Student Acceptable Use Policy

Marsh Valley School District is now offering student access to the District's communication system, which includes Internet access. This document contains the Acceptable Use Policy for your us of Marsh Valley School District's Networked Computer System (hereafter known as MVNET).

Education Purpose

MVNET has been established for a limited education purpose. The term "educational purpose" includes classroom activities, career development, and limited high-quality self-discovery activities. Self-discovery activities includes use of the system for non-teach directed activities (i.e. "surfing" the Internet, correspondence, etc.). Students will limit their use of the system for self-discovery purposes as defined in the District Acceptable Use Policy.

MVNET has not been established as a public access service or a public forum. Marsh Valley School District has the right to place reasonable restrictions on the material you access or post through the system. You are also expected to follow the rules set forth in the District Discipline Policy and the law in your use of MVNET.

You may not use MVNET for commercial purposes. This means you may not offer, provide, or purchase products or services through MVNET.

You may not use MVNET for lobbying in contravention of Title 67, Chapter 66 of Idaho Code. But you may use the system to communicate with elected representatives and to express your opinion on political issues.

Student Internet Access

All students will have access to Internet World Wide Web information resources through their classroom, library or school computer lab.

Elementary students will have E-Mail access only under their teacher's direct supervision using a classroom account. Elementary students may be provided with individual E-Mail accounts under special circumstances, at the request of their teacher and with the approval of their parent.
Secondary students may obtain an individual E-Mail account with the approval of their parent.

You and your parent or legal guardian must sign a separate Internet E-Mail Account Agreement to be granted an individual E-Mail account on MVNET. This Agreement must be renewed on an annual basis. Your parent can withdraw their approval at any time.

If approved by your building principal, you may create a personal Web page on MVNET. All material placed on your Web page must be pre-approved in a manner specified by the school. Material placed on your Web page must relate to your school and career preparation activities.

C. Unacceptable Uses

The following uses of MVNET are considered unacceptable:

1. Personal Safety

You will not post personal contact information about yourself or other people. Personal contact information includes your address, telephone, school address, work address, etc.

You will not agree to meet with someone you have met online without your parents approval. Your parent should accompany you to this meeting.

You will promptly disclose to your teacher or other school employee any message you receive that is inappropriate or makes you feel uncomfortable.

2. Illegal Activities

You will not attempt to gain unauthorized access to MVNET or to any other computer system through MVNET or go beyond your authorized access. This-includes attempting to log in through another persons account or access another persons files. These actions are illegal, even if only for the purposes of "browsing".

You will not make deliberate attempts to disrupt the computer system or destroy data by spreading computer viruses or by any other means. These actions are illegal.

You will not use MVNET to engage in any other illegal act, such as arranging for a drug sale or the purchase of alcohol, engaging in criminal gang activity, threatening the safety of person, etc.

System Security

You are responsible for your individual account and should take all reasonable precautions to prevent others from being able to use your account. Under no conditions should you provide your password to another person.

You will immediately notify a teacher or the system administrator if you have identified a possible security problem. Do not go looking for security problems, because this may be construed as an illegal attempt to gain access.

You will avoid the inadvertent spread of computer viruses by following the District virus protection procedures if you download software.

4. Inappropriate Language

Restrictions against Inappropriate Language apply to public messages, private messages and material posted on Web pages.

You will not use obscene, profane, lewd, vulgar, rude, inflammatory, threatening or disrespectful language.

You will not post information that could cause damage or a danger of disruption.

You will not engage in personal attacks, including prejudicial or discriminatory attacks.

You will not harass another person. Harassment is persistently acting in a manner that distresses or annoys another person. If you are told by a person to stop sending them messages, you must stop.

You will not knowingly or recklessly post false or defamatory information about a person or organization.

5. Respect for Privacy

You will not repost a message that was sent to you privately without permission of the person who sent you the message.

You will not post private information about another person.

Respecting Resource Limits

You will use the system only for educational and career development activities and limited, high-quality, self-discovery activities. There is no limit on use for educational and career development activities. The limit on self-discovery activities will be based on system demand and availability. Use of internet games is prohibited. Streaming video is prohibited.

You will not download large files unless absolutely necessary. If necessary, you will download the file at a time when the system is not being heavily used and immediately remove the file from the system computer to your personal computer. Downloading Music is prohibited.

You will not post chain letters or engage in "spamming". Spamming is sending an annoying or unnecessary message to a large number of people.

You will check your E-Mail frequently, delete unwanted messages promptly, and stay within your E-Mail quota.

Subscribing to discussion group mail lists will be done under teacher supervision and only in areas that are relevant to your education or career development.

