ACCEPTABLE USE AND INTERNET SAFETY POLICY
FOR THE COMPUTER NETWORK OF THE TUSCALOOSA CITY SCHOOL SYSTEM

It is the policy of the Tuscaloosa City School System to (a) prevent user access over its computer network to, or transmission of, inappropriate material via Internet, electronic mail, or other forms of direct electronic communications; (b) prevent unauthorized access and other unlawful online activity; (c) prevent unauthorized online disclosure, use or dissemination of personal identification information of minors; and (d) comply with the Children’s Internet Protection Act [Pub. L. No. 106-554 and 47 USC 254(h)].

In order for the School System to be able to continue to make its computer network and Internet access available, all students and staff must take responsibility for appropriate and lawful use of this access. Students and employees must understand that one user’s misuse of the network and Internet access may jeopardize the ability of all users to enjoy such access. While the School System’s teachers and other staff will make every effort to supervise student use of network and Internet access, they must have student cooperation in exercising and promoting responsible use of this access. Students and employees are reminded that computer network and Internet access is a privilege, not a right.

Attached to this Policy is an Agreement. By reviewing, signing, and returning this Agreement as directed, each student or employee agrees to follow the Policy. If a student is under 18 years of age, he/she must have his/her parent(s) or guardian(s) read the Policy, and sign the attached Parent’s or Guardian’s Agreement. The School System cannot provide access to any student or employee, who, if 18 or older, fails to sign and submit the Agreement to the school as directed or, if under 18, does not return the Parent’s or Guardian’s Agreement as directed with the signatures of the student and his/her parent(s) or guardian(s). Upon returning the Agreement, signed, the student or employee will be provided computer network and Internet access.

Listed below are the provisions of your agreement regarding computer network and Internet use. If you have any questions about these provisions, students should contact their school principal. Employees should direct their questions to the Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction. If any user violates this Policy, the student’s or employee’s access may be denied or withdrawn and he/she may be subject to additional disciplinary action.

1. PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY
   
   By signing the attached agreement, you agree not only to follow the guidelines of this Policy, but also to report any misuse of the network to the person designated by the school for such reporting. Misuse means any violation of this Policy or any other use that is not included in the Policy, but has the effect of harming another or his/her property. Unless otherwise directed, students should report misuse of the network to the classroom teacher or principal of their school. Employees should report misuse to the building principal or Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction.
   
   The provisions of this policy apply to Tuscaloosa City School staff (administrative, certified, and support) as well as to the students.
   
   
2. TERM OF THE PERMITTED USE
   
   A student who submits to the School, as directed, a properly signed Agreement and follows the Policy to which he/she has agreed will have computer network and Internet access during the course of the school year only. Students will be asked to sign a new use agreement each year during the time they are students in the Tuscaloosa City School System before they are given an access account. The Board, in its discretion, may withdraw or revoke Internet access at any time and for any reason, even absent a violation of this Policy.
   
   An employee who submits to the School, as directed, a properly signed Agreement and follows the Policy to which he/she has agreed will have computer network and Internet access. Employees will be asked to sign a new use agreement each year during the time they are employed by the Tuscaloosa City School System before being given an access account. The Board, in its discretion, may withdraw or revoke Internet access at any time and for any reason, even absent a violation of this Policy.
   
   
3. ACCEPTABLE USES
   
   
   1. Educational Purposes Only. The Tuscaloosa City School System is providing access to its computer networks and the Internet for educational purposes only. If you have any doubt about whether a contemplated activity is educational, students may consult with their classroom teacher, librarian and/or school principal, and employees with their building principal and/or the Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction, to help you decide if a use is appropriate.
      
