Policy GBEF
Staff Technology Acceptable Use and Social Media Policy
School Board Approved: September 12, 2016
Purpose
The purpose of the Acceptable Use and Social Media Policy is to provide the procedures, rules, guidelines, and the code of conduct for the use of technology, the Internet, and social media.
Definition
The definition of “information networks” is any configuration of hardware and software that connects users. The network includes, but is not limited to, electronic computing and communication devices, of the computer hardware, software, communication devices, stored text and data files. This includes all existing and future technologies. Stand-alone workstations are also governed by this acceptable use procedure.
The Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District Information Network Services
The Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District provides resources for teaching and learning, communication services, and business data services by maintaining access to local, regional, national, and international sources of information. The Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District’s information resources will be used by members of the school community in accordance with policy, procedures, and regulations established by the Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District, as well as state and federal laws and regulations. This policy does not attempt to articulate all required guidelines for proscribed behavior by its users.
Successful operation of the network requires that all users conduct themselves in a responsible, decent, ethical and polite manner while using the network. The user is ultimately responsible for his/her actions in accessing network services.
Guidelines
Access to the networks and to the information technology environment within the Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District is a privilege and must be treated as such by all users of the network and its associated systems.
Information networks will be used for the purposes of research, education, and school-related business and operations.
Any system which requires password access or for which the Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District requires an account, such as the Internet, will only be used by the authorized user. Account owners are ultimately responsible for all activity under their accounts.
The resources of the Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District are limited. All users must exercise prudence in the shared use of this resource.
While it is not the intention of the Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District to be intrusive, all users are advised that authorized Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District personnel may be monitoring system activity and content of e-mail messages and files.
Users agree to report any misuses or abuse of the Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District's computer network or Intranet/Internet services to the Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District's principal or designee. Failure to report misuse or abuse constitutes a violation of this policy.
Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District Internet Code of Conduct
Use of the Internet by students and staff of the Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District shall be in support of education and research that is consistent with the mission of the Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District. Internet use is limited to those persons who have been issued Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District-approved accounts. Use will be in accordance with the Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District's Staff Acceptable Use and Social Media Policy. Users are expected to abide by the following terms and conditions:
- Protect their Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District account from others.
- Respect the privacy of other users. Do not use other users' passwords or share your passwords with others.
- Be ethical and courteous. Do not send hate, harassing or obscene mail, discriminatory remarks, or demonstrate other harmful or harassing behaviors.
- Maintain the integrity of files and data. Do not modify or copy files/data of other users without their consent.
- Treat information created by others as the private property of the creator. Respect copyrights.
- Do not use any network in a way that disrupts its use by others.
- Do not destroy, modify or abuse the hardware or software in any way.
- Do not develop or pass on programs that harass other users or infiltrate a computer or computing system and/or damage the software components of a computer or computing system, such as viruses, worms, “chain” messages, etc.
- Do not use the Internet to access or process pornographic offensive, sexually explicit, obscene or otherwise inappropriate material.
- Do not use the Internet for commercial purposes. The Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District reserves the right to remove a user's account if it is determined that the user is engaged in unauthorized activity or is violating this code of conduct.
Unacceptable Use
The Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District has the right to take disciplinary action, remove computer and networking privileges and/or take legal action, for any activity characterized as unethical and unacceptable. Unacceptable use activities constitute, but are not limited to, any activity through which any user:
- Violates such matters as institutional or third-party copyright, license agreements or other contracts. The unauthorized use of and/or copying of software or other copyrighted material is illegal.
- Interferes with or disrupts other network users, services or equipment. Disruptions include, but are not limited to: distribution of unsolicited advertising, propagation of computer worms or viruses, distributing quantities of information that overwhelm the system, and/or using a Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District network to make unauthorized entry into any other resource accessible via the network.
- Seeks to gain or gains unauthorized access to information resources.
- Uses or knowingly allows another to use any computer or computer system to devise or execute a scheme to defraud or to obtain money, property, services, or other things of value by false pretenses, promises, impersonations, or misrepresentations.
- Destroys, alters, dismantles or otherwise interferes with the integrity of computer based information and/or information resources.
- Invades the privacy of individuals or entities.
- Uses the network for non-school related commercial or political activity.
- Installs unauthorized software for use on Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District computers.
- Uses a network to access inappropriate materials, including but not limited to sending, receiving or displaying or viewing offensive, sexually explicit, pornographic, or obscene content, messages, pictures, video, or other media.
- Submits, publishes or displays any defamatory, inaccurate, discriminatory, offensive, abusive, obscene, pornographic, profane, sexually oriented or explicit, or threatening materials, messages, pictures, video, or other content, either publicly or privately.
