electronic Communications Systems. Through this system, you will be able to communicate with other schools, colleges, organizations, and people around the world through the Internet and other electronic information systems/networks. You will have access to hundreds of databases, libraries, and computer services all over the world.

With this opportunity comes responsibility. It is important that you read the District policy, administrative regulations, and agreement form and ask questions, if you need help in understanding them. Inappropriate system use will result in the loss of the privilege of using this educational and administrative tool.

Please note that the Internet is a network of many types of communication and information networks. It is possible that you may run across some material that you may find objectionable. While the District will take reasonable steps to restrict access to such material, it is not possible to absolutely prevent such access. It will be your responsibility to follow the rules for appropriate use.

RULES FOR APPROPRIATE USE:

™ The access to the Electronic Communications Systems and the e-mail account are to be used only for educational and administrative purposes. ™ You will be held responsible at all times for the proper use of your e-mail account, and the District may suspend or revoke your access to the Electronic Communications Systems if you violate the rules. ™ Remember that people who receive e-mail from you with a school address might think that your message represents the school’s point of view.

INAPPROPRIATE USES:

™ Using the system for any illegal purpose. ™ Borrowing someone’s account without their permission. ™ Downloading or using copyrighted material without permission from the copyright holder. ™ Posting messages or accessing materials that are abusive, political, obscene, sexually oriented,

threatening, harassing, damaging to another person’s reputation, or illegal. ™ Unauthorized disclosure, use, and dissemination of personal or student identification or information ™ Allowing students to access to the Electronic Communications Systems and the e-mail account or other

forms of direct communication, without supervision. ™ Wasting school resources through improper use of the computer system. ™ Hacking, gaining or attempting to gain unauthorized entry to restricted information, databases,

resources, inappropriate sites, or computers.

CONSEQUENCES FOR INAPPROPRIATE USE:

™ Suspension of access to the system; ™ Revocation of access to the Electronic Communications Systems and the e-mail account, or ™ Other disciplinary or legal action, in accordance with the District policies, regulations and

applicable laws.

La Feria ISD District Website

www.laferiaisd.net

LA FERIA INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT

EMPLOYEE AGREEMENT FOR ACCEPTABLE USE OF THE ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS

I understand that my computer use is not private and that the District will monitor my activity on the Electronic Communications Systems and the usage of my e-mail account.

I have read the District’s Electronic Communications Systems Policy and the administrative regulations and agree to abide by their provisions.

In consideration for the privilege of using the District’s Electronic Communications Systems and in consideration for having access to the public networks, I hereby release the District, its operators, and any institutions with which they are affiliated from any and all claims and damages of any nature arising from my use of, or inability to use, the system; including, without limitation, the type of damages identified in the District’s Policy and administrative regulations.

I also understand that I will supervise and monitor students while they are using the District’s Electronic Communications Systems, by monitoring their usage and activities frequently.

I will not allow students to use the Electronic Communications Systems unsupervised.

I am assigned to (Campus): La Feria High School

Employee’s Printed Name: __________________________________________________________

Employee’s Signature: __________________________________________________________

Home Phone Number: ______________________ Date: _______________________

PLEASE COMPLETE, SIGN AND RETURN THIS PAGE TO YOUR CAMPUS PRINCIPAL OR THEIR DESIGNEE.

La Feria ISD District Website

www.laferiaisd.net

LA FERIA INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT

PARENT AND STUDENT AGREEMENT FOR ACCEPTABLE USE OF THE ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS

The La Feria Independent School District is pleased to offer student’s access to the Electronic Communications Systems of the District. To gain access to the Electronic Communications Systems and the Internet, all students must obtain parental permission as verified by the signatures on the form below. Should a parent prefer that a student not have Internet access, use of the computers is still possible for more traditional purposes such as word processing and educational software.

What is possible?