7. Plagiarism and Copyright Infringement

You will not plagiarize works that you find on the Internet. Plagiarism is taking the ideas or writings of others and presenting them as if they were yours.

You will respect the rights of copyright owners. Copyright infringement occurs when you inappropriately reproduce a work that is protected by a copyright. If a work contains language that specifies appropriate use of that work, you should follow the expressed requirements. If you are unsure whether or not you can use a work, you should request permission from the copyright owner. Copyright law can be very confusing. If you have questions ask a teacher.

8. Inappropriate Access to Material

You will not use MVNET to access material that is profane or obscene (pornography), that advocates illegal acts, or that advocates violence or discrimination towards other people (hate literature). A special exception may be made for hate literature if the purpose of your access is to conduct research and both your teacher and parent have approved.

If you mistakenly access inappropriate information, you should immediately notify your teacher or another District employee. This will protect you against a claim that you have intentionally violated this Policy.

Your parents should instruct you if there is additional material that they think it would be inappropriate for you to access. The district fully expects that you will follow your parents instructions in this matter.

Your Rights

Free Speech

Your right to free speech, as set forth in the District Discipline Policy, applies also to your communication on the Internet. MVNET is considered a limited forum, similar to the school newspaper. Therefore, the District may restrict your speech for valid educational reasons. The District will not restrict your speech on the basis of a disagreement with the opinions you are expressing.

2. Search and Seizure

You should expect only limited privacy in the contents of your personal files on the District system. The situation is similar to the rights you have in the privacy of your locker.

Routine maintenance and monitoring of MVNET may lead to discovery that you have violated this Policy, the District Discipline Policy or the law.

An individual search will be conducted if there is reasonable suspicion that you have violated this Policy, the District Discipline Policy or the law. The investigation will be reasonable and related to the suspected violation.

Your parents have the right at any time to request to see the contents of your E-Mail files.

3. Due Process

The District will cooperate fully with local, state or federal officials in any investigation related to any illegal activities conducted through MVNET.

In the event there is a claim that you have violated this Policy or District Discipline Policy in your use of MVNET, you will be provided with a written notice of the suspected violation and an opportunity to present an explanation before the building administrator or designee.

If the violation also involves a violation of other provisions of the District Discipline Policy, it will be handled in a manner described in the District Discipline Policy. Additional restrictions may be placed on your use of your Internet account.

Limitation of Liability

The District makes no guarantee that the functions or the services provided by or through the District system will be error-free or without defect. The District will not be responsible for any damage you may suffer, including but not limited to, loss of data or interruptions of service. The District is not responsible for the accuracy or quality of the information obtained through or stored on the system. The District will not be responsible for financial or other obligations arising through the unauthorized use of the system.

F. Personal Responsibility

When you are using MVNET, it may feel like you can more easily break a rule and not get caught. This is not really true because whenever you do something on a network you leave little "electronic footprints", so the odds of getting caught are really about the same as they are in the real world.

But the fact that you can do something or think you can do something without being caught does not make it right to do so. Even if you don't get caught, there is always one person who will know whether you have done wrong and that person is you. Your use of the Internet can be a mirror that will show you what kind of a person you are.

Student Access to MVNET

Technical Services Provided Through Marsh Valley School District

1. E-Mail. E-Mail will allow students to communicate with people from throughout the world. Student will also be able to subscribe to maillists to engage in group discussions related to educational subjects.

2. World Wide Web. The Web provides access to a wide range of information in the form of text, graphics, photographs, video, and sound, from throughout the world. The Web is a valuable research tool for students.

3. Telnet. Telnet allows the user to log in to remote computers.

4. File Transfer Protocol (FTP). FTP allows users to download large files and computer software.

5. Newsgroups. Newsgroups are discussion groups that are similar to maillists. The District will provide access to selected newsgroups that relate to subjects that are appropriate to the educational purpose of the system.

6. Internet Relay Chat (IRC). IRC provides the capability of engaging in "real-time" discussions. The District will provide access to IRC only for specifically defined educational activities.

Levels of Student Access

The following levels of access will be provided through MVNET. As noted in the -enclosed letter, parents may request that their child not have any access to the Internet by signing and returning to the District the Parental Request to Restrict Access.

1. World Wide Web. All students will have access to the Web through the Districts networked computers. No individual account agreement will be required.

2. Classroom Accounts. Elementary age students will be granted E-Mail access only through a classroom account. Elementary students may be provided with an individual account under special circumstances at the request of their teacher and with the approval of their parent. An agreement will only be required for an individual account, which must be signed by the student and his or her parent.

3. Individual E-Mail Accounts for Students. Secondary students may be provided with individual E-Mail accounts. An agreement will be required for an individual E-Mail account. This agreement must be signed by the student and his or her parent.