2022 - Electronic Resources, Artificial Intelligence, and Internet Safety

The Richland School District’s Board of Directors recognizes that an effective public education system develops students who are globally aware, civically engaged, and capable of managing their lives and careers. The board also believes that staff and students need to be proficient and safe users of information, media, and technology to succeed in a digital world.

Electronic Resources

The district will develop and use electronic resources as a powerful and compelling means for students to learn core subjects and applied skills in relevant and rigorous ways and for staff to educate them in such areas of need. It is the district’s goal to provide students with rich and ample opportunities to use technology for important purposes in schools just as individuals in workplaces and other real-life settings use these tools. The district’s technology will enable educators and students to communicate, learn, share, collaborate and create; to think and solve problems; to manage their work; and to take ownership of their lives.

Electronic resources include, but are not limited to, traditional computing devices, network systems, software applications, digital learning platforms, and emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools. The district recognizes that technology continues to evolve and that access to and appropriate use of emerging tools may support teaching, learning, and district operations when aligned with educational goals and district values.

The superintendent or designee will:

1. Create strong electronic resources and develop related educational systems that support innovative teaching and learning;
2. Provide appropriate staff development opportunities regarding this policy; and
3. Develop procedures and acceptable use guidelines to support this policy.

The district may provide access to AI tools and other emerging technologies to support educational purposes, enhance learning experiences, and improve operational efficiency. Access to such tools will be determined based on educational appropriateness, alignment with curriculum and instructional goals, data privacy and security considerations, and equity of access for all students and staff. The superintendent or designee will establish guidelines for appropriate use of these technologies consistent with district policies and values.

Internet Safety

To help ensure student safety and citizenship with electronic resources, all students will be educated about internet safety. This will include appropriate online behavior, including interacting with other individuals on social networking websites and in chat rooms, and cyberbullying awareness and response.

To promote internet safety and appropriate online behavior of students and staff as they use electronic resources and access material from the internet, the superintendent or designee is authorized to develop or adopt internet safety procedures, acceptable use guidelines, and, for students, related instructional materials for every grade level. The superintendent or designee in evaluating such procedures and instructional materials should consider District electronic resources, emerging technologies and their appropriate applications, community norms, privacy rights, responsible use, and issues of concern with student or staff use of electronic resources. 

As a component of district internet safety measures, all district-owned electronic resources, including computer networks and Wi-Fi, in all district facilities capable of accessing the internet must use filtering software to prevent access to obscene, racist, hateful or violent material. However, given the ever-changing nature of the internet and emerging technologies, the district cannot guarantee that a student will never be able to access objectionable material or that technology tools will always produce appropriate, accurate, or unbiased outputs.

Further, when students use the internet or other electronic resources, including emerging technologies, from school facilities for educational purposes, district staff will make a reasonable effort to supervise student access and use of the internet and such emerging technologies. If material is accessed that violates district policies, procedures or student guidelines for electronic resources or acceptable use, or if technology tools are used in ways inconsistent with district values or educational purposes, district staff may instruct the person to cease using that material and/or implement sanctions consistent with district policies, procedures, guidelines, or student codes of conduct. 

The superintendent or designee will regularly review, and update procedures related to electronic resources and emerging technologies to ensure alignment with current educational practices, technological developments, legal requirements, and community expectations.

K-20 Network Acceptable Use Guidelines/Internet Safety Requirements

These procedures are written to support the Electronic Resources Policy of the Richland School District’s Board of Directors and to promote positive and effective digital citizenship among students and staff. Digital citizenship includes the norms of appropriate, responsible, and healthy behavior related to current technology use. Successful, technologically fluent digital citizens recognize and value the rights, responsibilities, and opportunities of living, learning, and working in an interconnected digital world. They cultivate and manage their digital identity and reputation, and are aware of the permanence of their actions in the digital world. Expectations for student and staff behavior online are no different from face-to-face interactions. 

Use of Personal Electronic Devices

In accordance with all district policies and procedures, students and staff may use personal electronic devices (e.g. laptops, mobile devices and e-readers) to further the educational and research mission of the district. School staff will retain the final authority in deciding when and how students may use personal electronic devices on school grounds and during the school day. Absent a specific and articulated need (e.g. assistive technology), students do not have an absolute right to possess or use personal electronic devices at school. 

Network

The district network includes wired and wireless devices and peripheral equipment, files and storage, e-mail and Internet content (blogs, websites, collaboration software, social networking sites, etc.). The district reserves the right to prioritize the use of, and access to, the network. 

All use of the network must support education and research and be consistent with the mission of the district. 

