Procedure 2314 - Responsible Use Guidelines/Procedures

1.1 Receiving Your Laptop 

Laptop will be distributed in the fall to students who attended the Parent/Student Laptop orientation. Parents and students must attend a yearly Laptop Orientation. 

1.2 Laptop Check-In 

Laptop will be returned during the final week of school during student checkout so they can be examined for serviceability. If a student transfers out of the Richland School District during the school year, their Laptop will be returned at that time. 

1.3 Return Policies 

Individual school Laptop and accessories must be returned to the designated school location or Information Technology (I.T.) Department at the end of each school year. Students who withdraw, complete graduation coursework early, or terminate enrollment at Richland School District for any other reason must return their Laptop on the date of termination. If a student fails to return the Laptop at the end of the school year or upon termination of enrollment, that student will be subject to fines (replacement cost of the Laptop), criminal prosecution and/or civil liability. Failure to return the Laptop will also result in a theft report being filed with the Richland Police Department and may delay access to public school records. 

The student will be responsible for any damage to the Laptop, consistent with the District’s Laptop Responsible Use Policy, Procedures and Guidelines (this document) and must return the device and accessories in satisfactory condition. The student will be charged a fee, detailed on page 5, for any needed repairs, not to exceed the replacement cost of the Laptop. 

1.3.1 Students leaving RSD for more than 20 consecutive school days would be required to return the device prior to leaving. After the 20th day the Laptop and associated student accounts will be deactivated and unusable. 

1.4 Laptop Identification 

Laptop are tagged and inventoried by the district. Any attempt to modify, hide and/or remove RSD identification tags will be subject to disciplinary action. 

Students are responsible for the general care of the Laptop they have been issued by the district. Laptop that are broken or fail to work properly must be taken to the designated school location for equipment evaluation/review. 

2.1 Carrying Laptop

The Laptop should always be stored in the district issued case. It protects the Laptop and provides protection when carrying at or away from school. Care must be taken when placing the Laptop within its case into backpacks, folders and/or workbooks to avoid placing pressure and/or weight on the Laptop screen. 

2.2 Screen Care 

The Laptop screens can be damaged if subjected to rough treatment. The screens are particularly sensitive to damage from excessive pressure on the screen. 

• Do not lean on the top of the Laptop when it is open or closed. 
• No objects should be placed on the keyboard. 
• Do not place anything near the Laptop that could put pressure on the screen 
• Do not place anything in the carrying case that will press against the cover. 
• Clean the screen with a soft, dry cloth or anti-static cloth. Use of harsh chemicals WILL damage the screen. 
• Do not “bump” or “drop” the Laptop against lockers, walls, car doors, floors, etc., as it could possibly break the screen. 

2.3 Storing Your Laptop 

When students are not using their Laptop, they should be stored in their locker or kept with the student. Nothing should be placed on top of the Laptop when stored in student lockers. Students are required to take their Laptop home every day after school, regardless of whether or not they are needed. Laptop should never be stored in a vehicle at any time due to the possibility of theft. 

Do NOT leave your Laptop in a place that is experiencing extreme heat or cold conditions (i.e. car in summer or winter). Extreme heat will damage the unit itself and extreme cold will cause severe screen damage. 

2.4 Laptops Left in Unsecured Areas 

Under no circumstances should Laptop be left unsecured. Any Laptop left unsecured is in danger of being stolen or damaged. If a Laptop is found in an unsecured area, it will be taken to the office. Violations may result in loss of Laptop privileges and/or other privileges. 

2.5 Laptop Use During Extracurricular Activities 

Students are responsible for their district devices both in and out of school, including extracurricular events. Costs associated with a lost, stolen or damaged devices as stated in this Agreement also apply to extracurricular events. It is not the responsibility of the coach, bus driver, etc. to protect and/or store the device during extracurricular activities. 

Students assigned a district device are responsible for all damages whether intentional or accidental. Responsibility for repair caused by a malfunction or maintenance issue will be determined by the Richland School District’s I.T. Department. 

