Copied below are the contents of Board of Education Policies 4118.5 and 4218.5:
Personnel Policy
Acceptable Technology Use
The Lyme-Old Lyme Public Schools recognize that an effective education system develops students who are globally aware, civically engaged, and capable of managing their lives and careers. The District also believes that students and staff need to be proficient users of information, media, and technology to succeed in a digital world.
Therefore, Lyme-Old Lyme Public School students and staff will use electronic resources as a powerful and compelling means to learn and to apply skills in relevant and rigorous ways. It is the District's goal to provide students and staff with rich and ample opportunities to use technology for important purposes in schools just as individuals in workplaces and other real-life settings. The District's technology will enable students and staff to communicate, learn, share, collaborate and create, to think and solve problems, to manage their work, and to take ownership of their lives.
The Lyme-Old Lyme Board of Education directs the Superintendent and his/her designees to create strong electronic educational systems that support innovative teaching and learning, to provide appropriate staff development opportunities, and to develop procedures to support this policy.
Lyme-Old Lyme Public Schools provide computers, computer systems, software, and other electronic resources as well as network access privileges for students and staff to carry out the mission of the District in an environment which ensures up-to-date information, management, and communication services. Responsible use of these systems and networks is expected of all students and staff.
The computers, computer systems, software, and other electronic resources, as well as the network, are the property of the Lyme-Old Lyme Public Schools and are to be used for those activities directly related to teaching, learning, and/or management by students and staff. The equipment, infrastructure, software, and other electronic resources, as well as the network, are not to be used for personal gain or illicit/illegal activity by any student or staff member.
All users are hereby made aware that all information on Lyme-Old Lyme Public Schools' computers, computer systems, and networks are in the public domain, unless specifically protected by the Connecticut Freedom of Information Act. Therefore, Lyme-Old Lyme Public Schools reserves the right to bypass any or all individual or group passwords to determine the activity on any or all computers, computer systems, software, and other electronic resources as well as network access privileges.
Community Agreement
This policy is written to ensure positive and effective digital citizenship among students and staff. Digital citizenship represents more than technology literacy. Successful, technologically fluent digital citizens live safely, ethically, and with civility in an increasingly digital world. They recognize that information posted on the Internet is public and permanent and can have a long-term impact on an individual's life and career. Expectations for student and staff behavior online are no different than face-to-face interactions.
The District retains control, custody, and supervision of all computers, networks, and Internet services owned or leased by the District. The Board of Education reserves the right to monitor all computer and Internet activity by employees and other system users. Employees and students have no expectation of privacy in their use of school computers, including email messages and stored files.
Employees and students are expected to use appropriate judgment and caution in communication concerning students and staff to ensure that personally identifiable information remains confidential.
Network
The District network includes wired and wireless computers and peripheral equipment, files and storage, email, installed software, and Internet content (blogs, web sites, web mail, groups, etc.). The District reserves the right to prioritize the use of and access to the network.
All use of the network should support student instruction, research, and staff development and be consistent with the mission of the Lyme-Old Lyme Public Schools.
While all users are required to adhere to all portions of this policy, teachers, staff members, and volunteers have an additional responsibility to supervise such use. Teachers, staff members, and volunteers are expected to be familiar with the policies and rules concerning student computer and Internet use and to enforce them. When, in the course of their duties, employees or volunteers become aware of student violations, they are expected to stop the activity and inform the building principal or other appropriate administrator.
Unacceptable network use by the Lyme-Old Lyme Public Schools' students and staff includes but is not limited to:
1. Personal gain, unauthorized fundraising, commercial solicitation, and compensation of any kind;
2. Liability or cost incurred by Lyme-Old Lyme Public Schools;
3. Downloading, installation, and use of games, audio files, video files, or other applications (including shareware or freeware) without permission or approval;
4. Support or opposition for ballot measures, candidates, and any other political activity;
5. Hacking, cracking, vandalizing, the introduction of viruses, worms, Trojan horses, time bombs, and changes to hardware, software, and monitoring tools;
6. Unauthorized access to other Lyme-Old Lyme Public School computers, networks, and information systems;
7. Cyberbullying, hate mail, defamation, threats, harassment of any kind, and discriminatory language (such communications may also be a crime);
8. Information posted, sent, or stored online that could endanger others (e.g., bomb construction, drug manufacturing);
9. Accessing, uploading, downloading, storage, and/or distribution of obscene, pornographic, or sexually explicit material;
10. Attaching unauthorized equipment to the Lyme-Old Lyme Public Schools' network. Any such equipment may be confiscated; and
11. Participating in blogs, bulletin boards, social networking sites and groups, and the creation of content for podcasts, email, and web pages that promote cyberbullying and harassment of any kind.
In addition, if a particular behavior or activity is generally prohibited by law, by Board policy, or by school rules or regulations, use of District computer systems for the purpose of carrying out such behavior is also prohibited.
