Acceptable Use Policy
 

Introduction
In the Diocese of Trenton, we believe that "... technology must be at the service of the human person ... in conformity with the plan and the will of God ...This is a precious resource when placed at the service of (humankind) and promotes integral development for the benefit of all." (Catechism of the Catholic Church, #2293,#2294). In the Diocese of Trenton, we believe that the Internet is a research tool that needs to be respected and used for the enrichment of learning. 

With this in mind, it is important that we remember that our schools are founded for Faith development and all tools that we use in the education process keep this fact in the forefront. In the Diocese of Trenton, we further believe that the parent, student and school form a partnership which embraces the ideals of the Catholic faith in word and action. By signing the following policy, the parent and students agree that the student will value the research advantage of the Internet and not use it in any manner that violates these values and ideals.

Technology Acceptable Use Policy

Purpose
The purpose of school-provided technology, including Internet access and electronic mail, is to facilitate legitimate educational endeavors. To remain eligible as users, students must restrict their activities to those which are in support of and consistent with the school's philosophy and goals.

Access to all forms of technology is a privilege, which entails responsibility on the part of the user. A global and diverse electronic communications network, the Internet provides world-wide access to computers containing information resources which may not be considered of educational value in the context of the school setting or of a suitable nature for school-age students. The school considers the information gathered from the Internet and obtained from all other software in the same manner as all other reference materials, in that such resources must enhance the learning environment. All schools acknowledge that their ability to restrict access to any and all inappropriate information is limited when students are actively encouraged to explore and manipulate these electronic resources as part of the curriculum.

Student access to, and use of, the Internet as well as all other computer-related technology, shall be at all times under the direct supervision of the professional educational staff. Consequently, whenever possible, links to Internet sites shall be fashioned to focus a student's attention to resources previously evaluated by the teacher. In all other cases, the user shall be provided with guidelines and/or references geared to the particular learning objectives.

Technology Policy
Technology should serve as an effective and necessary tool to allow our students, teachers and administrators to be prepared for the advances of the twenty-first century. Technology should further enhance the communication ability of the members of our school community as they integrate within our increasingly global society. Equitable and responsible access to technology should be provided in order for the students, teachers and administrators to acquire technological proficiency.

ongoing technology training should be provided to all the students, teachers and administrators. All educators in the Catholic schools in the Diocese of Trenton should model the integration of technology as life-long learners. All schools' use of technology should require parental written permission and the following of all directions outlined in applicable Diocesan policy.

Student Supervision
In order for a student to gain access to school- provided technology, including the Internet and electronic mail, he/she must obtain the written permission of the parent/guardian, who shall have the option of denying their son/daughter Internet access by requesting an alternative assignment. All students must sign the Technology Acceptable Use Policy. Students utilizing Internet access are responsible for their behavior on-line in accordance with the school's disciplinary policy. Users shall not be permitted to use any technology while access privileges are suspended or revoked.

Insofar as school administrators and faculty may review files and monitor all student computer, local area network, and Internet activity to maintain system integrity and ensure that users are acting responsibly, the privacy of student files and electronic mail is not guaranteed in the school setting.

Students violating policies governing standards of conduct or the use of technology, including the Internet and electronic mail, shall be subject to revocation of privileges and potential disciplinary and/or appropriate legal action. The school makes no assurances of any kind, whether expressed or implied, regarding any Internet services. Use of any information obtained via the Internet or other school-provided software is at the user's own risk.

The school will not be responsible for any damages incurred by the user, including, but not limited to, loss of data resulting from delays or interruptions in Internet or in- school network services and/or hardware failure. The school will not be responsible for the accuracy, nature, or quality of information stored on any fixed or removable electronic media, whether on workstations, stand-alone computers or servers nor for same obtained from school-provided Internet access.

Further, the school shall not be responsible for personal property used to access school stand-alone or networked computers nor for unauthorized financial obligations resulting from access to the Internet. These guidelines and all its provisions are subordinate to local, state and federal statues. All users of the school's Internet access must also comply with agreements specified in the contract with the Internet Service Provider.