Enrollment Information 

The Laptop Protection Plan Coverage Program is optional and provides an inexpensive solution for parents to reduce the financial burden if an accident or theft occurs. 

Parents/guardians may decline to participate in the Laptop Protection Plan Coverage Program, but will be fully responsible for any associated cost for damage or theft. The Laptop Protection Plan Coverage Program will cover one school year (August to August) and is non-refundable. Students receiving a device after February 1st of each calendar year will be eligible for prorated coverage. 

Annual Cost: (September - June) Full Cost: $50 Reduced Lunch: $25 Free Lunch: $15	Damage Deductible: 1st Incident: $0 2nd Incident: $0 3rd Incident: Full Cost	Stolen Deductible: 1st Incident: $100 2nd Incident: $200 3rd Incident: Full Cost	No Covered: Cords, Chargers, Case, Intentional Damage, Loss without a copy of police report
Cost after Feb. 1: (February - June) Full Cost: $25 Reduced Lunch: $15 Free Lunch: $10	Example of Costs: Screen Replacement: $40 Water Damage: $160 Covered: Accidental damage, fire, flood or natural disaster	Example of Costs: Stolen: $200-425 depending on age of device. A police report is required to file a stolen property claim.

Two incidents total, in any combination (damage/stolen), are covered per year.  If the lost or stolen Laptop is later recovered in working condition, the fine will be refunded.  If a student leaves the district, but does not return the Laptop, they will be fined for the full replacement cost, and standard rules for the restriction of student records and transcripts would apply. Law enforcement may be involved for the purpose of recovering district property.  If you choose not to enroll in the Richland School District Laptop Coverage Program, you will be financially responsible for the full cost for the repair or replacement of the Laptop.

Laptop are intended for use at school each day and as such students are responsible for bringing their Laptop to all classes unless informed otherwise by the classroom teacher. In addition to teacher expectations for Laptop use, school messages, announcements, calendars, schedules, and other district resources may be accessed using the Laptop. 

STUDENTS MUST COME TO SCHOOL DAILY WITH A FULLY CHARGED LAPTOP. 

4.1 Laptops Left at Home

If students leave their Laptop at home, they are responsible for getting course work completed as if they had their Laptop present. If a loaner is available they may check one out from the library or designated school area. If a student repeatedly (two or more times as determined by any teacher) leaves their Laptop at home, they may lose their take-home privileges and be required to “check out” a Laptop from the library or designated school area. Violations will be handled by the classroom teacher or school administrators with repeat violators subject to additional disciplinary action. 

4.2 Laptop Repair 

Any mechanical or physical problems with the Laptop should be immediately reported. Loaner Laptop may be issued to students when they leave their Laptop for repair. Please note, loaner Laptop are subject to availability but the district will make every attempt to reduce downtime for students. 

4.3 Charging Your Laptop’s Battery 

Laptops must be brought to school each day fully charged. Students need to charge their Laptop each evening. If a student repeatedly (two or more times as determined by any teacher) brings their device uncharged, they may lose their take-home privileges and be required to “check out” a Laptop from the library or designated school area. Violations will be handled by the classroom teacher or school administrators with repeat violators subject to additional disciplinary action. Only charge your Laptop with the RSD provided charger. 

4.4 Screensavers and Backgrounds 

Inappropriate media may not be used as a screensaver or background photo on district Laptop. Installed images of guns, weapons, pornographic materials, inappropriate language, alcohol, drugs, tobacco, gang-related symbols or other material deemed inappropriate will result in disciplinary action. 

4.5 Sound, Music, Games or Programs 

Use of apps/games, music and/or sound must be approved by the classroom teacher and be for educational purposes only. Taking pictures or recording (audio or visual) teachers and/or students without their explicit consent is strictly prohibited. 

4.6 Printing 

Printing is not supported from district Laptop. If printing is required for an assignment it needs to be completed in a classroom, lab, library, home, or other location from a regular PC or laptop connected to a printer. 

4.7 Internet Access Off Campus 

Internet access is filtered when using RSD Laptop off-campus in compliance with district policies and CIPA. Students are allowed to access other wireless networks when they are off campus. 

