401.13R1 Staff Technology Use Regulation

STAFF PERSONNEL 

Series 400

POLICY TITLE: Staff Technology Use Regulation                                                                                                                            Code No. 401.13R1

General

The following rules and regulations govern the use of the School District's computers, network, employee access to the Internet, and management of electronic records:

• Employees may be issued a school district e-mail account.  Passwords must be changed periodically.

• Each individual in whose name an access account is issued is responsible at all times for its proper use.

• Employees are expected to review their e-mail daily, and shall reply promptly to inquiries with information that the employee can reasonably be expected to provide or direct the email to the appropriate school personnel.

• Email communications with parents and/or students must be made with a school district e-mail account, unless in the case of an emergency.

• Employees may access the Internet for education-related and/or work-related activities.

• Use of the School District computers and accounts is a public record.  Employees cannot have an expectation of privacy in the use of the School District's computers.

• Use of technology resources in ways that violate the acceptable use and conduct regulation, outlined below, will be subject to discipline, up to and including discharge.

• Off-site access to the School District network will be determined by the Superintendent in conjunction with appropriate personnel.

• All network users are expected to abide by the generally accepted rules of network etiquette.  This includes being polite and using only appropriate language.  Abusive language, vulgarities, and swear words are all inappropriate.

• Network users identifying a security problem on the School District's network must notify appropriate staff.  Any network user identified as a security risk or having a history of violations of school district computer use guidelines may be denied access to the School District's network.

• Employees are representatives of the district at all times and must model appropriate character, both on and off the worksite.  This applies to material posted with personal devices and on personal websites and/or social media accounts.  Posted messages or pictures which diminish the professionalism or discredit the capacity to maintain respect of students and parents may result in disciplinary action up to and including termination if the content posted is found to be disruptive to the educational environment and adversely  impacts the employee’s ability to effectively serve as a role model or perform his/her job duties for the district.  The type of material that would affect an employee’s ability to serve as an appropriate role model includes, but is not limited to, text or depictions involving hate speech, nudity, obscenity, vulgarity or sexually explicit content.  Employee communications with students should be limited as appropriate.  If there is any uncertainty, employees should consult their building administrator.

Prohibited Activity and Uses

The following is a list of some of the kinds of prohibited activity for all employees concerning use of the School District's network.  Any violation of these prohibitions and other inappropriate use, may result in discipline, up to and including discharge, or other appropriate penalty, including suspension or revocation of a user's access to the network.

• Using the network for commercial activity, including advertising or personal gain.

• Infringing on any copyrights or other intellectual property rights, including copying, installing, receiving, transmitting or making available any copyrighted software on the School District computer network.  See Policy 605.7, Use of Information Resources for more information.

• Using the network to receive, transmit or make available to others obscene, offensive, or sexually explicit material.

• Using the network to receive, transmit or make available to others messages that are racist, sexist, and abusive or harassing to others.

• Use of another's account or password.

• Sharing passwords in an unsecure manner allowing others to gain access.

• Attempting to read, delete, copy, or modify the electronic mail (e-mail) of other system users.

• Forging or attempting to forge e-mail messages.

• Engaging in vandalism.  Vandalism is defined as any malicious attempt to harm or destroy school district equipment or materials, data of another user of the School District's network or of any of the entities or other networks that are connected to the Internet.  This includes, but is not limited to, creating and/or placing a computer virus on the network.

• Using the network to send anonymous messages or files.

• Revealing the personal address, telephone number, or other personal information of oneself or another person.

• Intentionally disrupting network traffic or crashing the network and connected systems.

• Using the network in a fashion inconsistent with directions from teachers and other staff and generally accepted network etiquette.

• Using personal printers at school, without permission from the Technology Director.

• Using personal devices on a school network other than the designated guest network, without permission from the Technology Director.

Other Technology Issues

Employees should contact students and their parents through the School District account or phone unless in the case of an emergency or with prior consent of the principal.  Employees should not release their cell phone number, personal e-mail address, etc. to students or their parents, except when authorized, such as, overnight trips when students are involved.  Employees who are coaches or sponsors of activities may create a text list of students and parents in order to communicate more effectively as long as the texts go to all students and the principal is included in the text address list.  It is strongly recommended to use an online text messaging system that will keep records of all of the messages sent from the employee.

Oskaloosa Community School District

Guidelines for Policy #401.13:  Social Media Networks

These are the guidelines for social media in the Oskaloosa School District.  If you're an employee contributing to blogs, wikis, social networks, virtual worlds, or any other kind of social media both on and off the District network-these guidelines are for you.  We expect all who participate in social media to understand and follow these guidelines.  Failure to do so could put you at risk. These guidelines will continually evolve as new technologies and social networking tools emerge-so check back at once in awhile to make sure you're up to date.

