Internet
Policy
(Parents & Students: Please read the internet policy, detach the signature page with parent's and student's signatures, and bring to registration)
FORT DALE ACADEMY
INTERNET USE AND
SAFETY POLICY
The Fort Dale Academy is pleased to
make available to students access to interconnected computer systems within the
school and to the Internet, the world-wide network that provides various means
of accessing significant educational materials and opportunities.
In order
for Fort Dale Academy to be able to continue to make its computer network and
Internet access available, all students must take responsibility for appropriate
and lawful use of this access. Students must understand that one student's misuse
of the network and Internet access may jeopardize the ability of all students
to enjoy such access. While the School's teachers and other Staff will make reasonable
efforts to supervise student use of network and Internet access, they must have
student cooperation in exercising and promoting responsible use of this access.
Below
is the Internet Use and Safety Policy ("Policy") of Fort Dale Academy
. Upon reviewing, signing, and returning this Policy as the students have been
directed, each student will be given the opportunity to enjoy Internet access
at School and is agreeing to follow the Policy. If a student is under 18 years
of age, he or she must have his or her parents or guardians read and sign the
Policy. Fort Dale Academy cannot provide access to any student who, if 18 or older,
fails to sign and submit the Policy to the School as directed or, if under 18,
does not return the Policy as directed with the signatures of the student and
her/his parents or guardians.
Listed below are the provisions of your agreement
regarding computer network and Internet use. If you have any questions about these
provisions, you should contact the person that your School has designated as the
one to whom you can direct your questions. If any user violates this Policy, the
student's access will be denied, if not already provided, or withdrawn and he
or she may be subject to additional disciplinary action.
I.
PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY
By signing this Policy, you are agreeing not only to
follow the rules in this Policy, but are agreeing to report any misuse of the
network to the person designated by the School for such reporting. Misuse means
any violations of this Policy or any other use that is not included in the Policy,
but has the effect of harming another or his or her property.
II.
TERM OF THE PERMITTED USE
A student who submits to the School, as directed,
a properly signed Policy and follows the Policy to which he or she has agreed,
will have computer network and Internet access during the course of the school
year only. Students will be asked to sign a new Policy each year during which
they are students at Fort Dale Academy before they are given access.
III.
ACCEPTABLE USES
A. Educational Purposes Only. Fort Dale Academy is providing
access to its computer networks and the Internet for educational purposes only.
If you have any doubt about whether a contemplated activity is educational, you
may consult with the person(s) designated by the School to help you decide if
a use is appropriate.
B. Unacceptable Uses of Network.
Among the uses that
are considered unacceptable and which constitute a violation of this Policy are
the following:
1. Uses that violate the law or encourage others to violate
the law. Don't transmit offensive or harassing messages, offer for sale or use
any substance the possession or use of which is prohibited by the Fort Dale Academy's
Student Discipline Policy, view, transmit or download pornographic materials or
materials that encourage others to violate the law, intrude into the networks
or computers of others, and download or transmit confidential, trade secret information,
or copyrighted materials. Even if materials on the networks are not marked with
the copyright symbol, you should assume that all materials are protected unless
there is explicit permission on the materials to use them.
2. Uses that cause
harm to others or damage to their property. For example, don't engage in defamation
(harming another's reputation by lies), employ another's password or some other
user identifier that misleads message recipients into believing that someone other
than you is communicating or otherwise using her/his access to the network or
the Internet, upload a worm, virus, "Trojan horse," "time bomb"
or other harmful form of programming or vandalism, participate in "hacking"
activities or any form of unauthorized access to other computers, networks, or
information systems.
3. Uses that jeopardize the security of student access
and of the computer network or other networks on the Internet. For example, don't
disclose or share your password with others, don't impersonate another user.
4.
Uses that are commercial transactions. Students and other users may not sell or
buy anything over the Internet. You should not give others private information
about you or others, including credit card numbers and social security numbers.
C.
