Policy 0605.00 Instructional Technology

Electronic devices, interconnected (networked) computer systems, information systems, and Internet are available to the students and staff in the West Ada School District. The use of these systems is a part of the District’s instruction program to promote educational excellence by facilitating resource sharing, communication, and innovation. These systems are also used by staff during the daily conduct of job duties and responsibilities.

The use of the District’s electronic devices and networks shall be consistent with the curriculum adopted by the District and shall comply with the selection criteria for instructional materials and library-media center materials.

The District’s electronic network is part of the curriculum and is not a public forum for general use.

The District will, through the course of providing and operating these systems for student and staff use, create and update policies and procedures designed to comply with federal and state law and to ensure and monitor the responsible use of District equipment, networks and systems.

Electronic devices and networks, including Internet access, provide valuable tools that support the education of students in West Ada School District. Users are expected to utilize all network resources for purposes appropriate to the education environment at all times. Users must refrain from any use that is not consistent with the policies, purposes, or objectives of West Ada School District.

Internet Safety

In accordance with this policy and the Board’s philosophy to ensure the safety of all students, the District shall provide an appropriate planned instructional component for Internet safety and digital citizenship which shall be integrated into the District’s regular instructional program. In compliance with the Children’s Internet Protection Act this instruction will include information on the safe use of social networking sites, instant messaging, the characteristics of cyber-bullying, and recommended responses. The Superintendent or Designee(s) shall maintain documentation evidencing that instruction by school personnel on Internet safety is occurring District wide.

Internet Filtering

The District shall make every effort to ensure that each District device and all personal devices accessing the Internet via a District network will have filtered Internet that restricts access to inappropriate material as defined by the Children’s Internet Protection Act and as determined by District policy.

The District may also monitor the online activities (including Internet browsing and use of digital tools and curriculum) of users, through direct observation and/or technological means to ensure that users are not accessing such depictions or other material that is inappropriate and/or harmful to minors as defined by Communications Act of 1934 (47 USC Section 254 h 7) and by Idaho Code Section 18-1514(6). The Superintendent or designee(s) shall enforce the use of such filtering devices or systems.

Filtering is only one of a number of techniques used to manage student's access to the Internet and encourage acceptable usage. It is not viewed as a foolproof approach to preventing access to

• material considered inappropriate or harmful to minors. The District’s Internet filter will restrict access to content areas defined as illegal, harmful, profane or inappropriate for student use as defined by federal and state law and District policy.

Filtering should also be used in conjunction with:

• Educating students in Digital Citizenship and to be "Net-Smart';
• Using recognized Internet search gateways and tools and/or homepages for students, in order to facilitate access to appropriate material;
• Using "Acceptable Use Agreements" or “Responsible Use Agreements”;
• Using behavior management for which Internet access privileges can be earned, reduced or lost; and
• The Superintendent designee(s) and/or building principal shall monitor student Internet access.

Internet filtering software or other technology-based protection systems may be overridden by a supervising teacher or school administrator, as necessary, for purposes of bona fide research, educational projects being conducted by students, or for other educational purposes as determined by the teacher but must not violate any policy or practice of the District.

Designee(s) assigned by the Superintendent shall set a process for reviewing student claims that access has been denied to Internet material that is not within the prohibitions of this policy and for unblocking such materials when appropriate.

Review of filtering technology and software shall be done on a periodic basis and is the responsibility of the Superintendent or designee(s). It shall be the responsibility of the assigned designee to bring to the Superintendent any suggested modification of the filtering system and to address and assure that the filtering system meets the standards of Idaho Code 18-1514 and any other applicable provisions of Chapter 15, Title 18, Idaho Code.

Confidentiality of Student Information

The District shall follow applicable federal and State laws related to student privacy as well as the collection, retention, and transmission of student data and Personally Identifiable Information (PII).

Student Technology and Internet Acceptable Use Agreements

Each student and his or her parent(s)/legal guardian(s) will be required to sign and return to the school at the beginning of each school year the Student Technology and Internet Acceptable Use Agreement prior to having access to the District's systems and/or Internet services.

Limited Internet

Unless a parent has signed a District “Limited Internet” form, all students will be given access to the Internet. In many cases library research resources, such as databases of magazines, journals, and newspaper articles, are only available through the Internet. The Internet also provides access to information and media resources, simulations and other online educational activities and adopted curriculum resources. The “Limited Internet” form may be obtained from schools.

Copyright and Plagiarism

All users should abide by current copyright law. Plagiarism will not be tolerated. (Plagiarism is copying the ideas, writings or artistic creations of others and presenting them as though they were your own.) If text or multimedia files from the Internet or other electronic sources are used, they must be used according to the Fair Use Guidelines established by federal copyright law and policies of West Ada School District and cited accordingly.