      
   2. Unacceptable Uses of Network. Among the uses that are considered unacceptable and which constitute a violation of this Policy are the following:
      
      
      1. Uses that violate the law or encourage others to violate the law. Examples of such use include, but are not limited to: transmission of offensive or harassing messages; viewing, transmitting, or downloading pornographic materials or materials that encourage others to violate the law; intruding into the networks or computers of others; and downloading or transmitting confidential, trade secret information, or copyrighted materials. Even if materials on the networks are not marked with the copyright symbol, you should assume that all materials are protected unless there is explicit permission on the materials to use them.
         
         
      2. Uses that cause harm to others or damage to their property. Examples of such use include, but are not limited to: defamation (harming another’s reputation by lies); the creation and/or uploading of “worms,” “viruses,” “Trojan horses,” “time bombs” or any other harmful form of programming or vandalism; and participation in “hacking” activities or any form of unauthorized access to other computers, networks, or information systems.
         
         
      3. Uses that jeopardize the security of student access and of the computer network or other networks on the Internet. Do not disclose or share your password with others, and do not use anyone else’s password.
         
         
      4. Buying and selling. Students and other users may not sell or buy anything over the Internet. You should not give others private information about you or others, including credit card numbers and social security numbers. In its discretion, the Board may approve the limited use of the Internet and email for school-system related commercial activities, such as fund-raising activities, related to education and/or employment.
         
         
   3. Etiquette. All users must abide by rules of network etiquette, which include, but are not limited to the following:
      
      
      1. Be polite. Use appropriate language. No swearing, vulgarities, suggestive, obscene, belligerent, or threatening language.
         
         
      2. Avoid language and other uses such as graphic images, which may be offensive to other users. Don’t use access to make, distribute, or redistribute jokes, stories, or other material which is based upon slurs or stereotypes relating to race, gender, ethnicity, nationality, religion, or sexual orientation.
         
         
      3. Don’t assume that a sender of e-mail is giving his or her permission for you to forward or redistribute the message to third parties or to give his/her e-mail address to third parties. This should only be done with permission or when you know that the individual would have no objection.
         
         
      4. Be considerate when sending attachments with e-mail. Be sure that the file is not too large to be accommodated by the recipient’s system and is in a format that the recipient can open.
         
         
4. INTERNET SAFETY
   
   
   1. General Warning; Individual Responsibility of Parents and Users. All users and their parent(s)/guardian(s) are advised that access to the electronic network may include the potential for access to materials inappropriate for school-aged pupils. Every user must take responsibility for his/her use of the computer network and Internet and stay away from these sites. Parents of minors are the best guide to materials to shun. If a user finds that other users are visiting offensive or harmful sites, he/she should report such use to the classroom teacher, school principal and/or Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction.
      
      
   2. Personal Safety. Be safe. In using the computer network and Internet, users must not reveal personal information such as their home address or telephone number. Students should not use last names or any other information that might reveal their identity or location without the permission of a supervising teacher. Students must not arrange a face-to-face meeting with someone they “meet” on the computer network or Internet without their parents’ permission (if the student is under 18). Regardless of age, no user should ever agree to meet a person they have only communicated with on the Internet in a secluded place or in a private setting.
      
      
   3. “Hacking” and Other Illegal Activities. It is a violation of this Policy to use the school’s computer network or the Internet to gain unauthorized access to other computers or computer systems, or to attempt to gain such unauthorized access. Any use which violates state or federal law relating to copyright, trade secrets, the distribution of obscene or pornographic materials, or which violates any other applicable law or municipal ordinance, is strictly prohibited.
      
      
   4. Confidentiality of Student Information. Personally identifiable information concerning students may not be disclosed or used in any way on the Internet without the permission of a parent or guardian or, if the student is 18 or over, the permission of the student himself/herself. Users should never give out private or confidential information about themselves or others on the Internet, particularly credit card numbers and Social Security numbers. A system administrator may authorize the release of directory information, as defined by Alabama law and the Family Educational Right to Privacy Act (F.E.R.P.A.), 20 U.S.C. §1232g, for internal administrative purposes or approved educational projects and activities. In accordance with 20 U.S.C. 1232g (a) (5) (B), public notice of any such release of information shall be given, and parents shall be allowed a reasonable time to object to the release of information.
      