Netiquette. All users must abide by rules of network etiquette, which include
the following:
1. Be polite. Use appropriate language. No swearing, vulgarities,
suggestive, obscene, belligerent, or threatening language.
2. Avoid language
and uses which may be offensive to other users. Don't use access to make, distribute,
or redistribute jokes, stories, or other material which is based upon slurs or
stereotypes relating to race, gender, ethnicity, nationality, religion, or sexual
orientation.
3. Don't assume that a sender of e-mail is giving his or her permission
for you to forward or redistribute the message to third parties or to give his/her
e-mail address to third parties. This should only be done with permission or when
you know that the individual would have no objection.
4. Be considerate when
sending attachments with e-mail (where this is permitted). Be
sure that the
file is not too large to be accommodated by the recipient's system and is in a
format
which the recipient can open.
IV. INTERNET SAFETY
A.
General Warning; Individual Responsibility of Parents and Users. All users and
their parents/guardians are advised that access to the electronic network may
include the potential for access to materials inappropriate for school-aged pupils.
Every user must take responsibility for his or her use of the computer network
and Internet and stay away from these sites. Parents of minors are the best guide
to materials to shun. If a student finds that other users are visiting offensive
or harmful sites, he or she should report such use to the person designated by
the School.
B. Personal Safety. Be safe. In using the computer network and Internet, do not reveal personal information such as your home address or telephone number. Do not use your real last name or any other information which might allow a person to locate you without first obtaining the permission of a supervising teacher. Do not arrange a face-to-face meeting with someone you "meet" on the computer network or Internet without your parent's permission (if you are under 18). Regardless of your age, you should never agree to meet a person you have only communicated with on the Internet in a secluded place or in a private setting.
C. "Hacking" and Other Illegal Activities. It is a violation of this Policy to use the School's computer network or the Internet to gain unauthorized access to other computers or computer systems, or to attempt to gain such, unauthorized access. Any use which violates state or federal law relating to copyright trade secrets, the distribution of obscene or pornographic materials, or which violates any other applicable law or municipal ordinance, is strictly prohibited.
D. Confidentiality of Student Information.
Personally identifiable information concerning students may not be disclosed or
used in any way on the Internet without the permission of a parent or guardian
or, if the student is 18 or over, the permission of the student himself/herself.
Users should never give out private or confidential information about themselves
or others on the Internet, particularly credit card numbers and Social Security
numbers. A supervising teacher or administrator may authorize the release of directory
information for internal administrative purposes or approved educational projects
and activities.
E. Active Restriction Measures. The School, either by itself
or in combination with the site providing Internet access, will utilize filtering
software or other technologies to prevent students from accessing visual depictions
that are (1) obscene, (2) child pornography, or (3) harmful to minors. The School
will also monitor the online activities of students, through direct observation
and/or technological means, to ensure that students are not accessing such depictions
or any other material which is inappropriate for minors.
Internet filtering software or other technology-based protection systems may be disabled by a supervising teacher or school administrator, as necessary, for purposes of bona fide research or other educational projects being conducted by students age 17 and older.
V. PRIVACY
Network and Internet access
is provided as a tool for your education. Fort Dale Academy reserves the right
to monitor, inspect, copy, review and store at any time and without prior notice
any and all usage of the computer network and Internet access and any and all
information transmitted or received in connection with such usage. All such information
files shall be and remain the property of Fort Dale Academy and no user shall
have any expectation of privacy regarding such materials.
VI.
FAILURE TO FOLLOW POLICY
The user's use of the computer network and Internet
is a privilege not a right. A user who violates this Policy, shall at a minimum,
have his or her access to the computer network and Internet terminated, which
Fort Dale Academy may refuse to reinstate for the remainder of the student's enrollment
at Fort Dale Academy. A user violates this Policy by his or her own action or
by failing to report any violations by other users that come to the attention
of the user. Further, a user violates this Policy if he or she permits another
to use his or her account or password to access the computer network and Internet,
including any user whose access has been denied or terminated. Fort Dale Academy
may also take other disciplinary action in such circumstances.