- Uses a Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District network for illegal harassing, discrimination, bullying, intimidating, stalking, hazing, cyber bashing/cyberbullying, insulting, vandalizing, attacking or other inappropriate purposes, or in support of such activities.
- Posts publicly any items produced by students to the Internet without proper administrative review and/or parental permission.
- Uses unauthorized services or mail lists, i.e., LISTSERVS, newsgroups, chat rooms, blogs, social networking sites, unapproved gaming sites, and instant messaging.
- Encrypts communications or files to avoid system security review.
- Attempts to access blocked, filtered, or restricted websites, e.g., using a proxy site, encryption, or other means to circumvent a firewall.
- Engages in any other conduct that is potentially harmful to students, staff, administrators or the Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District.
Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District Rights
The Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District reserves the right to:
- Monitor all activity. Notwithstanding any related laws, staff members have no expectation of privacy regarding their use of the Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District network.
- Make determinations on whether specific uses of technology are consistent with this acceptable use policy.
- Log network use and monitor storage disk space utilization by users.
- Determine what appropriate use is.
- Remove a user's access to the technology at any time it is determined that the user engaged in unauthorized activity or violated this acceptable use policy.
- Cooperate fully with any investigation concerning or relating to the Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District's network activity or network use.
Information Network Disclaimer
Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District makes no guarantees about the quality of the services provided and is not responsible for any claims, losses, damages, costs, or other obligations arising from use of the network or accounts. Any additional charges a user accrues due to the use of the Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District’s network are to be borne by the user. Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District also denies any responsibility for the accuracy or quality of the information obtained through user access. Any statement, accessible on the computer network or the Internet, is understood to be the author's individual point of view and not that of Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District, its affiliates, or employees.
Official Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District Websites and Social Networking Sites
All official Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District web pages and social networking sites (those designed for student use and/or communication to stakeholders about Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District programs) must be approved by the Administration and should adhere to the following standards:
- Logos and graphics used on the site must be consistent with the branding standards and usage guidelines of the school.
- Sites that accept comments or postings by anyone other than the site administrator must be diligently monitored to ensure that information displayed complies with Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District guidelines as established in the Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District’s Staff Technology Acceptable Use and Social Media Policy, and is appropriate to the subject matter of the page.
- Students should not be expected to utilize the site as the only source of important information since student access to social networking sites is restricted on the Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District networks.
- Unauthorized pages which have not been approved by the Administration will be treated as personal pages, and are therefore limited to the standards as stated in this policy.
Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District Sponsored Social Media
Social media pages may be sponsored by Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District for the Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District community to share information about our schools and the achievements of the students and staff as well as other relevant Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District community information.
All posting of comments on Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District pages are at the discretion of the page administrators, in accordance with the guidelines and procedures established by the superintendent.
The intent of this policy is to protect the privacy and rights of the Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District school community. We expect participants to be respectful and courteous. This includes avoiding posting comments, complaints, criticisms, statements, photographs, video or audio, or other forms of electronic communication that are or could reasonably be viewed as malicious, threatening or intimidating, disparaging, profane, obscene, offensive, sexually explicit, inappropriate, inflammatory, discriminatory or otherwise objectionable or that might constitute harassment or bullying. Examples of such conduct might include offensive posts meant to intentionally harm someone’s reputation or posts that could contribute to a hostile work environment on the basis of race, sex, disability, religion, sexual orientation, or any other status protected by law of company policy.
Please understand that all postings to Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District -sponsored sites are publicly accessible without limitation or protection of any kind. Be cautious with the personal information you share, and understand that this information may be linked to your name and published on the Internet or utilized by others.
The Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District further reserves the right to reject or remove comments if they violate this policy. Any submissions that fail to follow this policy in any way or are otherwise irrelevant will be removed. We also reserve the right to amend this Policy from time to time in our judgment to address issues that may arise and changes in our operations or the law.
In posting material on Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District sponsored sites, you agree not to:
- Post materials that are or could reasonably be viewed as malicious, threatening or intimidating, disparaging, profane, obscene, offensive, sexually explicit, inappropriate, inflammatory, discriminatory or otherwise objectionable or that might constitute harassment or bullying towards an individual or entity member of the community.
- Post phone numbers, email addresses or other confidential information of students, faculty, staff, or any person other than yourself. If you choose to post your own contact information for any reason, please be aware that the information will be available to the public and is, therefore, subject to misuse.
- Break the law or encourage others to do so. This includes respecting copyright and fair use laws. If you are talking about somebody else’s work, reference this or the person, and where possible include a link.
