Acceptable Use Policy

Some experts describe the Internet network as the beginning of an “electronic superhighway” that will allow users to communicate with others, contact institutions, and access a mind-boggling amount of information from around the world.

The Internet is the world’s largest computer network, linking millions of people on every continent of the globe. Most of the services are provided free by organizations, typically universities, corporations, and governments that support host computers on the network.

Resources include millions of databases from sources such as the Library of Congress, the National Weather Service, the State Depart-ment, NASA, the Central Intelligence Agency, the National Science Foundation, the Associated Press, etc.

In the interest of providing Paradise Unified students with these resources, the School District has contracted with Butte County Office of Education for a license to connect to this system.

PUSD Acceptable Use Policy

                              Preface
                 I.          Introduction
                II.          The Internet
               III.          Getting Started
               IV.          Who is Watching?
                V.          School Conduct Codes
               VI.          Moral and Ethical Issues
            VII.         Electronic Libraries
            VIII.          Using the Resources
               IX.          Electronic Field Trips
                X.          Expected Behavior
               XI.         Legal Issues
            XII.         Consequences for Violations

I.
Introduction

The Internet has become a vital part of our society. Unlike previous generations, your are able to travel all over the world to gather information. As more people travel this electronic highway, maps to find information and rules to keep traveling safe become vital to successfully completing the journey.

The Internet provides powerful educational resources. You are able to connect to businesses, major universities, national libraries, other schools and other students around the world through Paradise Unified School District's network, supported by the Butte County Office of Education.

Just as you learn social codes and behaviors which are acceptable at your school, you need to learn the correct procedures and rules for using the network of information services. If you break any of these rules, you will not be allowed to ontinue to use the system.

At the beginning of each school year, you and your pareare required ave to sign the behavior code which means that you are aware of the school and the consequences which result if these rules are broken. At the end of this unit, you and your parents will be asked to sign a Student Network Responsibility Agreement so the school will know that you are aware of the proper procedures for using the Internet through your school's network. This signed statement becomes your permission slip to utilize the vast resources available on the Internet

Internet Code of Conduct
I will act, in all situations, with honesty,
integrity and respect for the rights of others and help others to behave in a similar fashion. I will make a conscious effort to be of service to others and to the community. I agree to follow the access, usage and content rules as put forth in the Paradise Unified School District Internet Policy Statement and Procedure.

The Internet is a global network made up of many smaller contributing networks to support the open exchange of information among many different kinds of institutions all over the world. This system gives immediate access to information. You can look at (and print out) articles, documents and pictures that you can use in your classes. You can also get current facts about news, weather and sports. By using e-mail, you can share your own ideas, information, and questions with other students and adults creating a dialogue in a way never before possible.

III.
Getting Started

Before you begin to use these exciting research tools, it is important to your teachers, your parents and your school administrators that you understand the many consequences of the new computer connections that you wish to make on the Internet. It is important that you understand that your use of this powerful educational tool is a privilege. It can provide you with countless hours of exploration and use. Like your driver's license though, its use can be taken from you for breaking the rules. The Internet does include some material that is not suited for students. The intent of the School District is to use connections on the Internet only for purposes consistent with our approved curriculum. Anyone who uses the network illegally or improperly will lose the privilege of using it. Additionally, you cannot use the Internet for commercial or for-profit services. This booklet of rules will detail for you what is the proper way to use this communications tool.

The Internet PUSD's network are “public places.” You must always remember that you are sharing this space with many other users. Potentially millions of individuals at the same time may be interacting across the network. Your actions can be monitored by others on the network. If you use a particular service on the network, chances are good that someone knows the connections that you are making, knows about the computer shareware that you have borrowed, and knows what you looked at while you were in the system. Because these connections are granted to you as part of the larger scope of the curriculum, the Paradise Unified School District reserves the right to monitor all traffic on the network. We do this to make sure that the network continues to function properly for all of its users.

Your school has a behavior code for all students that details appropriate school behavior, outlines rights, and sets expectations for students. Because the network is used as part of a school activity, the school’s code of conduct applies to network activities as well. Therefore, the network use policy is an extension of the school’s behavior code. These rules apply to vandalism of computer equipment, unauthorized access to information, computer piracy, hacking, and any tampering with hardware or software.

These rules also apply to the electronic use of harassing and abusive or obscene language. You may not use the network to annoy, harass, or offend other people. Such activity is illegal and may subject you to criminal prosecution.

