FILE:  EFA

Cf:  EFB, IFBGA, II

 

COMPUTER AND INTERNET USE FOR EMPLOYEES

 

 

The Ouachita Parish School Board shall authorize the Superintendent and staff to establish appropriate guidelines for exploring and using Internet resources within the school district to enhance learning and teaching activities.  Acceptable use of these resources shall be consistent with the philosophy, goals, and objectives of the School Board.  Any employee who wishes to use school district computers, including the Internet and/or e-mail services, must sign the Ouachita Technology Acceptable Use Agreement agreeing to abide by all district regulations.

 

The School Board shall incorporate the use of computer-related technology or the use of Internet service provider technology designed to block access or exposure to any harmful materials or information, such as sites that contain obscene, pornographic, pervasively vulgar, excessively violent, or sexually harassing information or material.  Sites which contain information on the manufacturing of bombs or other incendiary devices shall also be prohibited.  However, the School Board does not prohibit authorized employees or students from having unfiltered or unrestricted access to Internet or online services, including online services of newspapers with daily circulation of at least 1,000, for legitimate scientific or educational purposes approved by the School Board.

 

INTERNET USAGE

 

Any use of the Internet that adversely affects its operation in pursuit of teaching and learning or jeopardizes its use or performance for other community members is prohibited and may result in loss of Internet privileges, suspension or other appropriate disciplinary action.  The provisions of this policy shall also apply to the use of private e-mail accounts when access is attained using School Board equipment or networks and to access attained through any authorized personal digital device while on School Board property.  The Ouachita Parish School Board does not condone the use of the Internet for any illegal or inappropriate activities and shall not be responsible for any such use by staff or students.

 

The School Board may suspend or terminate any privilege to use the Internet at any time solely at the School Board's discretion.  Any policies and/or regulations of the School Board defining use of the Internet serve as guidelines but do not warrant or guarantee access to or use of the Internet.  Consequently, the School Board may, at any time and in its sole discretion, end the privilege of any individual to use the Internet without notice, cause, or reason.

 

ACCOUNTABILITY

 

Faculty and staff use of school computers or the Internet shall be reserved for academic purposes and the conducting of business aspects of the school system.  All personnel using school computers or a computer network located on school property, or computers accessing the Internet shall be accountable for their use.  Teacher or class files on the network shall be treated as district property subject to control and inspection by School Board personnel.  Access codes or passwords shall be kept on file in a secured location by the principal or his/her designee in case an inspection is warranted.  Use of the Internet and/or any computers shall be considered a privilege and any inappropriate use may result in appropriate disciplinary action and loss of privileges to use district computers or the Internet.

 

UNAUTHORIZED AND ILLEGAL USE

 

Faculty and staff shall not be under direct supervision but must abide by School Board policy.

 

Tampering with selection menus, procedures, or icons for the purpose of misleading or confusing other users shall be prohibited.  Any use by any person of the school district's internal network that incurs expenses to the school other than the monthly user fees and rates shall be strictly prohibited.  Furthermore, the computer system shall not be used for commercial, political or religious purposes.

 

Use of the network for any illegal activities shall also be prohibited.  Illegal activities include (a) tampering with computer hardware or software, (b) unauthorized entry into computers and files (hacking), (c) knowledgeable vandalism or destruction of equipment, and (d) deletion of computer files.  Such activity is considered a crime under state and federal law.

 

SECURITY

 

Teachers and personnel who have computers in their charge shall be responsible for the security of those computers in terms of both hardware and software.  Computers must be secured such that students acting without the consent or supervision of a teacher or administrator cannot enter the system or the Internet.

 

TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF USE

 

The following regulations, terms, and conditions for the use of computers and other technology equipment and the School Board’s network and Internet resources are not all-inclusive, but are only representative and illustrative.  A user who commits an act of misconduct or inappropriateness which is not listed may also be subject to disciplinary action or suspension, or termination, or be subject to appropriate criminal or civil prosecution. 

 

  1. Personal Privacy and Safety

 

    1. Users shall not reveal or publish online any personal contact information about themselves or any other person.

    2. Users shall not meet with someone they have met on the Internet without appropriate approval.  Inappropriate contacts should be reported to school authorities immediately.