Access to the Internet will enable students to explore thousands of libraries, databases, museums, and other repositories of information and to exchange personal communication with other Internet users around the world. Although the District’s Internet Service Provider delivers filtered access to the District, using the filtering hardware or software, families should be aware that some material accessible via the Internet may contain items that are illegal, defamatory, inaccurate, or potentially offensive. While the purposes of the school are to use Internet resources for constructive educational goals, students may find ways to access other materials. We believe that the benefits to students from access to the Internet in the form of information resources and opportunities for collaboration exceed the disadvantages. But ultimately, parents and guardians of minors are responsible for setting and conveying the standards that their children should follow when using media and information sources. Therefore, we support and respect each family's right to decide whether or not to allow their child access to the Electronic Communications Systems.

What is expected?

Students are responsible for appropriate behavior on the school's computer network just as they are in a classroom or on a school playground. Communications on the network are often public in nature. General school rules for behavior and communications apply. It is expected that users will comply with District standards and the specific rules set forth below. The use of the network is a privilege, not a right, and may be revoked if abused. The user is personally responsible for his/her actions in accessing and utilizing the school's computer resources. The students are advised never to access, keep, or send anything that they would not want their parents or teachers to see. The teachers will actively monitor the students while they are using the computers to insure that they are using them appropriately.

What are the rules?

Privacy -- Network storage areas may be treated like school lockers. Network administrators may review communications to maintain system integrity to insure that students are using the system responsibly.

Storage capacity -- Users are not to store any information on the computer and should delete all material which takes up excessive storage space.

Illegal copying -- Students should never download or install any commercial software, shareware, or freeware onto network drives or disks, nor should students copy other people's work or intrude into other people's files.

La Feria ISD District Website

www.laferiaisd.net

LA FERIA INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT

STUDENT AGREEMENT FOR ACCEPTABLE USE OF THE ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS

Inappropriate materials or language -- No profane, abusive, obscene, sexually oriented, threatening, harassing, damaging to another person’s reputation, or illegal activities should be accessed or used to communicate, that are not in line with the rules of school behavior.

Unauthorized usage -- Hacking, gaining or attempting to gain unauthorized entry to restricted information, databases, resources, inappropriate sites, or computers.

Proper Behavior -- A good rule to follow is never view, send, or access materials which you would not want your teachers and parents to see. Should students encounter such material by accident, they should report it their teacher or lab manager immediately.

Succinct Advice

These are guidelines to follow to prevent the loss of network privileges at School.

1. Do not use a computer to harm other people or their work.

2. Do not damage the computer or the network in any way.

3. Do not interfere with the operation of the network by installing illegal software, shareware, or freeware.

4. Do not violate copyright laws.

5. Do not view, send, or display offensive messages or pictures.

6. Do not share your name, address, password, or other personal identification or information, with another person at school or on the network.

7. Do not waste limited resources such as disk space or printing capacity.

8. Do not trespass in others folders, work, or files.

9. Notify your teacher or lab manager immediately, if by accident, you encounter materials which violate the rules of appropriate use.

10. BE PREPARED to be held accountable for your actions and for the loss of privileges if the Acceptable Use Policies are violated.

La Feria ISD District Website

www.laferiaisd.net

LA FERIA INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT

ACUERDO PARA LOS PADRES SOBRE el USO ACEPTABLE del SISTEMA ELECTRÓNICO de COMUNICACIONES

El distrito escolar independiente de La Feria tiene el gusto de anunciar que nuestros alumnos tendrán acceso al Systema Electronico de Comunicación. Para poder conseguir tal acceso, los alumnos deben obtener autorización de sus padres mediante sus firmas al final de esta carta. Si los padres prefieren que su hijo(a) no tenga acceso al Internet, los estudiantes podrán seguir utilizando las computadoras en la escuela para usos más tradicionales como escritura y otros programas de educacion.

¿Cuáles son las posibilidades?

