Policy 8.123  Technology Acceptable Use Policy for Students

1.   Purpose. -- The purpose of this Policy is to set forth terms and conditions as well as standards for the acceptable uses by students of Palm Beach County School District technology resources. This policy does not prohibit or restrict public access to inspect data and information on publicly available District technology resources.

2.   Definitions - These definitions apply to terms within this policy and its incorporated Manual.

a.    Defamation - Defamation, including libel, has been interpreted to mean that a plaintiff must show that (1) the defendant published a false statement about the plaintiff, (2) to a third party, and (3) the falsity of the statement caused injury to the plaintiff.

b.    Harmful to Minors - Any reproduction, imitation, characterization, description, exhibition, presentation, or representation, of whatever kind or form, depicting nudity, sexual conduct, or sexual excitement when it: (a) Predominantly appeals to  prurient, shameful, or morbid interest; (b) is patently offensive to prevailing standards in the adult community as a whole with respect to what is suitable material or conduct for minors; and (c) taken as a whole is without serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value for minors.

c.   Obscene - The status of material which: (a) The average person, applying contemporary community standards, would find, taken as a whole, appeals to the prurient interest; (b) Depicts or describes, in a patently offensive way, sexual conduct as specifically defined herein; and (c) Taken as a whole lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value.

3.   Student access to District technology resources is authorized exclusively for academic purposes as stated below.

a.    District technology resources include, but are not limited to, electronic mail, Internet access, electronic records and databases, and computer software and hardware, including biometric record readers. Students may be provided or have access to electronic mail if authorized by the Superintendent/designee for educational or learning purposes.

b.    Students shall not use any such resource for private business, personal use or gain, and student use must be related to the curriculum, the academic development of the student, or a school extracurricular activity, as defined in Fla. Stat. § 1006.15 (2) and as provided within School Board Policy 5.60.

c.    Students shall not use District technology resources for hacking, cheating, criminal activity, vandalism, sexting, cyber bullying, circumventing of District proxies or security policies, violating any state or federal laws or School Board policies, or violating third-party providers' acceptable use policies or terms and conditions of use.

d.   Students are required to keep their passwords confidential, and they are not allowed to disclose them to any other person, except that the principal and teacher may allow for relaxed standards as to passwords for students in lower grades or of younger ages only, or if certain students require a reasonable accommodation based on impaired cognitive or processing ability, or other recognized comprehension deficit, due to disability.

e.    Students will have a unique user id, except IT may approve in certain situations a generic user id. Students shall use a generic user id only for the intended purpose as authorized by School Administrators or Instructional personnel. The principal and teacher may request that IT provide shortened or simplified user ids for students in lower grades or of younger ages only, or if certain students require a reasonable accommodation based on impaired cognitive or processing ability, or other recognized comprehension deficit, due to disability.

4.   The Superintendent has established the accepted network user standards of behavior, as well as guidelines, which apply to students using District technology resources. These standards and guidelines are found within this Policy and within the District's Information Technology (IT) User Standards and Guidelines Manual ("Manual"). This Manual is specifically incorporated herein by reference as part of this Policy and is located on the District's Information Technology Security web site.

5.   When a student uses District technology resources, the student is subject to and is required to abide by the provisions, terms, conditions and standards within this Policy and the Manual, including the Notice of Conditions for Student Use of District Technology, Appendix 1 to the Manual, as well as other applicable policies.

6.   Students using District wireless devices, including but not limited to cell phones, are also subject to the provisions within School Board Policy 5.183.

7.   The student registration form, PBSD 0636, which is required to be reviewed, completed and signed by the parent/legal guardian/emancipated student annually, will contain language providing Notice of this Policy and will state:

“NOTICE OF TECHNOLOGY ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY FOR STUDENTS

Your child's school's access to the Internet is filtered to comply with the Children's Internet Protection Act and School Board Policy 8.125. Your child will be required to follow the acceptable use standards and guidelines that are stated in Policy 8.123, the referenced Manual, and the Notice of Conditions for Student Use of District Technology and be bound by their terms. There is only a limited expectation of privacy to the extent required by law related to a student's use of these technology resources. Before your child uses these District resources, he/she will read, be read to, and/or explained these documents and will electronically acknowledge that he/she understands, and agrees to follow, them.

You are invited to read this Policy, Manual and Notice. If you need assistance reading the documents, you may ask the school for assistance. The policy is available at: http://www.palmbeachschools.org/policies/ under chapter 8—Policy 8.123.”

8.   There is only a limited expectation of privacy to the extent required by law for the student related to his/her use of these technology resources. The District may monitor a student's use of District technology for good cause, such as educational purposes, responding to a records request, compliance with School Board policies, compliance with the Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA), to investigate a possible security incident, as part of the District's routine maintenance of its technology resources, or to analyze computer performance. This provision shall be interpreted and implemented in conformance with Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 U. S.C. § 1232g); 34 C. F.R. Part 99; and Fla. Stat. §§ 1002.22 and 1002.221. Students are advised that many District technology resources, including but not limited to laptops and desktops, may contain input systems such as web cameras and microphones which can be remotely controlled to turn them on and off. The District will not utilize any such input systems remotely unless consistent with the law. The District has the right to track, consistent with the law, the physical location of District technology that was issued to a student when it is lost, stolen, misplaced, or for an emergency purpose.

9.   As set forth in the Manual, students may use electronic acknowledgements through their District account for certain forms and documents as approved by the Superintendent/designee.

10.  Violation of this Policy or the standards required by this Policy may result in disciplinary action as set forth in School Board policies 5.1812 and 5.1813. IT has the authority to take reasonably necessary immediate actions to protect District technology resources.

11. The Superintendent/designee will direct age appropriate training annually for students who use District technology. The training will be provided and designed to promote the District's commitment to CIPA and:

a.    the standards and acceptable use of District technology as set forth in the Manual and this Policy;

b.    Student safety and meeting any E-rate requirements by teaching children:

i.        about safety on the internet,

ii.        appropriate behavior while on online, on social networking websites and in chat rooms, and

iii.        increasing cyber bullying awareness and response.

During the training, students will be allowed to ask questions. Following receipt of this training, the student will acknowledge electronically that he/she viewed the training and understood it and will follow the provisions of the Policy and Manual.

RELATED POLICIES:

Policy 2.036 - Breach of Personal Identification Information

Policy 2.50 - Third Party Use of Technology

Policy 3.29 - Acceptable Use of Technology by Employees

Policy 8.123 - Acceptable Use of Technology by Students

Policy 8.125 - District Review and Filtering of Web Sites