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 Content Filtering will apply to students logged onto devices provided by the school and using their individual school Google account both on and off campus. This does not absolve parents and students of their responsibility to observe all school policies and procedures.

Students will be required to complete and pass a Digital Citizenship Course at the beginning of each school year prior to using the Internet on campus.

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

The curriculum for ALL Sacred Heart students requires Internet use. 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.

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.

SOCIAL NETWORKING, BLOGS AND CYBERBULLYING

Student use of any social networking, postings or digital communications such as, but not limited to, those made available on Facebook®, Twitter®, LinkedIn®, Instagram®, Snapchat®, etc. may result in disciplinary action if the student’s content includes disparaging or defamatory comments regarding the school, faculty and/or other students, or is otherwise inflammatory and/or inappropriate. Blogging is permitted only in classes where the blogs are created and monitored by faculty/administration and are part of the curriculum.

PRIVACY

The school reserves the right to monitor, inspect and archive all files and electronic data and messages of students and faculty members pursuant to the enforcement of its policies, to insure that rules and procedures are being followed and to maintain the integrity of its systems.

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 or cause injury to the reputation of either the school or the school community.
2. Inappropriate language, either stated or implied, that may be offensive  or inflammatory is strictly forbidden.
3. Access to materials unsuitable for a school environment is prohibited.
   
4. Violation of copyright, trademark, trade names and other intellectual property laws and licensing agreements is strictly prohibited.
5. Downloading or importing files or digital information/images from the internet or any portable media brought from outside the school is strictly prohibited.
6. Impersonation and/or anonymous posting/publication 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 threatening and/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 is strictly prohibited, will be referred to the proper authorities for investigation and may result in criminal 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 prohibited. 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 deemed warranted.
15. Students in grades 4-12 may search using search engines that have been approved by the school. Students in grades K-3 may not use search engines.
16. Students in grades K-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 teachers and under the supervision of teachers at school.
18. Students of Sacred Heart School will not post or transmit names, contact information, photographs of or any other information about Sacred Heart School, themselves, other students or faculty/administrators/staff of Sacred Heart School 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 K-
20. These accounts are monitored by a Human Monitoring System which notifies school officials of any misuse, 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.