Lebanon Catholic School TECHNOLOGY ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY Lebanon Catholic School makes available computing and network resources which may be used by students, faculty, and staff. These resources are intended to be used for educational and administrative purposes. The privilege of using computer and network resources may be extended by the school to specific individuals and organizations and is not transferable. This privilege may be permanently revoked by the school if this policy, and any amendments which may be added from time to time, is violated. Student use of computing and networking resources located in Lebanon Catholic School is normally intended to be a supervised activity. If a student has a question about the appropriateness of an action, he or she should ask the supervisor/teacher before proceeding. All users are to be aware that any information, files, or software which they store or transfer on the school's computers or networks remains subject to the school's control and can therefore be examined, confiscated, or deleted in the same manner as any school property. Students who make use of the network and computing resources must comply at all times to this Policy Statement and to the policies, regulations, and guidelines as specified in the Student Handbook. Inappropriate uses include, but are not limited to the following categories: ACTS AND MATERIALS INCONSISTENT WITH THE SCHOOL'S MISSION The use of school resources to access, save, or transfer information which is contrary to the school's mission and philosophy is inappropriate. If the appropriateness of either information or its source is questionable to a student, he or she should check with the supervisor/teacher before proceeding. UNLAWFUL USE School resources are not to be used in a manner which violates local, state, or federal law. There are currently many levels of law which govern certain aspects of computer use. The school may be bound to report any violations of such laws if they occur. COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT Most software is protected by both copyright law and contractual restrictions. The owner of the copyright in the software, and not the user of the software, generally maintains the right to control the distribution and number of copies made of the software. Under no circumstances should you load any software onto one of the school's computers without first obtaining the permission of a teacher or a supervisor. School resources must not be used to create, store, transfer, or execute software in a manner which violates the rights of the holder of the software copyright. Other material that may be accessed through the school's computers may be protected by copyright as well. You must not access, store, reproduce, distribute, or display any material, including any graphics, sound clips, pictures, or text in a manner which violates the copyright in such material. This includes plagiarism or the unauthorized copying of electronic documents. HARASSMENT The school's technological resources must not be used in a manner which is harassing to others. This includes posting images or electronic mail messages intentionally to harass others. Displaying images, sounds, or messages on a computer in a public area which harass others who share that area is also prohibited. Users should presume that their electronic correspondence is the legal equivalent of publicly spoken or written words. SYSTEM SECURITY Reasonable efforts must be made by all users to preserve the overall security of the system. This includes maintaining an updated, proper, and secure password. Passwords should be changed often and never shared. A forgotten password or unauthorized use of a password should be reported immediately to a system administrator. Attempts to access information, files, or systems areas which are beyond the level of security which a user has been granted will be considered a forfeit of system privileges. If you encounter or observe a gap in network security, report that fact immediately to a system supervisor. PRIVACY No one must intentionally seek information about, browse, obtain copies of, or modify files, passwords, or other data unless specifically authorized to do so by those individuals. Users should be aware that the absolute privacy of electronic information cannot be guaranteed and depends largely on the security measures the users themselves follow. A system administrator may, to the extent permitted by law, assume access rights to a user's private files when required for the maintenance of the school's data resources, in emergencies, or in the course of investigating possible wrongdoing. MISUSE Use of the school's computing resources for activities which interfere with their primary educational and administrative use shall be considered misuse. This includes game playing, the use of the school's computer resources for personal work, reserving a public resource for later use, and mailing or printing excessive messages or documents. All users must be sensitive to the special need for software and services available in only one location, and they must be willing to cede access to those whose work requires these special items. All users must refrain from any action which interferes with the supervisory or accounting functions of the systems or is likely to have such effects. POSTING INFORMATION ON THE INTERNET The Internet is a public forum with unrestricted access. For this reason, the schools in the diocese restrict permission for posting of information related to the school, the staff, and the students on the Internet. No person is permitted to use images of the school, the school logo or seal, school staff or students in any form without specific written permission from the school administration. The posting of any such information on any website, bulletin board, chat-room, email, or any other messaging system without permission, or posting or transmission of images or information in any forms related to the school, staff or students that are defamatory, scurrilous, pornographic, or which could be construed as threatening or impugning the character of another person is prohibited and will make any person involved in the posting or transmission of such subject to disciplinary action deemed appropriate by the administration of the school, or the diocese. SCHOOL RESPONSIBILITY Lebanon Catholic School will not be responsible for any data which may be lost or for any interruption in computer services or any other inconveniences the user may experience. Lebanon Catholic School will not be responsible for any willful damages incurred by a user, to a computer, the operating system or the network. LEGAL ISSUES Laws governing computer use currently exist in Pennsylvania. Violations of the above policies may constitute a criminal offense punishable under Pennsylvania or United States Federal law .As an example, under Pennsylvania law, II ...it is a felony punishable by fine up to $ 15,000 and imprisonment up to seven years for any person to access, alter, or damage any computer system, network, software, database, or any part thereof, with the intent to interrupt the normal functioning of an organization (18 Pa. C.C.3933(a)(I).,." "... Disclosing a password to a computer system, network, etc., knowingly and without authorization, is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $ 10,000 and imprisonment of up to five years, as is intentional and unauthorized access to a computer, interference with the operation of a computer or network, or alteration of computer software (18 Pa. C.S.3933(a)(2)and (3)..," VIRUSES Viruses are unauthorized computer programs which may damage or destroy computer files on an infected computer. Users should be aware of the possibility that a virus may be located in any file or diskette obtained from any source. It there are any doubts or concerns about the source of any file or diskette which is to be placed in a school computer, seek assistance from a supervisor immediately. Any other use, even if not specifically prohibited, which falls within these broad categories can be considered to be inappropriate. If there is any confusion about the propriety of an action, please consult a system administrator. If a violation of these guidelines is observed or reported, the school will respond by investigating through a system administrator and, if appropriate, the Principal. During such an investigation, a user's privileges may be suspended. If a user is found to violate this policy, that user's privileges may be permanently revoked. Other disciplinary action is also possible under this circumstance. Finally, users may be held responsible for any liability, damages, or expenses resulting from any use of the school's computer resources in violation of this policy.
Acceptable Use Policy Form can be found on the next page. |