DICKSON COUNTY SCHOOLS TECHNOLOGY ACCEPTABLE USE

DICKSON COUNTY SCHOOLS

TECHNOLOGY ACCEPTABLE USE

AGREEMENT

ACCEPTABLE USE AGREEMENT FOR ELECTRONIC INFORMATION, SERVICES, AND NETWORKS

The Dickson County School System recognizes the value of computer and other electronic resources to

improve student learning and enhance the administration and operation of its schools. The Dickson County

School System encourages the responsible use of computers; computer networks, including the Internet;

and other electronic resources in support of the mission and goals of Dickson County Schools.

The Dickson County Schools Acceptable Use Agreement shall govern all use of technology devices, digital

resources, and network infrastructure. Because information technology is constantly changing, not all

circumstances can be anticipated or addressed in this agreement. All users are expected to understand and

comply with both the “letter” and the “spirit” of this agreement and show good judgment in their use of these

resources. By using or by accessing district facilities or services, the user agrees to abide by this agreement.

Rights and Responsibilities

The Dickson County School System is committed to complying with applicable information security

requirements and relevant information security standards and protocols. These requirements include, but

are not limited to the following:

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA)

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)

Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA)

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA)

Users of Dickson County School’s network are required to adhere to state and federal law as well as board

policy. Any attempt to break those laws or policies may result in discipline or litigation against the offender(s)

by the proper authority. The Dickson County School System will provide any information necessary in order

to fully cooperate with the appropriate authorities in the civil and/or criminal process.

Acceptable Use

Dickson County Schools provides students and staff with computing and Internet access to further

educational goals and objectives. Access is a privilege, not a right, and therefore, entails responsibility. The

district provides a computer network for students and staff who agree to act in a considerate and

responsible manner. The network is available to conduct research, save student work and files, and

communicate with others via electronic media. Teachers, administrators, and other school personnel should

ensure district data systems are used in a responsible, efficient, ethical, and legal manner, and such use

must be in support of the district’s business and education objectives.

Educational Purpose

School system technological resources are provided for the purpose of instruction, accessing information,

conducting research, lesson preparation, communication, and/or other information gathering and sharing as

it relates to education. Users may not use the Dickson County School Systems network for personal

commercial gain or personal political purposes.

Dickson County Schools utilizes G Suite for Education applications (formerly known as Google Apps for

Education) for instruction and learning. These 21

Century classroom tools allow teachers and students to

work collaboratively on assignments and allows our students immediate access to their work, from any

device, be it a smartphone, tablet, laptop, Chromebook or desktop computer.

Filtering and Monitoring

Dickson County Schools takes reasonable precautions in accordance with CIPA and COPPA guidelines by

using filtering software to keep inappropriate Internet sites and e-mail out of the classroom. However, it is

recognized that this filter alone is no guarantee that users will not be able to find Internet resources which

are profane, offensive, obscene, or otherwise objectionable. As much as possible, technology resources

should direct students to those resources which have been evaluated prior to use. Staff should provide

supervision during all Internet activities.

All district employees and students are expected to report any system misuse, inappropriate Internet sites

that are not stopped by the district's Internet filter, and behavior that falls within the district's discrimination

and sexual harassment policies.

Privacy

Students, employees, visitors, and other users have no expectation of privacy in anything they create, store,

send, delete, receive, or display when using the school system's network, devices, Internet access, email

system, or other technological resources owned or issued by the school system, whether the resources are

used at school or elsewhere, and even if the use is for personal purposes. Users should not assume that

files or communications created, transmitted, or displayed using school system technological resources or

stored on servers or on the storage mediums of individual devices will be private. The school system may,

without notice, (1) monitor, track, and/or log network access, communications, and use; (2) monitor and

allocate fileserver space; and (3) access, review, copy, store, delete, or disclose the content of all user files,

regardless of medium, the content of electronic mailboxes, and system outputs, such as printouts, for any

lawful purpose. Such purposes may include, but are not limited to, maintaining system integrity, security, or

functionality, ensuring compliance with board policy and applicable laws and regulations, protecting the

school system from liability, and complying with public records requests. School system personnel shall

monitor online activities of individuals who access the Internet via a school-owned device.

GENERAL RULES FOR ACCEPTABLE USE

1. School system technological resources are provided for school-related purposes only. Acceptable

uses of such technological resources are limited to responsible, efficient, and legal activities that

support learning and teaching. Use of school system technological resources for commercial gain or

profit is prohibited.

2. Under no circumstance may software purchased by the school system be copied for personal use.

3. Students and employees must comply with all applicable laws, including those relating to copyrights

and trademarks, confidential information, and public records. Any use that violates state or federal

law is strictly prohibited. Users may not install or use any Internet-based file sharing program

designed to facilitate sharing of copyrighted material. Plagiarism of Internet resources will be treated

in the same manner as any other incidents of plagiarism.

4. No user of technological resources, including a person sending or receiving electronic

communications, may engage in creating, intentionally viewing, accessing, downloading, storing,

printing, or transmitting images, graphics (including still or moving pictures), sound files, text files,

documents, messages, or other material that is obscene, defamatory, profane, pornographic,

harassing, abusive, or considered to be harmful to minors.

5. The use of anonymous proxies to circumvent content filtering is prohibited.

6. Users of technological resources may not send electronic communications fraudulently (i.e., by

misrepresenting the identity of the sender).