El acceso a tal sistema permitirá a nuestros alumnos explorar millones de fuentes de información, bancos de datos, bibliotecas, museos, así que intercambiar información con otros usuarios a través del mundo. Aunque el acceso al internet es filtrado por la compania que lo vende al distrito, es importante que las familias de los alumnos sepan que ciertas fuentes de información accesibles vía Internet podrían contener material incorrecto, difamatorio, ilegal. u ofensivo. Aunque en nuestras escuelas, el uso de los recursos disponibles vía Internet está limitado a fines académicos y educativos, algunos alumnos podrían encontrar maneras de acceder a otras fuentes de información. Nosotros creemos que son mas grandes los beneficios derivados del acceso a los varios recursos de información, así que de las oportunidades de colaboración ofrecidas por Internet exceden las desaventajas. Además, los padres tienen la responsabilidad de establecer y comunicar a sus hijos las normas para utilizar tales medios de información y comunicación. Nosotros respetamos y apoyamos el derecho de cada familia de elegir o no elegir el acceso a tales medios.

¿Cuáles son las expectativas?

Las responsabilidades de los estudiantes en la red electrónica de comunicación en relación a conducta y comportamiento son las mismas de aquellas en el salón de clase y en el patio de recreo de la escuela. Ya que cualquier tipo de comunicación es esencialmente público, las reglas generales de conducta de la escuela deben ser aplicadas. Los usuarios deben atenerse a las normas del distrito y a las reglas específicas indicadas abajo. El uso de la red de comunicación electrónica no es un derecho, sino un privilegio, y por lo tanto, una vez abusado, tal privilegio puede ser revocado. El usuario es personalmente responsable de sus acciones cuando utiliza las computadoras de la escuela. Se pide a los estudiantes de no mantener, enviar, ni acceder a cualquier material que no quieran mostrar a sus padres o a sus maestros. Sus maestros tienen la responsabilidad de asegurar que los estudiantes utilizen tales medios apropiadament.

¿Cuáles son las reglas?

• Confidencialidad -- Los áreas de almacenamiento en la red pueden ser tratadas como los armarios escolares. Los administradores de la red pueden revisar cualquier dato de comunicación en la red para mantener integridad y para asegurar que los estudiantes utilicen el sistema de manera responsable.

• Capacidad de almacenamiento -- Los usuarios deben atenerse al espacio del disco asignado y suprimir correo electrónico u otro material que ocupa espacio excesivo.

• Duplicación ilegal -- Los estudiantes no deben descargar ni instalar cualquier tipo de software comercial, shareware o freeware en las unidades de disco o en cualquier disco sin una autorización escrita del administrador de la red. Los estudiantes no deben duplicar el trabajo de otras personas ni acceder a los archivos de otras personas.

La Feria ISD District Website

www.laferiaisd.net

LA FERIA INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT

• Materiales o lenguaje inapropiados -- Se prohibe el uso de lenguaje profano, abusive, amenzante, o descortés en cualquier tipo de comunicación ilegal , como tampoco se debe acceder a cualquier fuente de información que no se atiene a las normas de buena conducta.

• Uso no autorizado – La entrada o tratar de entrar a lugares, o informacion, o computadoras no autorizados es prohibido.

• Buena conducta -- Una buena regla de seguir es de nunca observar, enviar, ni acceder a cualquier tipo de material que no quieran mostrar a sus padres o a sus maestros. Al encontrar tal material por accidente, los estudiantes deben reportarlo inmediatamente a sus maestros.

Consejos útiles

Estas son algunas normas que les ayudarán a evitar de perder el privilegio de uso de la red de comunicación electrónica en la Escuela _________________.

1. Nunca utilizar la computadora para perjudicar a otras personas o el trabajo de otras personas.

2. Nunca dañar la computadora ni la red de comunicación.

3. No interferir con la operación de la red mediante la instalación de software, shareware, o freeware ilegales.

4. No infringir los derechos de propiedad literaria.

5. No mirar, enviar, ni exhibir mensajes o imágenes ofensivos.

6. No compartir su propia contraseña de acceso con ninguna persona.

7. No gastar recursos limitados tales como memoria de disco o capacidad de impresión.

8. No acceder a los archivos ni al trabajo de otras personas.

9. Si encuentran por accidente algún material ilegal u ofensivo, avisar inmediatamente a su maestro.

10. Los estudiantes deben asumir responsabilidad por sus propias acciones y por la perdida de sus privilegios si hay alguna infracción de las reglas.

La Feria ISD District Website

www.laferiaisd.net

Nombre del estudiante: