The use of the Bethel School District’s technology and supporting infrastructure is provided to aid staff in the course of their work, it is not a guaranteed benefit or right. The Bethel Staff Appropriate Use Agreement is a protection for employees. Employees are held accountable for complying with this agreement, it is important that each user read and understand the agreement. Users will be required to accept the the agreement prior to using the district network. Users will be provided with the agreement at least annually. Users will be required to accept the agreement when updates are made.

Part 1: Overview

1. The district reserves ownership of the Bethel School District Network which includes all hardware, software, and data (including email).
2. The district operates the Bethel School District Network in accordance with the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA). This includes:
3. Requiring all users to read and sign the Bethel School District Student/Staff User Agreements;
4. Filtering Internet content;
5. Monitoring system usage;
6. Adult supervision of students working on connected devices.
7. The Bethel School District Network exists to support the instructional and business needs of the district. Use is limited to activities related to these goals.
8. Data including email files are public record or discoverable evidence in a court of law.
9. Network, email and other resource account information is secure and should only be accessed by the authorized user.
10. The user will not share passwords with unauthorized individuals.
11. Student data, with the exception of directory information (see Board Policy JO), is confidential.
12. Student data should be secure and viewed only by authorized individual.
13. Only district owned software, applications and subsequent data files may be installed and operated on district owned devices
14. All users must comply with copyright laws.
15. District technology may not be used to support political campaigns, or for private, personal, or commercial purposes, non-school related advertising, personal financial gain or illegal activities.
16. Failure to comply with the Bethel Staff Appropriate Use Agreement or related Board Policies GCAB and GBN may result in loss of privileges or discipline up to and including dismissal.
17. The District cannot guarantee the functions or services provided through the Bethel School District Network and provides the system on an as-is / as available basis.

Part 2: Student Use of Technology

1. Bethel School District complies with COPPA (the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act), effective April 21, 2000, which applies to the online collection of personal information from children under 13. COPPA applies to individually identifiable information about a child that is collected online, such as full name, home address, email address, telephone number or any other information that would allow someone to identify or contact the child. The Act and Rule also cover other types of information — for example, hobbies, interests and information collected through cookies or other types of tracking mechanisms — when they are tied to individually identifiable information.

2. The Bethel School District uses Google Suite for student document creation, Web page development and sharing of documents. Before collecting, using or disclosing personal information from a child, the district must obtain verifiable parental consent from the child’s parent. This means the district must make reasonable efforts (taking into consideration available technology) to ensure that before personal information is collected from a child, a parent of the child receives notice of the operator’s information practices and consents to those practices.

3. Bethel School District complies with CIPA (the Children’s Internet Protection Act), a federal law enacted by Congress to address concerns about access to offensive content over the Internet on school and library computers.

4. The Bethel School District has an Internet safety policy that includes technology protection measures. The protection measures block or filter Internet access to pictures that are: (a) obscene; (b) child pornography; or (c) harmful to minors (for computers that are accessed by minors). Be aware that internet filtering is not 100% effective.

5. Schools subject to CIPA are required to adopt and enforce a policy to monitor online activities of minors. (See below)

6. Schools and libraries subject to CIPA are required to adopt and implement an Internet safety policy addressing: (a) access by minors to inappropriate matter on the Internet; (b) the safety and security of minors when using electronic mail, chat rooms and other forms of direct electronic communications; (c) unauthorized access, including so-called “hacking,” and other unlawful activities by minors online; (d) unauthorized disclosure, use, and dissemination of personal information regarding minors; and (e) measures restricting minors’ access to materials harmful to them.

7. Due to the district’s commitment to providing a safe technological learning environment for students, the Bethel School District has instituted four safeguards that, used together, significantly diminish the possibility that students will access Internet sites containing nudity, violence, racism and other objectionable content. The safeguards include:
   • Supervision – Supervision of students using the Internet is the key to safe use. Supervision means knowing who is using the computer, what the user’s task is, and being aware of what the user is doing.No students will have access to the Internet through a Bethel owned device without adult supervision.
   • Filtering Software – The Bethel School District uses a network-level Internet filtering software package. This software will block a connection to any Internet site the filtering software database lists as inappropriate or any site whose title contains words deemed offensive or inappropriate in an educational setting according to CIPA regulations. Filtering software is NOT 100% effective. The district must rely on continuous adult supervision. The filtering software deployed by Bethel is in compliance with the CIPA.
   • Curriculum Connection – Student use of the Internet should be connected to learning objectives or school activities. Using the Internet in the context of the curriculum will prevent most inappropriate uses.
   • Training – Training for both staff and students helps to ensure appropriate use of the Internet.

Part 3: Prohibited Activities

1. Staff and student login accounts are assigned to individual users and may not be shared. Staff should safeguard/protect their login, email and passwords and never login a student using their staff credentials.

2. Attempts to use the district’s system for:
   • Unauthorized solicitation of funds;
   • Personal gain;
   • Distribution of chain letters;
   • Unauthorized sale or purchase of merchandise or services;
   • Collection of signatures;
   • Membership drives; or
   • Transmission of any materials regarding political campaigns.

3. Attempts to upload, download, use, install, reproduce, store, share or distribute information, data, software, music, videos, or other materials on the district’s systems is in potential violation of copyright law and/or applicable provisions of use and/or license agreements.

4. Attempts to degrade, disrupt, or vandalize the district’s equipment, software, materials, or data or those of any other user of the district’s system or any of the agencies or other networks connected to the district’s system.