5.1 Saving Your Work 

Students will save work in their district provided cloud-based or network storage drives. It is recommended that students store files in their Google Drive where files are available at any time from any device. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that work is not lost due to mechanical failure or accidental deletion. Laptop malfunctions are not an acceptable excuse for late or incomplete assignments. 

5.2 Network Connectivity 

Richland School District makes no guarantee that the network will be up and running 100% of the time. In the case that the network is down, the district will not be responsible for lost or missing data. 

6.1 Originally Installed Software 

The software/apps originally installed by Richland School District must remain on the Laptop on all times. 

6.2 Additional Software 

The use of the student’s school provided Laptop is for educational purposes only. Richland School District will synchronize the Laptop so that they contain the necessary apps for schoolwork. Additional classroom-appropriate apps may be installed but again, only if for educational purposes only. At no time are students to install software for personal use (gaming, social media, messaging, etc.) and/or gain. If in doubt, do not install the application. 

6.3 Inspection 

Students may be selected at random to provide their Laptop for inspection. This may include an inspection of all materials saved on or accessed by the Laptop as well as the physical condition of the Laptop (i.e. ID tags, barcodes, and/or additional stickers/marks on the outside of the device). 

6.4 Software Updates 

Updated versions of licensed software/apps will be deployed via the I.T. Department. Updates may occasionally require a system restart. 

The purpose of this document is to augment existing Responsible Use Policy (RUP) and Network Code of Conduct (NCC) as identified in Policy 2314 and details guidelines and expectations for the responsible use of technology for students at the Richland School District (RSD) in order to provide a safe, appropriate and effective learning environment for all. As members of the RSD community students are required to follow the district’s policies, procedures and guidelines. 

7.1 System Security 

• Students must protect access to their own devices through the use of passwords and privacy settings at all times. 
• Students will log on to the network only as themselves. 
• Students are responsible for their individual accounts and will take all reasonable precautions to prevent others from being able to use their accounts and should never share account information with others. 
• Students will immediately notify a faculty or staff member if they have identified a possible security problem. 
• Any electronic devices brought on the RSD campus are subject to search without notice. 
• Students will refrain from using any device or software that masks the use of the school resources. This includes, but is not limited to, anonymizers and any application or hardware device that circumvents network security, logging or tracking procedures. Failure to comply will result in loss of computer/network privileges and possible disciplinary action. 

7.2 Intellectual Property and Privacy 

• Students will not copy or transfer any copyrighted material(s) to or from computers on the Richland School District network without the permission of the technology staff. 
• Students will not plagiarize words or phrases found in books, on the Internet, or on other online resources. 
• Students will respect the rights of copyright owners, including those who have created music, images, video, software, etc. 
• If a student encounters an inappropriate image, site or video online, he/she will immediately minimize the screen and inform a teacher. 
• Students should have no expectation of privacy when using online resources since materials are owned by the site and can be redistributed without an author’s permission. Students should check each site’s privacy and security policies carefully before posting or adding content that may be viewed by others presently or in the future. 

7.3 Inappropriate Language and Harassment 

• Students will not use obscene, profane, lewd, vulgar, rude, inflammatory, threatening or disrespectful language on any and all uses of devices at Richland School District, whether in public or private messages. 
• Students will not post information that could cause danger or disruption or engage in personal attacks, including prejudicial or discriminatory attacks. 
• Students should be respectful and polite in all online communication when using the district network. This includes, but is not limited to, email, chat, instant-messaging, texting, gaming and social networking sites. 
• Students will not share, forward or post a message, image or video sent without the permission of the person who sent the message. 
• Students will not post private or false information about another person. 

7.4 Student Acknowledgement and Agreement 

• Students continuously represent the Richland School District whenever and wherever they use district computing resources. Student’s actions could reflect on the district in all online communication. 
• Students will be held responsible for any online behavior or content that connects them to the district or implicates the district in their behavior. 
• If students knowingly enable others to violate these rules, students may lose their access to RSD computer resources that include their device, district network, email, or internet access. 
• The district has software and systems in place that monitor and record all activities and traffic on the district computing resources. Students should expect only limited privacy in the contents of all personal files on the district network. 
• Tampering with the district technology tools or another person's work is unacceptable, and students could lose all rights to use computers and/or personal devices at school, including their user accounts and network access. 