  • Students shall not deliberately use school computers, networks, electronic mail, or access to the Internet to create or transmit text, images, or audio which could be considered as damaging to another's reputation, abusive, obscene, sexually orientated, offensive, threatening, inflammatory, discriminatory, harassing, or otherwise illegal or contrary to school policy.

  • Students shall not intentionally damage, misuse, or tamper with any hardware or software, network system, or information belonging to others, or allow others to do the same. Users shall not deliberately interfere with the ability of other persons to send/receive electronic mail.

  • Students shall not remove technology hardware or software from the school without permission of the teacher or administrator(s).

  • Students shall not gain unauthorized access to resources or entities (such as restricted IRC chat area) or invade the privacy of others, except as otherwise provided in this policy.

  • Students shall not post anonymous messages or any material authorized or created by another person without his/her consent.

  • Students shall not use a school network for commercial or private advertising.

  • Students shall not use the school network or electronic mail in a fashion inconsistent with directions from teachers and other staff and generally accepted network etiquette.

  • Students shall not subscribe or use fee based on-line services without the prior written approval of the school administrator(s).

  • Students may not use electronic mail for any illegal activity, including but not limited to violation of copyright laws.

  • Students shall not forge electronic mail messages or web pages.

  • Students shall not transmit personal information about other students including, but nor limited to student names, addresses and phone numbers without written permission from the student or his/her parents/guardians.

  • Students shall not respond to unsolicited electronic mail messages from any source which consists of obscene, suggestive, illegal, offensive, pornographic or objectionable content without permission of their supervising teacher.

Staff Responsibility
All school staff members whose duties include supervising students or staff using school computers, networks, Internet access, or electronic mail are obligated to read, understand, and adhere to those procedures and should enforce the rules concerning acceptable use of school technology.

Whenever a staff member in the course of his/her duties becomes aware of violations of the Technology Acceptable Use Policy, he/she is required to advise the user and address the matter in accordance with this procedure and the school's disciplinary code.

Parental Responsibility
Given the dynamic nature of technological advancements and the volatile nature of resources available on the Internet, the school acknowledges its inability to completely regulate and monitor the information received or sent by students. As such, the school cannot assure parents that students will be denied access to every and all inappropriate materials or sending or receiving communications contrary to the school's philosophy, goals, and educational mission.

Parents and guardians of students should be aware that, some material accessible via the Internet may contain items that are illegal, defamatory, inaccurate, or potentially offensive to some people. In addition, it is possible to purchase certain goods and services via the Internet which could result in unwanted financial obligations for which a student's parent or guardian would be held responsible.

Guidelines
The educational value of the school's use of technology, including student access to the Internet and electronic mail, is the responsibility of the teachers as well as the students and their parents/guardians. Given the school's limited availability of technology, students are expected to use these resources judiciously in accordance with the following guidelines. The school administrator(s) and his/her designees may remove/add applications, delete/archive user files, and/or modify hardware and software configurations without prior notice to maintain the operation of technology resources for all users.

All use, whether or not explicitly enumerated within this policy, must be consistent with the philosophy and goals and the educational mission of the school. The school administrator(s) reserve the right to make determinations that particular uses are or are not consistent with the purpose of the school. Students shall report illegal or unauthorized use of the network to the supervising teacher or the authorized technical and information services administrator.

  • Students shall not intentionally make unusable or inaccessible any individual's computer data files and/or programs resident on any removable or fixed electronic storage media.

  • Students shall not access another person's materials, information, or files without the implied or direct permission of that person. Users shall not attempt to read, delete, copy or modify the electronic mail of any other person.

  • Students shall not use or attempt to obtain another user's password.

  • Students shall not use school computers, networks, electronic mail, or the Internet for reasons of personal profit or any other non-instructional or non-administrative purposes.

  • Students shall not use school computers, networks, or access to the Internet for unlawful purposes, such as the illegal copying or installation of software, or violation of copyright laws.

  • Students shall not copy, change or transfer any software or of documentation provided by the school, teachers, or that of another user without permission from the school administrator(s).

  • Students shall not write, produce, generate, copy, propagate, or attempt to introduce any computer code designed to self-replicate, damage, or otherwise hinder the performance of any computer's memory, file system, or software.

 

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