5. Attempts to evade, change, or exceed resource or disk usage quotas.

6. Attempts to send, intentionally access or download any text file or picture or engage in any communication that includes material which may be interpreted as:
   • Harmful to minors;
   • Obscene or child pornography as defined by law or indecent, vulgar, profane, or lewd as defined by the district;
   • A product or service not permitted to minors by law;
   • Harassment, intimidation, menacing, threatening or constitutes insulting or fighting words, the very expression of which injures or harasses others;
   • A likelihood that, either because of its content or the manner of distribution, it will cause a disruption of the proper and orderly operation of the school or school activity;
   • Defamatory, libelous, reckless or maliciously false, potentially giving rise to civil liability, constituting or promoting discrimination, a criminal offense or otherwise violates any law, rule, regulation, Board policy and/or administrative regulation.

7. At no time will staff or students add third-party devices such as personal wireless routers, switches, hubs or other interactive communication devices such as voice-controlled smart-speaker systems to the Bethel network.

8. Attempts to gain unauthorized access to any service via the district’s system which has a cost involved or attempts to incur other types of costs without specific approval.

9. Attempts to post or publish personal student contact information unless authorized and consistent with applicable Board policy pertaining to student directory information and personally identifiable information.

10. Attempts to use another individual’s account name or password.

11. Use of inappropriate language in network communications. The user will not forward or gain access to inappropriate material from Bethel technology or associated resources such as the Internet or email that might be considered offensive or inflammatory or inappropriate in an educational setting.

12. Network administrators may review files and communications. The user should not expect that files, including email, will be private. Additionally, email or other files may become a part of public record.

Part 4: Personal Communication Devices and Social Media – Staff

1. Personal technology includes, but is not limited to, personal email, desktop or laptop computers or mobile electronic devices used for communications including telephone, text messaging or data transmissions (eg. email, web-browsing, streaming media, file transfer, etc.) over any network.
   Personal Technology Responsibilities:
   • Any technology or device (personal or District-owned) connected to the District network or configured to access District email is subject to district oversight, which may include remotely collecting or erasing data on the device at any time. Any technology used to do District business or used while acting in a District capacity is subject to public record law. It is every user’s responsibility to keep personal and District information separate. It is the responsibility of the primary user of any personal device connected to the Bethel network or Bethel email, to immediately inform Technology Services in the event of the device being lost, stolen, missing, infected with a virus/malware, hacked, or otherwise compromised.
   • Staff possession or use of personal communication devices on district property, in district facilities during the work day and while the staff is on duty in attendance at district-sponsored activities may be permitted subject to the limitations set forth in this policy and consistent with any additional school rules as may be established by the superintendent or designee. At no time, whether on duty or off duty, will a personal communication device be used in a manner that interferes with staff duty and responsibility for the supervision of students.
   • A “personal communication device” is a device, that may or may not be issued by the district, which emits an audible signal, vibrates, displays a message or otherwise summons or delivers a communication to the possessor of the device. These devices include, but are not limited to, walkie talkies, long- or short-range portable radios, portable scanning devices, cellular telephones, pagers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), tablet computers, laptop computers and similar devices with wireless capability. This also includes other digital audio and video devices such as, but not limited to, MP3 Players, radios and TV.
   • Mobile phones/pagers and other digital audio and video devices shall be silenced during instructional time, while on duty or at any other time where such use of the device would cause a disruption of school activities, student learning or interfere with an employee’s work assignment. Personal communication devices brought to school will be restricted to work or instructional-related activities only. The district will not be liable for loss or damage to personal communication devices brought to district property and district-sponsored activities.
   • Staff members, while on duty and off duty, will utilize social network sites (e.g., Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc.), public websites and blogs, judiciously by not posting confidential or personally identifiable information about students, staff, or district business without appropriate permission. Staff members, while on duty and off duty, will treat fellow employees, students, families, and the public with respect while posting in order to prevent substantial disruption in school. Communication with students and families using personal communication devices will be appropriate, and professional at all times. Communication with students using personal communication devices regarding non-school-related matters is prohibited during work hours and strongly discouraged at all other times. If communicating with students electronically regarding school-related matters, staff should use district-provided e-mail or other media whenever possible to maintain a record of the communication. If using other means of electronic communication, staff members are strongly encouraged to maintain a record of all electronic communication.
   • Exceptions to the prohibitions set forth in this policy may be made for health, safety, or emergency reasons with superintendent or designee approval.
   • Staff are subject to disciplinary action up to and including dismissal for using a personal communication device in any manner that is illegal or violates the terms of this policy. Staff actions on social network sites, public websites, blogs and other social media, while on or off duty, which disrupt the school environment, are subject to disciplinary action up to and including dismissal. A “disruption” for purposes of this policy includes but is not limited to, one or more parent requests to remove their children from a particular class or particular school, actual withdrawal of a student or students from a particular class or particular school and/or a threatened, perceived, or actual negative impact on the learning environment. The taking, disseminating, transferring or sharing of obscene, pornographic or otherwise illegal images or photographs, whether by electronic data transfer or otherwise (commonly called texting, sexting, emailing etc.) may constitute a crime under state and/or federal law. Any person taking, disseminating, transferring or sharing obscene, pornographic or otherwise illegal images or photographs, will be reported to law enforcement and/or other appropriate state or federal agencies. Reported violations of this policy will be investigated.

Part 5: Specific Use of District Assigned Mobile Devices

1. District assigned computers (desktops, laptops, tablets or other mobile electronic communication devices) are to be used to support the instructional and business needs of the district. Use is limited to activities related to these goals. Use of District assigned devices for personal recreation or business is prohibited.

Updated 11/14/2018