TECHNOLOGY ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY

Mount Carmel Elementary School offers student access to the school network and the Internet for educational purposes. It is a general policy that all computers are to be used in a responsible, efficient, ethical and legal manner.  Students must adhere to the Technology Acceptable Use Policy for continued access to the school’s technology resources.

 Email Guidelines

 Mount Carmel requests that all parents, students, and employees follow these email guidelines to reduce the amount of spam, phishing, and malicious email the school receives. 

• Protect your email address.  Use discretion when posting your address or sending it to others.

• Always read the privacy policy when submitting your address.

• Never forward chain e-mail.  This increases the overall e-mail volume, perpetuates hoax emails, and allows suspicious parties to see your email address.  Many of the chain messages are created by spammers as a technique to harvest email addresses.

• Use Blind Carbon-Copy when sending email to more than one recipient which keeps the recipient from viewing all the email addresses in your address book. This is common courtesy to others who have entrusted you with their email addresses.

• Never:

• include a Mount Carmel email address when emailing to a group,

• post a Mount Carmel email address for others to see, or

• forward junk or chain mail to a Mount Carmel email address.

 The Federal Trade Commission is the nation's consumer protection agency.  Their website, http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/online/inbox.shtm, advises consumers to use caution when sending or responding to email.  You can read the Facts for Consumers:  You've Got Spam at this website.

Technology Grant Program Participation

 Mount Carmel Elementary School participates in several grant programs administered through the State of Louisiana.  The computers and handhelds provided through these grants are to be used for subject specific purposes outlined by the specific grant.  These are never to be used for any religious purposes.  This frees up the school funded computers for religious activities.  The grant funded computers make up approximately 40% of the schools computers. Students and faculty must be diligent about avoiding religious activity on this equipment.

 Social Networking

 Social networking sites including but not limited to MySpace, FaceBook, and Xanga are very popular today.  Users of these sites have little control over the content that "friends" post on their sites because these sites are in the public domain.

 With this in mind, no student or parent shall create or maintain a public electronic presence that in any way links to or publicizes Mount Carmel Elementary School.  The following guidelines apply:

•  Mount Carmel families/students may not use Mount Carmel information such as logos, official seals, or photographs.

•  Mount Carmel families/students may not link their personal website to the Mount Carmel website.

•  Mount Carmel families/students may not post inappropriate photographs or content containing any form of Mount Carmel identification.

• Mount Carmel families/students may not post content, including blogs or online journals, linking them in any way to Mount Carmel.

• Mount Carmel families/students may not post content, or engage in any topics that are not in keeping with the mission of Mount Carmel Elementary School

• Be mindful that on-line content is not private and there could be long-term ramifications.

Cyberbullying

 Cyberbullying is being cruel to others through electronic means by sending or posting harmful material using the Internet or other electronic means.  This can be done through email, instant messaging, chat rooms, or online sites such as MySpace or Facebook. 

 Mount Carmel Elementary School will not tolerate harassment in any form whether conducted on or off campus.  Harassment will be handled as outlined in the school discipline policy.

 Parents or students who feel that they have been the victims of cyberbullying should print a copy of the material and report the incident to the administration. Harassment reports will be investigated fully. Consequences may include, but are not limited to, the loss of computer privileges, detention, suspension, or dismissal from school. 

 Students must:

1. Respect and protect the privacy of others.
   • Use only assigned accounts.
   • Not view, use, or copy passwords, data, or networks to which they are not authorized.
   • Not share passwords nor use another user’s passwords.
   • Not distribute private or personal information about others or themselves.
2. Respect and protect the integrity, availability, and security of all electronic resources.
   • Observe all network security practices, as posted.
   • Report security risks or violations to a teacher or network administrator.
   • Not destroy or damage data, networks, or other resources.
   • Conserve, protect, and share network, hard drive, and printing resources with other network users
3. Respect and protect the intellectual property of others.
   • Not infringe upon copyrights (no making illegal copies of text, pictures, music, games, or movies).
   • Not plagiarize. Copying another’s work, without giving credit to the source, will be considered cheating and subject to the cheating policy in the student handbook.
4. Respect and practice the principles of community.
   • Communicate only in ways that are kind and respectful.
   • Report threatening or inappropriate sites or materials to a teacher.
   • Not intentionally access, transmit, copy, or create material that violates the school's code of conduct (such as messages that are inappropriate, threatening, rude, discriminatory, or meant to harass).
   • Not intentionally access, transmit, copy, or create material that is illegal (such as obscenity, stolen materials, or illegal copies of copyrighted works).
   • Not use the resources to further other acts that are criminal or violate the school's code of conduct.
   • Not send spam, chain letters, or other mass unsolicited mailings.
   • Not buy, sell, advertise, or otherwise conduct business.

Students are to notify an adult immediately, if by accident, he/she encounters material that violates the rules stated above.

 Consequences for Violation: Violations of these rules may result in disciplinary action, including the loss of computer/internet access, suspension, and/or dismissal, depending on the nature of the infraction.

 Internet Content Filtering:  Mount Carmel Elementary School uses an Internet filter, but no filtering product can block all inappropriate sites. We assume no liability in the event that the filter is not 100% effective.

 Supervision and Monitoring:  School and network administrators and their authorized employees monitor the use of information technology resources to help ensure that uses are secure and in conformity with this policy. Administrators reserve the right to examine, use, and disclose any data found on the school's information networks in order to further the health, safety, discipline, or security of any student or other person, or to protect property. They may also use this information in disciplinary actions, and will furnish evidence of crime to law enforcement.