Acceptable network use by district students and staff include: 

Unacceptable network use by district students and staff includes but is not limited to: 

The district will not be responsible for any damages suffered by any user, including but not limited to, loss of data resulting from delays, non-deliveries, mis-deliveries, or service interruptions caused by his/her own negligence or any other errors or omissions. The district will not be responsible for unauthorized financial obligations resulting from the use of, or access to, the district’s computer network or the Internet. 

Internet Safety

Personal Information and Inappropriate Content: 

Filtering and Monitoring

Filtering software is used to block or filter access to visual depictions that are obscene and all child pornography in accordance with the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA). Other objectionable material could be filtered. The determination of what constitutes “other objectionable” material is a local decision. 

Internet Safety Instruction

All students will be educated about appropriate online behavior, including interacting with other individuals on social networking websites and in chat rooms, and cyberbullying awareness and response: 

Copyright

Downloading, copying, duplicating, and distributing software, music, sound files, movies, images, or other copyrighted materials without the specific written permission of the copyright owner is generally prohibited. However, the duplication and distribution of materials for educational purposes is permitted when such duplication and distribution falls within the Fair Use Doctrine of the United States Copyright Law (Title 17, USC) and content is cited appropriately. 

Ownership of Work

All work completed by employees as part of their employment will be considered property of the district. The district will own any and all rights to such work including any and all derivative works, unless there is a written agreement to the contrary. All work completed by students as part of the regular instructional program is owned by the student as soon as it is created, unless such work is created while the student is acting as an employee of the school system or unless such work has been paid for under a written agreement with the school system. If under an agreement with the district, the work will be considered the property of the district. Staff members must obtain a student’s permission prior to distributing his/her work to parties outside the school. 

Network Security and Privacy

Passwords are the first level of security for a user account. System logins and accounts are to be used only by the authorized owner of the account for authorized district purposes. Students and staff are responsible for all activity on their account and must not share their account password. 

The following procedures are designed to safeguard network user accounts: 

Student Data is Confidential

District staff must maintain the confidentiality of student data in accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). 

No Expectation of Privacy

The district provides the network system, e-mail, and Internet access as a tool for education and research in support of the district’s mission. The district reserves the right to monitor, inspect, copy, review, and store, without prior notice, information about the content and usage of: 

No student or staff user should have any expectation of privacy when using the district’s network. The district reserves the right to disclose any electronic messages to law enforcement officials or third parties as appropriate. All documents are subject to the public records disclosure laws of the State of Washington. 

Educational Applications and Programs 

District staff may request students to download or sign up for applications or programs on the students’ personal electronic devices. Such applications and programs are designed to help facilitate lectures, student assessment, communication, and teacher-student feedback, among other things. 

Prior to requesting students to download or sign up for educational applications or programs, staff will review “terms of use,” “terms of service,” and/or “privacy policy” of each application or program to ensure that it will not compromise students’ personally identifiable information, safety, and privacy. 

Staff will also provide notice in writing of potential use of any educational application or program to the IT Department, including the anticipated purpose of such application or program. Specific expectations of use will be reviewed with students. 

Staff should also, as appropriate, provide notice to students’ parents/guardians that the staff person has requested that students download or sign up for an application or program, including a brief statement on the purpose of application or program. 

Archive and Backup

Backup is made of all district e-mail correspondence for purposes of public disclosure and disaster recovery. Barring power outage or intermittent technical issues, staff and student files are backed up on district servers regularly. Refer to the district retention policy for specific records retention requirements. 

Disciplinary Action

All users of the district’s electronic resources are required to comply with the district’s policy and procedures (and agree to abide by the provisions set forth in the district's user agreement). Violation of any of the conditions of use explained in the (district’s user agreement), Electronic Resources policy, or in these procedures could be cause for disciplinary action, including suspension, expulsion, or emergency removal from school and suspension or revocation of network and computer access privileges. 

Accessibility of Electronic Resources 

Federal law prohibits people, on the basis of disability (such as seeing and hearing impairments), from being excluded from participation in, being denied the benefits of, or otherwise being subjected to discrimination by the district. To ensure that individuals with disabilities have equal access to district programs, activities, and services, the content and functionality of websites associated with the district should be accessible. Such websites may include, but are not limited to, the district’s homepage, teacher websites, district-operated social media pages, and online class lectures. 

District staff with authority to create or modify website content or functionality associated with the district will take reasonable measures to ensure that such content or functionality is accessible to individuals with disabilities. Any such staff member with questions about how to comply with this requirement should consult with the IT Department.