Policy IIBEA/GAB
The Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) and its employees are committed to using technology consistently, responsibly, and effectively for teaching and learning, communications, and productivity.
The School Board provides a computer system, including access to the Internet, to promote educational excellence by facilitating resource-sharing, innovation, and communication. The term “computer system” includes all ACPS-provided hardware, software, data, communications lines and computing devices, storage media, services, servers, printers, and access to the Internet and other internal and external networks.
All use of the ACPS computer network system must:
- Fully support the ACPS goals for integrating technology into teaching and learning, communications and productivity;
- Acknowledge an employee and student requirement to uphold the policy; be used for legitimate school business;
- Not jeopardize the safety and security of students, staff, facilities, and operations;
- Not cause degradation of service
- Not involve the use of unauthorized devices.
Access to the computer system should not be abused in the amount of time used, type of use, or content. Any individual who uses the ACPS computer system has no expectation of privacy regarding that use.
Individuals are responsible and accountable for material located on or accessed by their ACPS- issued equipment. ACPS expressly reserves the right to monitor all computer use activity. Any communication or material used on the computer system, including without limitation, electronic mail or other files, created, sent, or deleted from an ACPS computer user’s account, may be monitored and/or read by school officials.
ACPS permits incidental personal use of technology resources consistent with this policy. At ACPS this means:
- Incidental personal use of electronic accounts, Internet access, printers, and copiers is restricted to ACPS staff and students and does not include family members or others not affiliated with the division;
- Incidental use must not result in direct costs to ACPS or cause legal action against or cause embarrassment to ACPS
- Incidental use must not interfere with the normal performance of an employee’s work duties; and
- Incidental use of ACPS technology resources (including personal pictures, music, email messages, voice messages, and documents) should be nominal.
ACPS is not responsible for storing, protecting, supporting and/or restoring personal files. In accordance with Va. Code 22.1-70.2, ACPS teaches students to use best practices in internet safety.
The Superintendent shall establish administrative regulations containing the appropriate uses, ethics, and protocol for the computer system.
The regulations shall include:
- A prohibition against use by division employees and students of the division’s computer equipment and communications services for sending, receiving, viewing, or downloading illegal materials, as described below, via the internet [refer to Policy EGAAA at www.acps.k12.va.us/policies-E];
- Provisions, including the selection and operation of a technology protection measure for the division’s computers having Internet access to filter or block Internet access through such computers, that seek to prevent access to: (a) child pornography as set out in Va. Code sec. 18.2-374.1:1 or as defined in sec. 18 U.S.C. sec. 2256; (b) obscenity as defined by Va. Code sec. 18.2-372 or 18 U.S.C. sec. 1460; and (c) material that the school division deems to be harmful to juveniles as defined in Va. Code sec. 18.2-390, material that is harmful to minors as defined in 47 U.S.C. sec. 254(h)(7)(G), and material that is otherwise inappropriate for minors;
- Provisions establishing that the technology protection measure is enforced during any use of ACPS’s computers;
- Provisions establishing that online activities will be monitored;
- Provisions designed to protect the safety and security of students and employees when using electronic mail, chat rooms, and other forms of direct electronic communications;
- Provisions designed to prevent unauthorized online access by minors, including “hacking,” “cyber bullying,” and unlawful activities by minors online;
- Provisions prohibiting the unauthorized disclosure, use, and dissemination of personal information regarding students and employees; and
- The requirement that ACPS staff must use the ACPS electronic accounts when communicating with students.
The ACPS computer system is not a public forum.
Each employee, student, and parent/guardian of each student shall sign the Responsible Computer System Use agreement, IIBEA-2, before using the ACPS computer system. The failure of any employee or student to follow the terms of the Agreement, this policy, or accompanying regulation may result in the loss of computer system privileges, disciplinary action, and/or appropriate legal action.
The Alexandria City School Board is not responsible for any information that may be lost, damaged, or unavailable when using the computer system or for any information retrieved via the Internet.
Furthermore, the School Board is not responsible for any unauthorized charges or fees resulting from access to the computer system.
The Superintendent shall submit to the Virginia Department of Education this policy and accompanying regulation biennially.