Other types of damage and information loss to a computer system are viruses and similar destructive programs. If you are responsible for a computer becoming infected, you will be held liable.

The moral and ethical issues involving the use of world-wide information systems deal with the type of information and the behavior of the user. The District wants to provide you with a stimulating educational environment, but at the same time, we want to protect you from information that is not appropriate for students to use.

The Governing Board wants you to use this valuable educational tool, but at the same time we cannot condone the use of inappropriate information on the Internet. We simply acknowledge the fact that these materials exist and then do everything we can to actively avoid them. We cannot weed out all of the materials that are unacceptable for students, but it should be clearly understood by all students that access to such material in any form is strictly forbidden. The network is designed to achieve and support instructional goals, and any information that does not support classroom learning is to be avoided.

Although the actual percentage of unacceptable materials is small, it can cause concern for students and parents if a student stumbles onto the information while doing legitimate research. If you have a question or concern regarding any information you find, contact your teacher or computer lab operator.

Guidelines for access to information have already been established in the Library Bill of Rights of 1980. These principles can be applied to the Internet. This document states that “attempts to restrict access to library materials violate the basic tenets of the Library Bill of Rights,” however, school librarians are required to devise collections that are “consistent with the philosophy, goals, and objectives of the school district.” This means that students have the right to information, but the school has the right to restrict any information that does not apply to the approved curriculum.

It is not farfetched to consider the Internet as a vast digital library. After all, the electronic database and information search tools it uses are rapidly becoming part of school media centers and libraries, and many public libraries are beginning to offer some type of network access as part of their services.

PUSD provides just such a connection to establish direct access to appropriate materials that support curricular concerns.

It may seem that there is no limit to the resources on the Internet, but the network has a limited capacity to handle traffic. This means the more users there are on the network, the more congested the network becomes. If there are too many users at any given time, the traffic on the network grinds to a crawl, just like a traffic jam on a freeway. Some users may be cut off altogether. Although the network may slow down, it will continue to function. The following list will help avoid “gridlock.”
•     Do not tie up the Network with idle activities.
•     Do not play games with others on the Network or on the Internet. Networks are not designed for computer games. It is NOT Nintendo. Play games on your own time and on your own equipment. Do not listen to streaming audio or watch streaming video that is not related to school work.
•     Do not download huge files from places half a globe away. Only take the information you want and need. The best thing to do is get into the Internet, get what you need, and get out.

Additionally, you may not connect any electronic device to the network without express permission by the network administrator. This includes USB flash drives, hand-held devices, laptops or other wireless devices, etc. Such devices compromise the integrity of the network and are prohibited.

The Internet offers many opportunities for “electronic field trips” to distant locations. The Paradise Unified School District considers all connections to remote locations as field trips. Therefore, the rules that apply to student conduct on field trips apply to these electronic field trips as well. It is important that you realize you are acting as an ambassador for your school. Just as parental permission slips are required before students may take field trips, your parents have to give you permission for electronic field trips by signing the Student Network Responsibility Contract.

X.
Expected Behavior

You are expected to use the network to pursue intellectual activities, seek resources, access libraries and find international friends. We want you to explore this constantly evolving territory and discover what is available there. We want you to learn new things and share that new-found knowledge with your friends, your parents and your teachers.

When you are using the computer network and communicating with others, keep the following in mind:
(1)    You cannot see them;
(2)    You cannot tell how old they are or even what sex they are;
(3)    They can tell you anything, and you cannot always be sure what they are telling you is true; and
(4)    Absolute privacy cannot be guaranteed in a network environment. You need to think carefully about what you say and how you say it.

Additionally, social web sites such as MySpace are extremely popular, but are full of pitfalls. Such sites are prohibited from school use because they can be used by unethical individuals to harass you or gather personal information. Be careful what you post there; future employers will also look at your site to help determine your character. Predators also use such web sites to meet unsuspecting victims. Don't become a statistic.

For your own safety and for the safety of others, remember to exercise caution when you are communicating with people in the outside world. Do not give out your home phone number or your address to anyone. They do not need to have that information. If you feel there is a problem—or if you feel uncomfortable with the information someone is giving you, tell your teacher or supervising adult immediately.

By the same token, you may not harass other users. You don’t want to run the risk of breaking the law by bothering other people. If a user on the Network asks that you no longer send them mail or in any other way contact them, you are obliged to stop all contact immediately. You may feel you have the right of freedom of expression, but others have the right to be free from harassment.

