Acceptable Use Policy

As required by the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA), Sacred Heart School uses Content Filtering to assist in protecting students from objectionable materials on the Internet. This does not absolve parents and students of their responsibility to observe all school policies and procedures.
 
 
PUBLICATION OF RULES AND PROCEDURES FOR INTERNET AND NETWORK RESOURCES
 
In order to maximize the benefits of Internet and school network usage and minimize the dangers, Sacred Heart School has developed a set of rules and procedures for student use. The rules and procedures may vary with the age of the students involved. School procedures will outline the specific purposes for which students and teachers may use Internet services, the specific obligations of faculty and students, and guidelines for acceptable, legal, ethical and efficient use. The use of school network services is considered a privilege, and the Administration may revoke that privilege for any misuse or violation of its acceptable use or for any other reason at any other time.
 
PARENT PERMISSION/STUDENT PRIVACY
ALL Sacred Heart students require Internet use; parent permission, therefore, is not voluntary. Students in grades 4-12 are required to sign and adhere to the “Acceptable Use Policy” annually. These documents are kept on file in the school office.
 
Students in grades K-3 will sign a modified Acceptable Use Policy which is age-appropriate. Internet use for grades K-3 will be teacher-bookmarked sites only. Browsing and searching is prohibited and will be monitored and filtered by electronic means and teacher supervision.
 
E-READER ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY FOR GRADES 5 – 12
Electronic readers (E-Readers) such as Amazon Kindle and Barnes & Noble’s Nook, are digital devices which primarily display books and may offer subscriptions to newspapers, periodicals and magazines. Other tablet or Internet-connected devices which include but is not limited to apps, web browsers, chatting, social media, etc., are not permitted. Sacred Heart School, in striving to maintain technological relevance in education, is providing the opportunity for students to utilize these devices.  A student who violates any portion of the E-Reader Acceptable Use Policy may immediately lose the privilege to use their E-Reader at school for a length of time commensurate with the nature of the violation.
 

1. All E-Readers must be registered with the Sacred Heart School Technology Department and verification of the parent and students’ signatures for the Parent and Student Handbook.
2. Readers are to be used only for the reading of school-approved material (books, etc.) and not for other purposes such as communication, entertainment, music, gaming, etc.
3. All material on the E-Reader must comply with the spirit and policies of Sacred Heart School.
4. All E-Readers must have network capabilities disabled (turned off) while the device is at school.
5. E-Readers must be used at appropriate times in accordance with teacher instructions. The E-Reader must not be a distraction for the student or those around him/her nor be a source of any classroom disruption.
6. The student is responsible for knowing how to properly and effectively use his/her E-Reader, and this should not be a burden for the faculty. 

This opportunity is a privilege that requires caution and responsibility both on the part of the students and their parents/guardians. Sacred Heart School accepts no liability, should equipment become damaged, lost or stolen.
The parent/guardian/student will assume total liability for repair and/or replacement costs.
 
SMART WATCHES/OTHER WEARABLES
Smart watches, such as Apple Watches, Samsung Gear, etc., are not allowed on campus.
 
GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR STUDENTS
The Sacred Heart School Internet resources will be used for professional communication by the staff and in pursuit of specific educational objectives. Student access will be limited by the educational objectives set by the teacher as appropriate to the age of the students.
 
The school resources are never to be used by students for the following purposes and/or activities:
 

• To access, upload, download or distribute pornographic, obscene or sexually explicit materials
• To access, upload, download or distribute any material which expresses hate of or contempt for any group or proposes violence for any group of individuals based on their race, color, sexual orientation, religion or any other characteristic
• To transmit or display obscene, abusive, sexually explicit or threatening language
• To obtain or exchange information with the intent to violate or to actually violate any local, state or federal statutes
• To vandalize, damage or disable the property of the school, other people or organizations
• To access another person’s materials, information or files without the permission of that person
• To use another person’s sign-on and/or password
• To reveal personal contact information of one’s self or another, including but not limited to phone number, address
• To intentionally waste resources
• To violate copyrights or otherwise use another person’s intellectual property without his/her express approval or proper citation of the source
• For entertainment of any kind including, but not limited to playing games
• To gamble
• To use the Sacred Heart resources for commercial or financial gain
• To post anonymous messages
• To gain or seek to gain unauthorized access to the Sacred Heart School network or other resources to which they are not entitled
• To divulge personal information about oneself, other students or members of the faculty
• To purchase any goods or services without the express approval of the Administration of Sacred Heart School
• Use in any manner which will bring harm, embarrassment or discomfort to another person or Sacred Heart School. 