- Post material that infringes on the rights of Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District or any individual or entity, including privacy, intellectual property or publication rights.
- Post material that promotes or advertises a commercial product or solicits business or membership or financial of other support in any business, group or organization except those which are officially sponsored by Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District.
- Post chain letters, post the same comment multiple times, or otherwise distribute “spam” via the Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District -sponsored site.
- Allow any other individual or entity to use your identification for posting or viewing comments.
- Post comments under multiple names or using another person’s name.
In posting material on Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District sponsored sites, you understand that:
- The user agrees to indemnify and hold harmless Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District, its affiliates, directors, employees, successors and assigns against any damages, losses, liabilities, judgments, causes of action, costs or expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs) arising out of any claim by a third party relating to any material user has posted on Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District-sponsored sites.
- The user hereby agrees to the Policy set forth above.
Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District reserves the right to:
- Remove any comments at any time for any reason.
- Ban future posts from people who repeatedly violate this Policy.
Personal Social Media and Websites
Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District respects the right of employees to use personal social media and networking sites. Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District understands that social media can be a fun and rewarding way to share your life and opinions with family, friends, co-workers, and the world.
However, use of social media also presents certain risks and carries with it certain responsibilities. All employees are reminded that they are professionals who serve as role models for students and should therefore refrain from any communication, electronic or otherwise, which undermines their effectiveness as employees of an educational enterprise.
Employees must maintain appropriate boundaries between students and themselves even when they are off-duty. Employees are expected to behave honorably in both real and virtual (online) spaces. Employee online behavior should reflect the same standards of honesty, respect and consideration that you use face-to-face.
Employees should exercise care in setting appropriate boundaries between their personal and public online behavior, understanding that anything posted online is never truly private.
The Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District strongly encourages all employees to carefully review the privacy settings on any social media and networking sites they use and exercise care and good judgment when posting content and information. Information posted online is routinely reviewed by potential employers and may impact future employment opportunities.
When using a social media site, an employee may not include current students (excluding immediate family members) as “friends,” “followers,” or “fans.” Teachers, coaches, and other leaders who wish to create websites for student support, such as a listing of athletic events or classroom support materials or library information, should have those sites approved by the administration. These pages are subject to all Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District policies. Additionally, employees must abide by the social media site’s terms and conditions.
Additionally, employees should adhere to the following guidelines, which are consistent with the School’s workplace standards relative to harassment, student relationships, conduct, professional communication, and confidentiality. Engaging in the following problematic conduct may be considered immoral or illegal and/or constitute misconduct, or demonstrate lack of appropriate boundaries:
- Communicating in a manner that would violate any of the School’s policies, including its policies concerning bullying, discrimination or harassment;
- Personal posts or comments that would reasonably be viewed as malicious, obscene, threatening, or intimidating;
- Failing to uphold the Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District’s value of respect for the individual by using the Internet, email, instant message, text message, or other electronic means to disparage or ridicule students, parents, or staff in a manner that is disruptive to the operation of the school or is defamatory.
- Communicating with students via e-mail, instant message, text message, or other electronic means in an overly casual, unprofessional, inappropriate, or offensive manner.
- Creating, possessing, managing, or having a website that contains immoral pictures, video, or text, or other information or links to such information.
- Disclosing any confidential information of the School or confidential information obtained during the course of his/her employment, about any individuals or organizations, including students and/or their families.
- Posting or creating a link from a personal blog, website or other social networking site to a School website or social media site without identifying yourself as an employee.
- Representing yourself as a spokesperson for the Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District, or failing to correct such a misconception. If Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District is the subject of the content you are creating, be clear and open about the fact that you are an employee and make it clear that your views do not represent those of the Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District, fellow employees, administrators, students, or parents, or other people working on behalf of Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District.
Policy Violation
If the Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District believes that an employee’s activity on a social networking site, blog, or personal website may violate the School’s policies, the School may request that the employee cease such activity.
In addition, employees who violate this policy may face discipline and/or dismissal, in accordance with other Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District policies and/or collective bargaining agreements. For example, off-duty conduct involving electronic communication that is immoral may lead to discipline or dismissal.
Employee Technology and Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District Technology Resources Contract
I have read the Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District Staff Technology Acceptable Use and Social Media Policy. I hereby agree to abide by those standards, restrictions, and obligations. I understand that I am responsible for the appropriate use of any Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District electronic devices under my supervision and the content on those devices. As an employee, I agree to instruct the students on acceptable, appropriate, safe, fair and legal use of the Internet and Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District’s Network
Resources and proper Internet etiquette.
I agree to use reasonable care to supervise and protect the students.
Employee Name (please print):
Employee Signature:
Date:
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