Violations of the district policy and Responsible Use Plan are subject to disciplinary action ranging from loss of computing privileges up to and including suspension and/or expulsion. 

 

• RSD encourages teachers with a personal online presence to be mindful of the information they post. Your online behavior should reflect standards of honesty, respect, good judgment, and consideration that you would use with someone in person. Even if you delete specific information, be aware that it may still be public for a long period of time – therefore protect your privacy accordingly! 
• The lines between public and private, personal and professional are blurred in the digital world. By virtue of identifying yourself as a RSD employee online, you are now connected to colleagues, students, parents and the school community. You should ensure that content associated with you is consistent with your work at RSD and Board policy. 

It is your responsibility to familiarize yourself with the appropriate security settings for any social media (personal or professional) that you may use. Be sure that the settings are such that any personal content may only be viewed by your intended audience. By posting your comments, having online conversations, etc., on social media sites you are broadcasting to the world, be aware that even with the strictest privacy settings what you ‘say’ online should be within the bounds of professional discretion. Comments expressed via social networking pages under the impression of a ‘private conversation’ may still end up being shared into a more public domain, even with privacy settings on maximum. 

• It is inappropriate to use email, text messaging, instant messaging or social networking sites to discuss with a student a matter that does not pertain to school-related activities. Appropriate discussions would include the student’s homework, class activity, school sport or club, or other school-sponsored activities. Electronic communications with students are to be sent simultaneously to multiple recipients, not to just one student, except where the communication is clearly school related and inappropriate for persons other than the individual student to receive. In the later situation, you must include another school employee, preferably your administrator, in the electronic communication. 
• Engaging in social networking friendships on Facebook, Twitter, or other social networking sites is strongly discouraged with current students, and with parents or guardians of students. RSD recognizes that staff members may have students or parents of students that are family members or close personal friends. However, RSD cautions staff members against engaging in such social networking friendships with these individuals and the potentially perceived perception. 
• Material that RSD employees post on social networks that is publicly available to those in the school community should reflect the professional image applicable to the employee’s position, and not impair the employee’s capacity to maintain the respect of students and parents/guardians or impair the employee’s ability to serve as a role model for children. 

Be Transparent 

How you represent yourself online is an extension of yourself. Do not misrepresent yourself by using someone else’s identity or misrepresenting your identity. Be honest about who you are, where you work, and what you do. 

Always a School Employee 

Remember: the lines between public and private, personal and professional are blurred in the digital world. You will always be considered a RSD employee. Whether it is clearly communicated or not, you will be identified as an employee in what you say online. 

School Values 

Represent the values that RSD holds true. Express ideas and opinions in a respectful manner. All communications should be done in good taste. Build trust and responsibility in your relationships. Do not denigrate or insult others, including students, staff, administrators, parents, or other school districts. Consider carefully what you post through comments. 

Build Community/Positively Represent School 

Represent RSD and the students and parents you serve in the best light. Respect the privacy and feelings of others. Under no circumstances should offensive comments be made about students or colleagues (including administrators) nor the district in general. Negative comments about people may amount to cyberbullying and could be deemed a disciplinary offense. Your post and comments should help 

build and support the school community. Do not comment on nor forward unsupported information. You are responsible for what you post, even if on a personal page. Be certain that it is accurate. It is a good idea to monitor your profile page to ensure that all material being posted is appropriate. 

Share Your Expertise 

Write what you know about and be accurate. Add value to the discussion. Provide worthwhile information and perspective. A district’s most valuable asset is its staff represented by its people and what you publish may reflect on the school. 

Respond and Post Regularly 

To encourage readership, post regularly. Don’t post to your page and then not post for three weeks. Readers won’t have a reason to follow you if they cannot expect new content from you on a regular basis. Respond to other’s posts. Answer questions; thank people even if it is a few words. Make it a two-way conversation. 