In using school resources, students are to agree:
 

• To use the Internet and school network resources only for appropriate educational purposes and research
• To use the Internet and school network only with the permission of designated school staff
• To use appropriate language and be considerate of other users
• To report any violation of the rules and procedures governing Internet usage to the Administration. 

SOCIAL NETWORKING, BLOGS AND CYBERBULLYING
Engagement in any social networking such as, but not limited to, Facebook®, Twitter®, LinkedIn®, Instagram®, etc. may result in disciplinary actions if the content of the Sacred Heart student’s profile includes defamatory comments regarding the school, faculty and/or other students. Blogging is permitted only in classes where the blogs are created and monitored by faculty/administration and are part of the curriculum.
 
PRIVACY
Students may not use or view files not specifically assigned to them or specifically designated for their use. However, files stored on school computers are not private. The school reserves the right to monitor and archive all files and electronic messages of students and faculty members, to insure that rules and procedures are being followed and to maintain the integrity of the system.
 
STUDENT’S RESPONSIBILITIES
1. Students are representatives of the Sacred Heart School community and must conduct themselves in a manner that does not negatively impact either the school or the community.
2. Inappropriate language, either stated or implied, that may be offensive or inflammatory of others is strictly forbidden.
3. Because there are materials unsuitable for a school environment, access to this type of material for any reason is prohibited.
4. Students are not allowed to bring software of any kind to school. Any student loading or exchanging software will be held in violation of this Acceptable Use Policy and disciplined accordingly. Students must strictly adherence to copyright rules and licensing agreements.
5. Downloading or importing files from the internet or any portable media brought from outside the school is strictly prohibited.
6. Impersonation and/or anonymity is prohibited.
7. Any use of the Internet, computers or school’s communication systems for any purpose other than curriculum-related work is prohibited.
8. Students shall have equal access to the Internet and all communication systems and should be considerate of others (including time and computer supplies).
9. All unwanted communication or harassing messages are prohibited and should be brought to the attention of the teacher or the supervising adult immediately, who will then report the violation to the Administration.
10. Any effort to disrupt Internet services or computer systems by spreading computer viruses, vandalism, unauthorized entry or destruction of computer files will be referred to the proper authorities for investigation and possible prosecution.
11. Students are not allowed to open any folders on the network other than their own designated folder. Browsing, deleting, adding or any type of editing done to someone else’s work will be a violation of this Acceptable Use Policy.
12. Playing online or any computer games is not allowed. Only those educational programs that are part of the school curriculum may be used with permission granted by the supervising teacher.
13. All computers are for research or school assignments only. Online games, shopping and/or other non-educational use are strictly prohibited.
14. Information created, received, transmitted, stored, held, copied, viewed, read, attached to or printed using the school’s communication systems is not protected by an individual’s right to privacy. It is the right of the school to access, review, and archive all such information at its discretion, including disclosure to third parties when warranted.
15. Students in grades 8-12 may search use search engines. Students in grades K-7 may not use search engines. Image searching by any student is prohibited.
16. Students in grades 4-12 will be assigned a unique User ID and Password for use on school computers. Students will be held accountable for keeping this information private and for logging off the computer when work is completed. If a student finds that the previous student has not logged off of a computer, the student must first log off then log back on with their own User ID and password. Violation of this policy will be grounds for referral.
17. Students are prohibited from accessing web-based e-mail, newsgroups, online journals, social networking sites, blogs, etc., with the exception of those created and assigned by the school.
18. Students of Sacred Heart School will not post or transmit names, photographs or any other information of or about Sacred Heart School, themselves, other students or faculty of Sacred Heart on any website, newsgroup, instant messenger, email, social media or any other online service.
19. Sacred Heart School provides email accounts and online storage to students in grades 4-12. These accounts are monitored by a Human Monitoring System which notifies school officials of any impropriety or threatening speech within email messages or documents within the account. These resources are for educational purposes and shall not be used for any other purpose, personal or otherwise. These services allow students access to files, communications and projects on and off campus without the need for other portable media or communications methods. All rules and consequences previously mentioned also apply here.
 
CONSEQUENCES OF VIOLATIONS
The consequences of violations of the acceptable use policy for use of the Internet and school network may range from suspension of privileges, to revocation of privileges, to school suspension or expulsion, to legal action and prosecution by authorities depending on the severity and circumstances of the violations. Penalties may also include any other appropriate disciplinary measures determined by the Administration.