7. Users must respect the privacy of others. When using e-mail, chat rooms, blogs, or other forms of

electronic communication, students must not reveal personal identifying information or information

that is private or confidential, such as the home address or telephone number, credit or checking

account information, or social security number of themselves or fellow students. In addition, school

employees must not disclose on school system websites or web pages or elsewhere on the Internet

any personally identifiable, private, or confidential information concerning students (including

names, addresses, or pictures) without the written permission of a parent or guardian or an eligible

student, except as otherwise permitted by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).

Users also may not forward or post personal communications without the author's prior consent.

8. Users may not intentionally or negligently damage computers, computer systems, electronic

devices, software, computer networks, or data of any user connected to school system technological

resources. Users may not knowingly or negligently transmit computer viruses or self-replicating

messages or deliberately try to degrade or disrupt system performance.

9. Users may not create or introduce games, network communications programs, or any foreign

program or software onto any school system computer, electronic device, or network without the

express permission of the technology director or designee.

10. Users are prohibited from engaging in unauthorized or unlawful activities, such as "hacking" or using

the computer network to gain or attempt to gain unauthorized or unlawful access to other

computers, computer systems, or accounts.

11. Users are prohibited from using another individual's ID or password for any technological resource

without permission from the individual. Students must also have permission from the teacher or

other school official.

12. Users may not read, alter, change, block, execute, or delete files or communications belonging to

another user without the owner's express prior permission. Employees shall not use passwords or

user IDs for any data system (e.g., the state student information and instructional improvement

system applications, etc.) for an unauthorized or improper purpose.

13. If a user identifies a security problem on a technological resource, he or she must immediately notify

a system administrator. Users must not demonstrate the problem to other users. Any user identified

as a security risk will be denied access.

14. During the instructional day, teachers make reasonable efforts to supervise student use of the

district’s Internet system in a manner that is appropriate to the student’s age and circumstances of

use.

15. Views may be expressed on the Internet or other technological resources as representing the view

of the school system or part of the school system only with prior approval by the superintendent or

designee.

16. Schools may not change the Internet Usage or Acceptable Use agreement forms.

Students

The Dickson County School System has several processes in place to protect students while using

technology and web-based instructional tools. Students are educated every year about appropriate online

behavior, including interacting with other individuals on social networking websites and cyber-bullying

awareness and response. The district also uses Internet filters to remove most harmful content. Student

safety is of utmost importance in the Dickson County school district.

Parents who do not want their student to use a computer or other physical device or to access web-based

curriculum tools may deny their student's technology access. Students who have had their individual

technology access denied are still able to participate in teacher or administrator led activities that contain

Internet content. Students who have their technology access denied are not protected from viewing Internet

content in use by other students. Several mandatory state and federal student assessments are solely

available over the Internet. These tests and assessments will be administered to ALL students. Temporary

technology access for these tests will be granted to all students for the purpose of state testing.

G Suite for Education

In order to create a safe, effective way for students and staff to communicate with one another, the Dickson

County School System provides each student with a unique username and password which will be used for

access to technology and digital resources.

Student DCBE account information looks like an e-mail address but, depending on the student’s age or

grade, may or may not have an actual email address tied to the account. For students who are assigned an

e-mail address their DCBE account username will be the same as their email address. Students that do not

yet have an e-mail account will still receive a DCBE student account, however, their account will not be

linked to an e-mail account.

Students will also have access to G Suite for Education applications for use. These applications run on an

Internet domain purchased and owned by the district and is intended for educational use. Your student’s

teachers may utilize these tools for lessons, assignments, and communication. These applications include

word processing, spreadsheet, presentation, calendar, email, Classroom and many other collaborative tools.

This suite of applications is available in "the cloud", which allows students immediate access to their work,

from any device, be it a smartphone, tablet, laptop, or desktop computer and from any location such as

school, home, public library or any other place with internet access.

Access to, and the use of, G Suite for Education is considered a privilege and benefit to students in our

district. Dickson County Schools maintains the right to immediately revoke this access and use of the

Google Apps suite, including Gmail, where the district has reason to believe violations of law or district policy

have occurred.

Guidelines for use of G Suite for Education:

1. Not all tools are used at all grade levels. For Kindergarten through fifth grade, student e-mail and other

apps are only turned on at the principal's request.

2. Students are only allowed to email other staff and students in the district. They cannot send or receive

emails to any address other than @dcbe.org or @stu.dcbe.org unless approved by administrative staff

for educational purposes only.

3. Student email is ad free, and is filtered for spam.

4. Student email is archived internally, and is searchable by district administrators at any time, should the

district deem it necessary.

5. Students will have no expectation of privacy with their G Suite for Education account, and thus should

remain committed to using it academically and professionally.

6. Students shall not share their passwords with anyone else, nor shall students use anyone else's

password. At the same time, students will not act in a way that jeopardizes the account security of

another student or staff member.

7. Students will avoid, at all costs, using their G Suite for Education account to promote any unlawful

activities or personal financial gain.

8. Students will not post personal contact information about themselves or other people using their G Suite

for Education account.

9. Inappropriate language, personal insults, profanity, spam, racist, sexist or discriminatory remarks, or

threatening comments will be not be tolerated. Additionally, students should not use their account to

promote or spread inappropriate or offensive content, or to threaten another student or staff member.

10. Students will inform a member of the district staff should they receive any message that is inappropriate

or makes them feel uncomfortable.