VII.
WARRANTIES/INDEMNIFICATION
Fort Dale Academy makes no warranties of any kind,
either express or implied, in connection with its provision of access to and use
of its computer networks and the Internet, provided under this Policy. It shall
not be responsible for any claims, losses, damages or costs (including attorney's
fees) of any kind suffered, directly or indirectly, by any user or his or her
parent(s) or guardian(s) arising out of the user's use of its computer networks
or the Internet under this Policy. By signing this Policy, users are taking full
responsibility for his or her use, and the user who is 18 or older or, in the
case of a user under 18, the parent(s) or guardian(s) are agreeing to indemnify
and hold the Fort Dale Academy and all of their administrators, teachers, and
staff harmless from any and all loss, costs, claims or damages resulting from
the user's access to its computer network and the Internet, including but not
limited to any fees or charges incurred through purchases of goods or services
by the user. The user or, if the user is a minor, the user's parent(s) or guardian(s)
agree to cooperate with the School in the event of the School's initiating an
investigation of a user's use of his or her access to its computer network aid
the Internet, whether that use is on a School computer or on another computer
outside Fort Dale Academy's network.
VIII. UPDATES
Users,
and if appropriate, the user's parents/guardians, may be asked from time to time
to provide new or additional registration and account information or to sign a
new Policy, for example, to reflect developments in the law or technology. Such
information must be provided by the user (or her/his parents or guardian) or such
new Policy must be signed if the user wishes to continue to receive service. If
after you have provided your account information, some or all of the information
changes, you must notify the person designated by the School to receive such information.
STUDENT'S
AGREEMENT
Every student, regardless of age, must read and sign below:
I
have read, understand and agree to abide by the terms of the foregoing Internet
Use and Safety Policy. Should I commit any violation or in any way misuse my access
to Fort Dale Academy's computer network and the Internet, I understand and agree
that my access privilege maybe revoked and School disciplinary action may be taken
against me.
Student name (PRINT CLEARLY) _____________________________________________________
Student
signature ____________________________________ Date ___________________________
Address
______________________________________________________________________________
Home
Phone Number ___________________________________________________________________
Place
an "X" in the correct blank: I am 18 or older _____ I am under 18 _____
If
I am signing this Policy when I am under 18, I understand that when I turn 18,
this Policy will
continue to be in full force and effect and agree to abide
by this Policy.
PARENT'S OR GUARDIAN'S AGREEMENT
Student's Name_____________________________________________
To
be read and signed by parents or guardians of students who are under 18:
As
the parent or legal guardian of the above student, I have read, understand and
agree that my child or ward shall comply with the terms of Fort Dale Academy's
Internet Use and Safety Policy for the student's access to Fort Dale Academy's
computer network and the Internet. I understand that access is being provided
to the students for educational purposes only. However, I also understand that
it is impossible for the School to restrict access to all offensive and controversial
materials and understand my child's or ward's responsibility for abiding by the
Policy. I am therefore signing this Policy and. agree to indemnify and hold harmless
Fort Dale Academy for computer network and Internet access against all claims,
damages, losses and costs, of whatever kind, that may result from my child's or
ward's use of his or her access to such networks or his or her violation of the
foregoing Policy. Further, I accept full responsibility for supervision of my
child's or ward's use of his or her access account if and when such access is
not in the School setting. I hereby give permission for my child or ward to use
the building-approved account to access Fort Dale Academy's computer network and
the Internet.
Parent or Guardian name(s) (PRINT CLEARLY) _____________________________________________
Parent
or Guardian signature(s) ___________________________________________________________
Date ________________________________________________________________________________
Address
_________________________________________________________________________________
Home
Phone Number ______________________________________________________________________
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ADOPTED:
12/06/04
REVISED:
Legal References: Children's Internet Protection Act
of 2000 (H.R. 4577, P.L. 106-554) Communications Act of 1934, as amended (47 U.S.C.
254[h],[l]) Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965,as amended (20 U.S.C.
6801 et seq., Part F)