 

  1. Illegal Activities

 

    1. Users shall not transmit any material or engage in any activities in violation of any national, state, or local regulations.  
       

    2. Users shall not attempt to gain unauthorized access to any network resources including (but not limited to) computer systems and other users’ accounts or files.
       

    3. Users shall not attempt to disrupt the network or network resources or destroy data by spreading computer viruses or worms or by any other means.
       

    4. Users shall not engage in any illegal acts, such as selling drugs, engaging in criminal activities, or threaten the safety of any person or persons, etc.
       

    5. Users shall not attempt to impersonate another individual or organization using network resources for any reason.

 

  1. Security

 

    1. Users shall immediately notify system administrators if a possible security problem is identified.  However, purposely looking for security problems may be considered an illegal attempt to gain access.
       

    2. Users shall only use storage media (disks, CDs, pen drives, etc.) that have been scanned and found to be free of viruses.
       

    3. Users shall not attach any device to the network without approval by the system administrators.
       

    4. Users shall be aware that all network traffic (including Internet usage and email) is regularly monitored by school system personnel for inappropriate use.
       

    5. Any user identified as a security risk or having a history of problems with other computer systems may be denied access to network resources.

 

  1. Network Resources

 

    1. Users shall only use network resources in support of the educational goals and objectives of the Ouachita Parish School System.
       

    2. Users shall not intentionally waste network bandwidth (listening to online radio stations, viewing streaming videos, downloading large files, etc.).
       

    3. Users shall not use network resources for commercial purposes.
       

    4. Users shall not use obscene, profane, lewd, vulgar, rude, inflammatory, threatening, or disrespectful language in network communications.  This includes personally attacking or harassing another person.
       

    5. Users shall not display, download, or transmit any inappropriate materials (including offensive messages, images, and videos).
       

    6. OPSB.net email accounts are for employees only.  Students shall not be assigned OPSB.net email accounts.
       

    7. Users shall not send or forward email “chain letters” or send annoying or unnecessary messages.
       

    8. Users shall not send mass email or “spam” any users (internal or external) with unauthorized communications or solicitations.
       

    9. Users shall respect copyrighted material and other intellectual property.  Users may not duplicate or distribute electronic resources without the appropriate permissions, documentations, or citations.

 

  1. Software

 

    1. Users shall not download, store, or install any unapproved or unlicensed software on school system computers.
       

    2. Users shall not install any unauthorized or unlicensed school system software on their personal/home computers.

 

  1. Content Filtering

 

    1. Precautions have been taken to eliminate inappropriate content.  However, it is impossible to restrict access to all inappropriate content.
       

    2. Users shall immediately report to school authorities any website they access that contains inappropriate content.
       

    3. Users shall not attempt to bypass the district’s content filters to view inappropriate content.

 

  1. Consequences of Inappropriate Use

 

    1. The use of the Internet is a privilege, not a right, and inappropriate use may result in the temporary or permanent cancellation of that privilege and/or other disciplinary action (including suspension, expulsion, or legal action) as deemed appropriate by administration, faculty, and staff.  Inappropriate use of the network may also result in legal action and/or prosecution, and may require restitution for costs associated with system restoration, hardware, or software costs.  
       

    2. No information on the network (including email and personal files) is guaranteed to be private.  Information relating to or in support of illegal activities must be reported to the authorities.
       

    3. Users bringing illegal and/or inappropriate materials onto the network shall be subject to disciplinary action.

 

DISCLAIMER

 

The Ouachita Parish School Board technology network and computer system is provided on an “as is, as available” basis.  The School Board does not make any warranties, whether expressed or implied, including, without limitation, those of fitness for a particular purpose with respect to any services provided by the system and any information or software contained therein.  The School Board uses a variety of vendor-supplied hardware and software.  Therefore, the School Board does not warrant that the functions or services performed by, or that the information or software contained on the system will meet the user’s requirements.  Neither does the School Board warrant that the system will be uninterrupted or error-free, nor 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 necessarily the School Board.

 

The School Board will cooperate fully with local, state, or federal officials in any investigation concerning or relating to misuse of the School Board’s computer systems and networks.

 

 

Ref:    47 USC 254 (Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA))

La. Rev. Stat. Ann. §§17:81, 17:100.7, 17:280

Board minutes, 6-7-05, 6-1-10

 

Ouachita Parish School Board