Keep in mind the school district subscribes to a service that blocks inappropriate web sites for various types of content. Any attempt to get around such filters is subject to your loss of privileges.

The State of California passed a Computer Crime Bill in December of 1979. The Bill added Section 502 to the Penal Code making it a felony to intentionally access any computer system or network for the purpose of:
(1)   Devising or executing any scheme
       or artifice to defraud or extort or,
(2)   Obtaining money, property, or
       services with false or fraudulent
       intent, representations or promises.

It is also a felony to maliciously access, alter, delete, damage or destroy any computer system, computer network, computer program, or data. Penalties include fines up to $5,000 and/or imprisonment in the state prison for up to three years or the county jail for up to one year. Anyone committing acts of this kind will face police charges and disciplinary action by the school. The person will be punished to the full extent of the law.

Some examples of offenses are: removing another user’s accounts, changing other user’s passwords, using an unauthorized account, damaging any files, altering the system, or using the system to make money illegally. You cannot cause damage to any school or District property. This includes the network system.

The dictionary defines plagiarism as “taking ideas or writings from another person and offering them as your own.” The student who leads readers to believe that what
they are reading is the student’s original work when it is not is guilty of plagiarism. Credit should always be given to the person who created the article or the idea.

Be careful when you are using the Internet. Copying and pasting words and ideas into your own document is very easy to do. Be sure that you give credit to the author. That way your teacher will know which ideas are yours, and you won’t be guilty of plagiarism.

Copyright is another important issue. The Copyright Act of 1976 allows students to use the Internet and other information systems to freely copy information in the public domain. Not all material on the Internet is in the public domain. “Fair Use” means copyrighted materials on the Internet can be duplicated and used by students for scholarly purposes only. Teachers have limited use of these same works without the author’s permission. You may not plagiarize or sell what you find.

Suppose, for example, that you find a copy of Microsoft Works© on the Internet. Could you legally copy it? The answer is NO. This is copyrighted software. You have to purchase software packages before you use them legally. Suppose you find an article about the use of Microsoft Works© on the Internet. Can you legally copy it? The answer is YES, as long as you have permission from the author, give credit to the author, and do not sell the article for profit.

The Paradise Unified School District declares unethical and unacceptable behavior just cause for taking disciplinary action, revoking networking privileges, and/or initiatinglegal action for any activity through which an individual:

•   Uses the Network for illegal, inappropriate, or obscene purposes, or in support of such activities. Illegal activities shall be defined as a violation of local, state, and/or federal laws. Inappropriate use shall be defined as a violation of the intended use of the network, and/or purpose and goal. Obscene activities shall be defined as a violation of generally accepted social standards for use of a publicly-owned and operated communication vehicle;
•   Uses the Network for any illegal activity, including violation of copyrights or other contracts violating such matters as institutional or third party copyright, license agreements and other contracts;
•   Intentionally disrupts network traffic or crashes the Network and connected systems;
•   Degrades or disrupts equipment or system performance;
•   Uses the Paradise Unified School District computing resources for commercial or financial gain or fraud;
•   Steals data, equipment, or intellectual property;
•   Gains unauthorized access of others’ files or vandalizes the data of another user;
•   Gains or seeks to gain unauthorized access to resources or entities;
•   Forges electronic mail messages or uses an account owned by another user;
•   Wastefully uses finite resources;
•   Invades the privacy of individuals;
•   Posts anonymous messages;
•   Saves ANY information to District hard drives without permission;
•   Possesses any data which might be considered a violation of these rules in paper, magnetic (disk), or any other form.

A. Consequences of Violations:
Consequences of violations may include, but are not
limited to:
• Suspension of Internet access;
• Revocation of Internet Access;
• Suspension of Network privileges;
• Revocation of Network privileges;
• Suspension of computer access;
•   Revocation of computer access;
• School suspension;
• School expulsion;
• Legal action and prosecution by
    the authorities;
• Remuneration of any costs to the
    District in the event of loss due to
    litigation.

B. Remedies and Recourses:
If you are accused of any of the violations, you have all of the rights and privleges that you would have if you were accused of school vandalism, fighting and so forth.

The District has the right to restrict or terminate Network and Internet access at any time for any reason. The District further has the right to monitor Network activity in any form that it sees fit to maintain the integrity of the Network.