The Lyme-Old Lyme Public Schools will not be responsible for unauthorized financial obligations resulting from the use of, or access to, the Lyme-Old Lyme Public Schools' computer network or the Internet. The Lyme-Old Lyme Public Schools assumes no responsibility for any unauthorized charges made by any user including, but not limited to, credit card charges, subscriptions, long distance telephone charges, equipment and line costs, or for any illegal use of its computers such as copyright violations.
Internet Safety
Personal Information and Inappropriate Content
1. Student pictures and names may be published on a District application or class, school, or District public web site unless parents indicate they do not want their student's information used in this way.
2. If students or staff encounter dangerous or inappropriate information or messages, they must notify the appropriate school authority.
Filtering and Monitoring on the Network
When using technology on the Lyme-Old Lyme Public Schools' network, network based filtering software is used to block or filter access to obscene visual depictions, all child pornography (in accordance with the Children's Internet Protection Act - CIPA), and other objectionable material.
The determination of what constitutes "other objectionable" material is a Lyme-Old Lyme Public Schools' decision and will be consistent with the policies and regulations of the Lyme-Old Lyme Public Schools.
Filtering software is not 100% effective. While filters make it more difficult for objectionable material to be received or accessed, filters are not a solution in themselves. Every user must take responsibility for his or her use of the network and Internet and avoid objectionable sites.
Any attempts to defeat or bypass the District's Internet filter or conceal Internet activity are prohibited including, but not limited to, the use of proxies, https, special ports, modifications to District browser settings, and any other techniques designed to evade filtering or enable the publication of inappropriate content.
Staff members who supervise students, control electronic equipment, or have occasion to observe student use of said equipment on the network, must make a concerted effort to monitor the use of this equipment to assure that student use conforms to the mission and goals of the District.
Copyright
Downloading, copying, duplicating, and distributing software, music, sound files, movies, images, or other copyrighted materials without the specific written permission of the copyright owner is generally prohibited. However, the duplication and distribution of materials for educational purposes are permitted when such duplication and distribution fall within the Fair Use Doctrine of the United States Copyright Law (title 17, USC) and content is cited appropriately.
Network Security
Passwords are the first level of security for a user account. System logins and accounts are to be used only by the authorized owner of the account for authorized District purposes. Students and staff are responsible for all activity on their account and must not share their account password.
Student Data is Confidential
District staff as well as students must maintain the confidentiality of student data in accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and any applicable state statutes.
No Expectation of Privacy
The District provides the network system, email, and Internet access as a tool for education, research, and staff development in support of the Lyme-Old Lyme Public Schools' mission. The District reserves the right to monitor, inspect, copy, review, and store, without prior notice, information about the content and usage of:
- The network;
- User files and disk space utilization;
- User applications and bandwidth utilization;
- User document files, folders, and electronic communications;
- Email;
- Internet access; and
- Any and all information transmitted or received in connection with network and email use.
No student or staff user should have any expectation of privacy when using the District's network. The District reserves the right to disclose any electronic messages to law enforcement officials or third parties as appropriate. All documents are subject to the public records disclosure laws of Connecticut.
Disciplinary Action
All users of the District's electronic resources are required to comply with the District's policy and procedures as outlined in this policy.
Misuse of the computer systems, or violations of these policies and regulations, may result in loss of access to such computer systems as well as other disciplinary action, including suspension, termination, and/or expulsion, depending on the specific conduct.
Violation of any of the conditions of use explained in this policy could be cause for disciplinary action, including suspension or revocation of network and computer access privileges of employees and students, as well as other permissible disciplinary actions as defined in other student and staff policies and administered by District administration.
The employee or student shall be responsible for any losses, costs, or damages incurred by the District related to violations of District policy or these regulations for which they are responsible.
Legal References: Connecticut General Statutes
10-209 Records not to be public.
53a-18-2b Harassment in the first degree: Class D felony. (As amended by PA 95-143).
18 USC § 25 10-2522 electronic communication Privacy Act 20 U.S.C. Sections 6777, No Child Left Behind Act.
20 U.S.C. 254 Children's Internet Protection Act of 2000.
47 U.S.C. Children's Online Protection Act of 1998.
Federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (section 438 of the General Education Provisions Act, as amended, added by section 513 of P. L. 93-568, codified at 20 U.S.C. 1232g.).
Dept. of Educ. 34 C.F.R. Part 99 (May 9, 1980 45 FR 30802) regs. Implementing FERPA enacted as part of 438 General Educ. Provisions act (20 U.S.C. 1232g)-parent and student privacy and other rights with respect to educational records, as amended 11/21/96.
Public Law 94-553, the Copyright Act of 1976, 17 U.S.C. 101 et. Seq.
Public Act No. 16-189 An Act Concerning Student Data Privacy. Effective October 2016.
Policy Approved: November 2, 2016
Lyme-Old Lyme Board of Education.