It's your responsibility.  What you write is ultimately your responsibility.  If it seems inappropriate, use caution.  If you're about to publish something that makes you even the slightest bit uncomfortable, take time to review these guidelines.  Ultimately, what you publish is your responsibility.  What you publish is widely accessible and can be around for a long time, even after removing it from a site, so consider the content carefully.  Trademark, copyright, and fair use requirements must be respected.

Ensure the safety of students.  When employees, especially coaches/advisors, choose to join or engage with these social networking groups, they do so as an employee of the District and have responsibility for monitoring content and addressing inappropriate behavior or activity on these networks.  This includes acting to protect the safety of minors online.

Be transparent.  Your honesty or dishonesty will be quickly noticed in the social media environment.  If you are posting about your work, use your real name and identify your employment relationship with the District.  Be clear about your role; if you have a vested interest in something you are discussing, be the first to point it out.  If you publish to a site outside the District's network, please use a disclaimer to state in clear terms that the views expressed are the employee's alone and that they do not necessarily reflect the views of the Oskaloosa School District.

Protect confidential information.  Be thoughtful about what you publish.  You must make sure you do not disclose or use confidential information.  Students, parents, and colleagues should not be identified or obviously referenced without their approval.  For example, ask permission before posting someone's picture in a social network (student photos require parental consent) or publishing a conversation that was meant to be private.

It is acceptable to discuss general details about projects, lessons, or events and to use non-identifying pseudonyms for an individual (e.g., Teacher A) so long as the information provided does not make it easy for someone to identify the individual or violate any privacy laws.  Furthermore, public social networking sites are not the place to conduct school business with students or parents.

Respect your audience and your coworkers.  Always express ideas and opinions in a respectful manner.  Make sure your communications are in good taste.  Do not denigrate or insult others, including other schools or competitors.  Remember that our communities reflect a diverse set of customs, values, and points of view.  Be respectful.  This includes not only the obvious (no ethnic slurs, personal insults, obscenity, etc.) but also proper consideration of privacy and of topics that may be considered objectionable or inflammatory.  Be sensitive about linking to content.  Redirecting to another site may imply an endorsement of its content.

Perception can be reality.  In online networks, the lines between public and private, personal and professional are blurred.  Just by identifying yourself as a District employee, you are creating perceptions about your expertise and about the District by community members, parents, students, and the general public; and you are creating perceptions about yourself with your colleagues and managers.  If you choose to join or engage with District students and families in social media context, do so in a professional manner, ever mindful that in the minds of students, families, colleagues, and the public, you are a District employee.  Be sure that all content associated with you is consistent with your work and with the District's beliefs and professional standards.

Are you adding value?  Communication associated with our District should help fellow educators, parents, students, and co-workers.  It should be thought-provoking and build a sense of community.  If it helps people improve knowledge or skills, do their jobs, solve problems, or understand education better then it's adding value.

Keep your cool.  One of the aims of social media is to create dialogue, and people will not always agree on an issue.  When confronted with a difference of opinion, stay cool.  If you make an error, be up front about your mistake and correct it quickly.  Express your points in a clear, logical way.  Don't pick fights, and correct mistakes when needed.  Sometimes, it's best to ignore a comment and not give it credibility by acknowledging it with a response.

Be careful with personal information.  Make full use of privacy settings.  Know how to disable anonymous postings and use moderating tools on your social media site(s).  Astute criminals can piece together information you provide on different sites and then use it to impersonate you or someone you know, or even re-set your passwords.

Be a positive role model.  Educational employees have a responsibility to maintain appropriate employee-student relationships, whether on or off duty.  Both case law and public expectations hold educational employees to a higher standard of conduct than the general public.  You should make sure that your online activities do not interfere with your job.  Remember that District technologies are provided for educational use.  Use of social media for personal use during District time is prohibited.

Citing Sources:  The published policies and guidelines of IBM, Intel and Kodak, and Minnetonka Public Schools, provided the foundation for Oskaloosa Community School District Employee Guidelines for social media, which were adapted for an educational organization.

www.minnetonka.k12.mn.us/policies/470.pdf

http://www.kodak.com/US/images/en/corp/aboutKodak/onlineToday/Social_Med...

http://www.intel.com/sites/sitewide/en_us/social-media.htm

http://www.ibm.com/blogs/zz/en/guidelines. html

Cyber Law: Maximizing Safety and Minimizing Risk in Classrooms; A. Bissonette, J.D. Corwin Press, 2009.