THE RYE CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT

RYE, NEW YORK

RYE MIDDLE/HIGH SCHOOL

GRADES 6-12

INTERNET ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY

A. Educational Purpose

    1. The Network has been established for a limited educational purpose. The term "educational purpose" includes classroom activities, career development, and limited high-quality personal research.
    2. The Network has not been established as a public access service or a public forum. Rye Middle/High School has the right to place reasonable restrictions on the material you access or post through the system. You are also expected to follow the rules set forth in the district student conduct regulations and the law in your use of the Network.
    3. You may not use the Network for commercial purposes. This means you may not offer, provide, or purchase products or services through the Network.
    4. You may not use the Network for political lobbying. You may use the system to communicate with elected representatives and to express your opinion on political issues.

B. Student Internet Access
    1. Secondary students may obtain access to the Internet with the approval of their parent and the school.
    2. You and your parent must sign an Acceptable Use Policy Agreement Form to be granted individual access to the Internet through the Network.

C. Unacceptable Uses

1. Personal Safety
    1. You will not post personal contact information about yourself or other people. Personal contact information includes your address, telephone, school address, etc.
    2. You will not agree to meet with someone you have met on-line without your parents’ approval.
    3. You will promptly disclose to your teacher or other school employee any messages you receive that are inappropriate or make you feel uncomfortable.

2. System Security
    1. You are responsible for your individual access account and should take all reasonable precautions to prevent others from being able to use your Internet account. Under no conditions should you provide your password to another person.
    2. You will immediately notify a teacher or the system administrator if you have identified a possible security problem. Do not go looking for security problems, because this may be construed as an illegal attempt to gain access.
    3. You will avoid the inadvertent spread of computer viruses by following the standard virus protection procedures if you transport files or download software.

3. Inappropriate Language

    1. Restrictions against Inappropriate Language apply to public messages, private messages, and material posted on Web pages.
    2. You will not use obscene, profane, inflammatory, threatening, or disrespectful language.
    3. You will not engage in personal attacks, including prejudicial or discriminatory attacks.
    4. You will not harass another person. Harassment is persistently acting in a manner that distresses or annoys another person. If you are told by a person to stop sending them messages, you must stop.
    5. You will not knowingly or recklessly post false or defamatory information about a person or organization.

4. Respect for Privacy
    1. You will not repost a message that was sent to you privately without permission of the person who sent you the message.
    2. You will not post private information about another person.

5. Respecting Resource Limits
    1. You will use the system only for educational and career development activities and limited, high-quality, personal research.
    2. You will not download large files.
    3. You will not post chain letters or engage in "spamming." Spamming is sending an annoying or unnecessary message to a large number of people.
    4. You are not permitted to subscribe to discussion group mail lists.

6. Plagiarism and Copyright Infringement
    1. You will not plagiarize works that you find on the Internet. Plagiarism is taking the ideas or writings of others and presenting them as if they were yours.
    2. You will respect the rights of copyright owners. Copyright infringement occurs when you inappropriately reproduce a work that is protected by a copyright. If a work contains language that specifies appropriate use of that work, you should follow the expressed requirements. If you are unsure whether or not you can use a work, you should request permission from the copyright owner. Copyright law can be very confusing. If you have questions ask a teacher.

7. Inappropriate Access to Material
    1. You will not use the Network to access material that is profane or obscene (pornography), that advocates illegal or dangerous acts, or that advocates violence or discrimination towards other people (hate literature). A special exemption may be made if the purpose of your access it to conduct research and both your teacher and parent/guardian have approved.
    2. If you mistakenly access inappropriate information, you should immediately tell your teacher or another district employee. This will protect you against a claim that you have intentionally violated this Policy.
    3. Your parent/guardian should instruct you if there is additional material that they think it would be inappropriate for you to access. The district fully expects that you will follow your parents’/guardians' instructions in this matter.

D. Illegal Activities
    1. You will not attempt to gain unauthorized access to the Network or to any other computer system through the Network or go beyond your authorized access. This includes attempting to log in through another person’s account or access another person’s files. These actions are illegal, even if only for the purposes of "browsing."
    2. You will not make deliberate attempts to disrupt the computer system or destroy data by spreading computer viruses or by any other means. These actions are illegal.
    3. You will not use the Network to engage in any other illegal act, such as arranging for a drug sale or the purchase of alcohol, engaging in criminal gang activity, threatening the safety of person, etc.

 

 

 

 

 

E. Your Rights

1. Free Speech
    1. Your right to free speech, as set forth in the district student conduct regulations, applies also to your communication on the Internet. The Network is considered a limited forum, similar to the school newspaper, and therefore the District may restrict your speech for valid educational reasons. The District will not restrict your speech on the basis of a disagreement with the opinions you are expressing.

2. Search and Seizure
    1. You should not expect any privacy in the contents of your personal files on the District system and records of your on-line activity. The situation is similar to the rights you have in the privacy of your locker.
    2. Routine maintenance and monitoring of the Network may lead to discovery that you have violated this Policy, the district student conduct regulations, or the law.
    3. An individual search will be conducted if there is reasonable suspicion that you have violated this Policy, the district student conduct regulations, or the law. The investigation will be reasonable and related to the suspected violation.

3. Due Process
    1. The District will cooperate fully with local, state, or federal officials in any investigation related to any illegal activities conducted through the Network.
    2. In the event there is a claim that you have violated this Policy or the district student conduct regulations in your use of the Network, you will be provided with notice and opportunity to be heard in the manner set forth in the district student conduct regulation.
    3. If the violation also involves a violation of other provisions of the district student conduct regulations it will be handled in a manner described in the district student conduct regulations. Additional restrictions may be placed on your use of your Internet account.

F. Limitation of Liability

    1. The District makes no guarantee that the functions or the services provided by or through the District system will be error-free or without defect. The District will not be responsible for any damage you may suffer, including but not limited to, loss of data or interruptions of service. The District is not responsible for the accuracy or quality of the information obtained through or stored on the system. The District will not be responsible for financial obligations arising through the unauthorized use of the system. Your parents/guardians can be held financially responsible for any harm to the system as a result of intentional misuse.