      
   5. Active Restriction Measures. The Tuscaloosa City School System utilizes filtering software to protect against access to visual depictions that are (1) obscene, (2) child pornography, or (3) harmful to minors. The School and/or System will also, periodically and to the fullest extent practical, monitor the online activities of students and staff, through direct observation and/or technological means, to attempt to prevent students from accessing such depictions or any other material which is inappropriate for minors. While the School and/or System will use their best efforts to prevent such access by students, it is impossible to guarantee that students will be prevented from accessing such materials, by evading or defeating the filters or this Policy. The School and System rely on the cooperation and assistance of all users to report unauthorized access or other violations of the Policy. Further, filtering may be disabled for the purpose of bona fide research or other lawful purposes, in the discretion of any administrator, supervisor, or other person authorized to do so by the School Board.
      
      
5. PRIVACY
   
   Network and Internet access is provided as a tool for the education and employment-related activities of the System’s students and staff. The Tuscaloosa City School System reserves the right to monitor, inspect, copy, review, and store at any time, and without prior notice, any and all usage of the computer network and Internet access to any and all information transmitted or received in connection with such usage. All such information files shall be and remain the property of the Tuscaloosa City School System and no user shall have any expectation of privacy regarding such materials.
   
   
6. FAILURE TO FOLLOW POLICY
   
   The user ’s use of the computer network and Internet is a privilege, not a right. A user who violates this Policy, or any other applicable Board policy, or any federal or state law, shall, at a minimum, have his/her access to the computer network and Internet terminated. The user may also be subject to other disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment or enrollment. A user violates this Policy by his/her own action or by failing to report any violations by other users that come to the attention of the user. Further, a user violates this Policy if he/she permits another to use his or her account or password to access the computer network and Internet. The School System may also take other disciplinary and/or legal action.
   
   
7. WARRANTIES/INDEMNIFICATION
   
   The Tuscaloosa City School System makes no warranties of any kind, either express or implied, in connection with its provision of access to and use of its computer networks and the Internet provided under this Policy. It shall not be responsible for any claims, losses, damages, or costs (including attorney ’s fees) of any kind suffered, directly or indirectly, by any user or his/her parent(s) or guardian(s) arising out of the user’s use of its computer networks or the Internet under this Policy. By signing this Policy, users are taking full responsibility for his/her use, if the user is 18 or older, or, in the case of a user under 18, the parent(s) or guardian(s) are agreeing to indemnify and hold the School, the School System, and all of its administrators, teachers, and staff harmless from any and all loss, costs, claims or damages resulting from the user’s access to its computer network and the Internet, including but not limited to any fees or charges incurred through purchases of goods or services by the user. The user or, if the user is a minor, the user’s parent(s) or guardian(s) agree(s) to cooperate with the School in the event of the School’s initiating an investigation of a user’s use of his/her access to its computer network and the Internet, whether that use is on a school computer or on another computer outside the School System’s network.
   
   
8. UPDATES
   
   Users, and if appropriate, the user ’s parent(s) or guardian(s), may be asked from time to time to provide new or additional registration and account information or to sign a new Policy, for example, to reflect developments in the law or technology. Such information must be provided by the user (or his/her parent(s) or guardian(s)) or such new Policy must be signed if the user wishes to continue to receive service. If after you have provided your account information, some or all of the information changes, you must notify the person designated by the School to receive such information.

SOURCE: Tuscaloosa City Schools, Tuscaloosa, Alabama
DATE: 11/17/97
REVISED: 08/03/01
REVISED: 06/27/02
REVISED: 01/24/05
Legal References: Children’s Internet Protection Act of 2000 (H.R. 4577, P.L. 106-554)
Communications Act of 1934, as amended (47 U.S.C. 254[h], [l]
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended (20 U.S.C. 6801 et seq., Part F)

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