Serra Catholic Elementary School

 

The Serra Catholic School Acceptable Usage Policy for Computers is a two-part document, consisting of ‘Principles of Use’ and ‘Policies and Procedures’. Principles of Use set forth the terms under which one accesses the network and/or uses computer equipment, while Policies and Procedures address specific actions both required and prohibited.

Depending upon the nature and seriousness of violations of the Acceptable Usage Policy, consequences may include but are not limited to the following: Parental Notification, Parent Conference, Computer Use Privilege Revocation, Probation, Suspension, or Withdrawal/Expulsion from Serra Catholic School.

The Acceptable Usage Policy may be amended at any time. The current Acceptable Usage Policy is available on the school’s website, www.serraschool.org, and at the Administration Office.

Principles of Use

 

1. Any person accessing the Serra Network (a “user”) has no expectation of privacy. This means that anything done using a school computer – any website visited, any e-mail sent or received, anything composed whether saved or not, any keystroke made - can be observed at the time it’s happening or reviewed at a later time.

2. Being allowed to use computers at Serra Catholic School is a privilege, not a right. This right can be modified, suspended or revoked if it is abused. There may be further consequences to classroom participation and grades if computer privileges are changed, and these consequences are the sole responsibility of the student.

Example: If a student is suspended from using school computers and cannot email an assignment to a teacher, it is the student’s sole responsibility to arrange with the teacher an alternative method of submitting the assignment. Under no circumstances will the student by excused from the assignment or the due date of the assignment.

3. No student will be penalized for issues that occur as a result of innocent activity providing a student notifies a teacher before the activity is otherwise discovered.

Example: A student using the Internet who clicks on a site that proves to have inappropriate material displayed should raise his/her hand and inform the teacher at the time it happens, and no action against the student will result.

4. A condition of enrollment, as expressed in Serra Catholic School Student and Parent Handbooks, requires students to “behave in a manner, both on and off campus, which is consistent with the Christian principles of the school as determined by the school in its discretion”. “Behavior” extends to any materials e-mailed or published by students, whether through a school e-mail account, school website, or elsewhere.

5. While the following Policies and Procedures address specific actions that must be followed as well as actions that are prohibited, users hereby recognize that the list cannot possibly be complete, for no policy can anticipate every situation that could be encountered. Users lacking the maturity or the ability to exercise responsible behavior that respects the online safety of the user, the safety of network files and data, and protection of the overall network infrastructure will have network access and/or e-mail accounts revoked.

 

Policies and Procedures

 

• Only those assigned a valid login may access network resources. Guests (including relatives) of students and employees having a valid login may use the Internet but may not access network files or programs. The conduct of a guest is the responsibility of the student or employee who permitted the guest use of the computer.

• All users must login and logout of their own Windows account for network and Internet access. Users may not work under another user’s login without their express permission and then only for the immediate login period.

• A user wishing to use an available computer that has been left logged onto by another user must first notify the lab administrator or classroom teacher of the computer’s state and then log that user out before logging in to work.

• Users must logout of Windows at the end of a class or other use period.

• Users may not intentionally seek information on, obtain copies of, modify files, other data or passwords belonging to other uses, or misrepresent other users.

 

• The use of messaging systems other than the school’s e-mail system is prohibited. ‘Messaging systems’ include but are not limited to accessing web-based e-mail programs (e.g., Hotmail) and ‘instant messaging’ programs such as AOL Instant Messaging or Windows Messenger, etc.

• Access to website or online materials that are inappropriate for school assignments, unrelated to school business, are otherwise incompatible or not in keeping with school philosophy, or facilitate any illegal activity are prohibited.

 

• Users may not e-mail, electronically publish, receive or access through the Internet any material considered inappropriate, offensive, immoral, derogatory, sexist, racist, or defamatory to Serra Catholic School or any current or former student or employee.

• Users may not e-mail, electronically publish, receive or access through the Internet any material considered inappropriate for school assignments and/or incompatible with school philosophy.

• Computers and network resources may not be used for commercial advertising, or to facilitate any illegal activity or activity not in keeping with school policy.

• Copyrighted material may not be used without permission or without legally acceptable attribution.

 

• Only computers owned by the school may be used on campus.

• Users may transfer personal files to and from the network via attachments within a Serra e-mail message.

• Users may not load onto any computer files from floppy disks, CD-ROM disks or any other portable/removable device (such as mini-USB drives). Files on such devices are to be given to a network administrator who will make the file(s) on the network.

• The changing of any operating system setting (e.g., changing a desktop component) or the changing of drive settings (including the addition, deletion or moving of programming software, files, or other system components) is prohibited.