Respect and Responsibility 

Employees, parents, and students reflect a diverse set of customs, values and points of view. Be respectful of others’ opinions in your posts or comments. You are responsible for the content you post. Do your tags, descriptions, and image portray you and RSD in a professional manner? 

Responding to Negative Comments and Criticism 

How you respond to a negative comment or criticism will say more about you and your character than what you post. When in doubt, it is best not to give it credibility by acknowledging it with a response publicly; perhaps a private response would be more appropriate. If you become aware of an inappropriate student post, notify your administrator. If a student’s posts contain threats of violence, notify your administrator and/or law enforcement accordingly. 

Spelling and Abbreviations 

Any online post or comment should be well written. Follow writing conventions including proper grammar, capitalization, and punctuation. Be cautious about using common abbreviations. When in doubt, define the abbreviation at least once in a post or include a definitions page on your site. 

Copyright and Fair Use 

Respect Copyright and Fair Use guidelines. Share what others have said by linking to the source and using embedded content. Be sure to cite your source when quoting. When using a hyperlink, confirm that link goes where it should and that the content is appropriate and it is your responsibility to maintain accurate links going forward.

Personal Information 

Be careful about sharing too much personal information. Do not share with a student your personal problems that would normally be discussed with adults. Be wise and don’t share too much information. Teachers who use social networking to interact with students in an educational manner must find a way to interact without giving students access to their personal information and/or posts and to maintain appropriate professional distance. Many social networking sites allow you to create “groups” or “pages” where you can interact with students without giving them access to your personal account. Policy and Regulation 5270, General Staff Responsibilities. 

Student Information or Photographs 

Personably identifiable information about a student should not be disclosed unless it is directory information or information exempted from the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) requirements and district Policy 3600. 

Video 

The internet is becoming an increasingly popular educational tool and place to share personally created movies. You are responsible for all you do, say, and post online including videos. Anything you post online should represent you in professional manner as others will see you as connected to RSD. Anything you show in your classroom should be previewed by you in its entirety, prior to any student seeing the video. Consult a administrator if you feel the content may be questionable. Policy 2311, Instructional Materials. 

School Logos 

Obtain school/district permission before using any school/district logo or image. School logos may only be used in a professional capacity and it is highly recommended when using social media resources that represents a school club, sport, program, department, etc., all images and colors should match the schools logo and/or mascot. No deviations are permitted. 

Social Bookmarking 

• Be aware that others can view the sites that you bookmark. 
• Be aware of words used to tag or describe the bookmark. 
• Be aware of URL shortening services. Verify the ”landing site” to which they point before submitting a link as a bookmark. It would be best to utilize the original URL if not constrained be the number of characters as in microblogs -- i.e. Twitter. 
• Attempt to link directly to a page or resource if possible as you do not control what appears on landing pages in the future. 

 

While RSD recommends the following sites, it does not guarantee all of the content found on the sites may not be found objectionable by any person. Parents, teachers, educators and students are urged to notify a teacher or parent of any material found that is objectionable. Please be aware these sites may change or even be removed over time as well as new sites created. 

Social Media resources include, but are not limited to: 

• Blogs (Blogger, Wordpress, ELearnSpace, etc.) 
• Wikis (Wikispaces, Google Sites, etc.) 
• Social Networks (Facebook, Twitter, Twiducate, Pinterest, etc.) 
• Photo & Video Sharing (YouTube, Flicker, Instagram, etc.) 
• Social Bookmarking (Diigo, Delicious, etc.) 
• Podcasting and Vodcasting (MyPodCast, Audacity, GarageBand, etc.) 

Other District Approved Social Media Programs 

• Ning (http://www.ning.com/) - create your own social network 
• Google Apps for Educations - documents, presentations, spreadsheets and forms 
• LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com) - professional networking site 
• VoiceThread (http://voicethread.com/) - digital storytelling using images and voice capture online 
• SimplyBox (http://simplybox.com) - Share screen captures, organized as you want, with others