Proper Use and Care of Technology

November 3, 2017 by bejenkins

Introduction

This page outlines some of the usage and care expectations concering technology in the district.

Staff Proper Use and Care

  • Before operating any equipment, users will be made familiar with the basics of safety and damage prevention, and trained on proper care and operation.
  • Equipment abuses are unacceptable whether out of frustration, misuse, negligence or carelessness. Users may be responsible for damage to or loss of district equipment. District employees may be liable for intentionally inflicted damage. 
  • Users should not attempt repairs without authorization or support from designated District or school site personnel. Volunteers, parents, family members, or friends are not authorized to attempt repairs on District equipment.
  • Guidelines for the care and use of computer software are similar to hardware policies. Any unauthorized changes to systems, operating software, application software, or hardware configurations will be reversed when discovered by technology or instructional staff. Users may be responsible for damage to or loss of District software systems. District employees may be liable for intentionally inflicted damage.
  • File-sharing software cannot be installed or used on District computers for the purpose of illegally sharing copyrighted materials such as music, images and software.
  • Users shall not download or install copyrighted software without proper licensing.
  • Copyrighted material shall be posted online only in accordance with applicable copyright laws.
  • In order to ensure proper configuration and to safeguard network security and performance, users should not attach computers, printers, network equipment (including wireless access points), or other types of hardware to the District’s network without prior approval and support of the Technology Department.
  • Attaching personally owned technology equipment to the school infrastructure or district network without authorization is prohibited. Any equipment found to be in violation of this policy will be immediately disconnected.

Network Policies

by bejenkins

Introduction

The networks provided at district buildings is provided as a resource to assist staff and students in performing their education and administrative tasks. Access to the system can be denied at any time. (Insert District Policy Network Access Link)

Staff members are allowed to connect personal devices to the school network using their school provided credentials and must adhear to the following guidelines.

Network Access Policies

  • Authorization to connect to the network has been given to the staff members through their school-provided credentials.
  • Only use your credentials on your personally-owned or district-provided devices.
  • Do NOT allow guests or students to use your credentials on their devices.
  • Guest access is to be managed through staff members designated to do so.
  • Using staff credentials give the device staff access to the network, meaning certain pages that students do not have access to will be available on these devices.
  • Access and credentials can be revoked or changed at any time without warning.
  • All devices on the district network are subject to traffic monitoring and filtering, whether district-owned or personal.

Policies Overview

by bejenkins

Introduction

The policies discussed here will go into effect January 1, 2018.

The district has put together some new policies regarding the use of technology and information by staff. This page will give you a condensed version of the policies and will link the finalized policies document once it is approved by the Board of Education. Staff members will be required to review and sign these procedures documents annually.

The state now requires that we adopt policies governing the use of district-owned technologies and services – especially when pertaining to student data. W.S. 21-2-202(a)(xxxvii)(A-E)

The below bullet points highlight the main policies maintained by Lincoln County School District #2. These policies apply to all district-owned devices, networks, and accounts.

Items to Note

  • Access to technology is provided to facilitate the instructional and administrative tasks performed by District employees and volunteers. The level of access provided will coincide with the requirements of each employee’s job functions.
  • Personal use is allowable when it does not conflict with the employee’s responsibilities and conforms to other District policies.
  • Employees shall not use the system to engage in commercial or other for-profit activities, including private businesses.
  • School District employees have no expectation of privacy in: information stored on electronic medium (hardware),  electronic communications they send or receive on the District’s computers or network system, or sites and information accessed utilizing District computers or the networking system. The District has the right to monitor or review any communications sent or received, as well as information regarding sites and/or information accessed.  
  • While using District technology, should an employee encounter any obscene or pornographic materials or observe inappropriate use, he/she shall notify the site administrator or supervisor immediately.

Personal Responsibility

  • Employees shall not access, post, submit, publish, or display harmful or inappropriate matter that is threatening, obscene, disruptive, sexually explicit, or that could be construed as harassment or disparagement of others.
  • Employees shall not use the system to promote unethical practices or any activity prohibited by law, Board policy, or administrative regulations.  
  • Employees shall not use the system to engage in commercial or other for-profit personal activities.
  • The District maintains a public Internet site. Any information to be posted on the public Web site must be approved through administrators. Principals must approve all postings on school Web pages.
  • Employees shall not develop any classroom or work-related web sites, blogs, forums, or similar online communications representing the District or using district equipment or resources without permission.
  • Users shall report any security problems or misuse of the services to the Superintendent or designee.  

Passwords

  • Passwords must be:
    • At least six characters in length
    • A mixture of letters and numbers
    • Not a word, sequence, or pattern
    • Not contained in the user’s username or id
    • Unique to each system
      • Do not use passwords for district services or accounts that are used for personal accounts elsewhere.
  • Password Guidelines
    • Don’t reveal a password over the phone to ANYONE
    • Don’t reveal your password in an e-mail message
    • Don’t talk about a password in front of others
    • Don’t hint at the format of a password, like, “my family name”
    • Don’t reveal a password on questionnaires or security forms
    • Don’t share a password with others

Email

  • Employees will not use district-supplied emails for personal third-party accounts.
  • The District provided e-mail systems are intended for official and authorized purposes only. E-mail messages are considered by the School District to be company property.
  • Electronic information about an individual should be protected to the extent that a hard copy record is protected, and disclosed only when required for authorized purposes.
  • E-mail system administrators and others with special system-level access privileges are prohibited from reading electronic messages of others unless authorized by appropriate School District management officials. However, School District officials will have access to e-mail messages whenever there is a legitimate purpose for such access, e.g., technical or administrative problems.