STUDENT AND STAFF ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY

 

The School Board recognizes that technology use is an integral part of supporting Kokomo School Corporation’s educational mission, operations, and communications. The use of technology associated with Kokomo School Corporation is a privilege, not a right. Inappropriate use can result in a suspension of privileges at the discretion of the Superintendent or designee. 

 

On an annual basis, each staff member shall review and accept the Corporation’s Acceptable Use Policy and associated Staff Responsible Technology Use Guidelines as a condition for using the Corporation’s electronic networks, devices, programs, applications, and platforms under the management of Kokomo School Corporation.  Non-School-Related use of district issued devices by staff  is not permitted when it interferes with work responsibilities and expectations or violates other aspects of the Acceptable Use Policy or the Staff Responsible Technology Use Guidelines.  Use must be in accordance with local, state, and federal statutes and the Corporation’s educational mission.  Staff should not regularly use their district-issued email account for personal use; a personal email account should be used for personal correspondence when possible.

 

Use of personal technologies by staff must occur during times and places where the use will not interfere with job duties or otherwise be disruptive to the educational or work environment.  Unless endorsed by an administrator, use should occur during non-work times or hours.

 

Staff members who violate the Acceptable Use Policy or associated Staff Responsible Technology Use Guidelines may be subject to disciplinary action.  Initial violations may result in verbal warnings.  Repeated violations may result in written directives, or reprimands.  Failure to comply with written directives, including those related to repeatedly and intentionally violating the Acceptable Use Policy or associated Staff Responsible Technology Use Guidelines, may result in additional disciplinary action up to, and including, recommendation for termination.

 

On an annual basis, each student and parent or guardian must accept the Corporation’s Acceptable Use Policy and Student Responsible Technology Use Guidelines as a condition for student use of technologies associated with Kokomo School Corporation.  Personal use of Kokomo School Corporation devices by students shall be limited to educational and essential use only.  Use of Kokomo School Corporation devices by parents, guardians, or family members is prohibited.

                                      

Kokomo School Corporation promotes appropriate, responsible, and empowered use of technology.  Students will be educated regarding digital citizenship topics, including but not limited to, interacting with other individuals through social networking, cyber-bullying awareness and response, protecting personal information and fair use of intellectual property.

 

Use of personal electronic devices by students on campus may be permitted at the discretion of school or corporation administrators. Guidelines will be published for students regarding use of personal technologies.

 

Students who violate the Acceptable Use Policy or Student Responsible Technology Use Guidelines, may be disciplined in accordance with the student handbook. Violations by students may result in the loss of student privileges for the use of Kokomo School Corporation technology resources.  Violations of local, state, or federal law may subject students to prosecution by appropriate law enforcement authorities.

 

When using technology, all users must abide by copyright, trademark, and fair use expectations described within other Kokomo School Corporation policies and guidelines, as well as  local, state, and federal statutes.

 

Safety and security associated with the use of technology is a shared responsibility.  Students and staff have a duty to immediately report suspicious activity to building or district administrators.

 

Students and staff members should have no right or expectation of privacy in any material that is stored, transmitted, or received via the Corporation’s electronic networks, devices, or applications, programs or platforms managed by the Kokomo School Corporation. Electronic communications or files can be read, monitored, archived, or deleted by authorized district personnel.

 

In accordance with the Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA), the Corporation has an ongoing interest in the safety and welfare of all students. The Corporation filters all on-premises connections to the Internet and blocks sites that may contain content considered obscene, pornographic, harmful, or inappropriate for students. The Corporation will supplement on-campus filtering by providing at-home filtering applications for corporation-issued devices that are used off-campus. Individuals authorized by the Director of Technology and Educational Innovation may temporarily override select filtering for bona fide research or other educational purposes, in support of an investigation conducted by school administration or law enforcement, or to address issues related to functionality of networks, devices or information security.

Students and staff shall maintain the confidentiality of personal information in accordance with Kokomo School Corporation policies and guidelines, and local, state, and federal statutes. Reasonable measures to protect against unauthorized access shall be taken before confidential information is transmitted or stored by Kokomo School Corporation.             

 

Kokomo School Corporation is not responsible for the maintenance and security of personal electronic devices and assumes no responsibility for damage, loss, or theft. The district reserves the right to enforce security measures on personal electronic devices when used to access resources associated with Kokomo School Corporation and remove access for devices found to be in violation of  Kokomo School Corporation policies and guidelines and local, state, and federal statutes.

 

Federal and State confidentiality laws forbid schools and their employees from using or disclosing student education records without parent consent.  Education records include a wide variety of information and posting personally identifiable information about students is not permitted.  A staff member who violates Federal and State confidentiality laws or privacy laws related to the disclosure of confidential student or employee information may be disciplined.

Kokomo School Corporation reserves the right to determine which uses constitute acceptable use and limit access to such uses.  Kokomo School Corporation reserves the right to limit the time of access and use.

The Superintendent, in conjunction with appropriate staff members, shall develop administrative guidelines for acceptable technology use, including, but not limited to the Student and Staff Responsible Technology Use Guidelines. The Superintendent shall also ensure that the Board's policy on acceptable use of technology and the Corporation's guidelines are made publicly available.

 

Disclaimer

Kokomo School Corporation makes no guarantees about the quality of the services provided and is not liable for any claims, losses, damages, costs, or other obligations arising from use of KSC technology resources.

 

Indemnification

The user agrees to indemnify and hold harmless Kokomo School Corporation for any losses, costs, or damages, incurred by KSC relating to, or arising out of, any violation of the Kokomo School Corporation Acceptable Use Policy (7504), the Staff Responsible Technology Use Guidelines, or other related KSC policies and guidelines including but not limited to social media, copyright, student discipline, data reporting and privacy.

 

P.L. 106-554 (2000), Children’s Internet Protection Act of 2000

18 U.S.C 1460

18 U.S.C. 2256

20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq., Part F, Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended (2003)