Training is provided for students and staff regarding the safe, ethical, legal, and responsible use of the Internet and of the District's Internet system and their rights and responsibilities under this plan.
The District protects against access to materials that are considered inappropriate for users to access through the District Internet system in the following manner:
To the extent practical, technology protection measures (or “Internet filters”) shall be used to block or filter Internet, or other forms of electronic communications, access to inappropriate information
The District’s filtering software limits student internet access as defined by CIPA (Children’s Internet Protection Act 2001). Specifically, as required by the Children’s Internet Protection Act, blocking shall be applied to visual depictions of material deemed obscene or child pornography, or to any material deemed harmful to minors. At the discretion of the District or school, the filtering software may also be configured to protect against access to other material considered inappropriate. The District recognizes that internet filters are not perfect and some sites with questionable material may not be filtered; however, the District will modify the material once it has been identified and reported. Northwest ISD does not rely on internet filters as a sole protection measure and students and teachers are instructed on procedures to handle inappropriate access. Parents and guardians should report any questionable access to their child’s campus.
Subject to staff supervision, technology protection measures may be disabled for adults or, in the case of minors, minimized only for bona fide research or other lawful purposes.
The District’s filtering software is configured tiered access, which allows staff members access to more sites than students.
Requests for website unblocking will be approved through the Chief Technology Officer or designee. The determination of whether material is appropriate or inappropriate shall be based on the content of the material, intended use of the material, and content of ads, not on the protection actions of the filtering software.
The school district will educate all students about appropriate online behavior, including interacting with other individuals on social networking websites and in chat rooms and cyberbullying awareness and response.
Inappropriate Network Usage
Utilizing the digital citizenship curriculum, Northwest ISD promotes the safety and security for users of the computer network when using electronic mail, chat rooms, instant messaging, and other forms of direct electronic communications.
Specifically, as required by the Children’s Internet Protection Act, prevention of inappropriate network usage includes: (a) unauthorized access, including so-called ‘hacking,’ and other unlawful activities; and (b) unauthorized disclosure, use, and dissemination of personal identification information regarding minors.
Education, Supervision and Monitoring
It shall be the responsibility of all members of the Northwest ISD staff to educate, supervise and monitor appropriate usage of the online computer network and access to the Internet in accordance with this policy, the Children’s Internet Protection Act, the Neighborhood Children’s Internet Protection Act, and the Protecting Children in the 21st Century Act.
The student Responsible Use Policy (RUP) includes provisions that address the following safe and responsible use issues:
Privacy and communication safety standards for self and others
Safety and security when using direct electronic communication
Unacceptable conduct including inappropriate language, bullying, access to inappropriate material, plagiarism and copyright infringement, as well as actions that may disrupt or jeopardize the security or effective performance of the District's network or the Internet
Illegal activities, including computer security violations, actions taken to disrupt the performance of a computer system, and the use of the Internet to engage in other criminal acts
The employee RUP is provided electronically and posted on the District website. Employees are held accountable for its contents. The employee RUP address information similar to the student RUP and other acceptable use issues specific to employees.
The District follows guidelines for protecting student personal information when accounts are established on third party web sites in accordance with CIPA.
The District has developed regulations addressing the disclosure of student information, posting student-created material, and posting pictures of students on the District web site.
Each school year, parents/guardians are provided information regarding agreements to allow their child to access the Internet and have photos of their child or child’s schoolwork on the District web site. Parents have the option to decline all or parts of the above agreement based on need.
