Technology/Responsible Use Policy

High Point Regional High School recognizes that access to technology in school gives students greater opportunities to learn, engage, communicate, and develop skills that will prepare them for work, life, and citizenship. We are committed to helping students develop 21st-century technology and communication skills.  All technologies provided by the district are intended for education purposes.  All users are expected to use good judgment and to follow the specifics of this document as well as the spirit of it: be safe, appropriate, careful and kind; don’t try to get around technological protection measures; use good common sense; and ask if you don’t know. Connecting to the HPRHS wi-fi network with personal devices is a privilege, not a right of district students.


STANDARDS FOR USE OF TECHNOLOGY

Any individual engaging in the following actions declared unethical, irresponsible, or illegal when using technology shall be subject to discipline or legal action:

A. Using technology for illegal, inappropriate or obscene purposes, or in support of such activities.  Illegal activities are defined as activities which violate federal, state, local laws and regulations.  Inappropriate activities are defined as those that violate the intended use of district technology. Obscene activities are defined as a violation of generally accepted social standards for use of publically owned and operated technology.

B. Using district technology to violate copyrights, institutional or third party copyrights, license agreements or other contracts.

C. Using district technology in a manner that:

a. Intentionally disrupts network traffic or crashes the network;

b. Degrades or disrupts equipment or system performance;

c. Uses the computing resources of the district for commercial purposes, financial gain or fraud;

d. Steals or alters data or other intellectual property.

e. Gains or seeks unauthorized access to the files of others or vandalizes the data of another user;

f. Gains or seeks unauthorized access to resources or entities;

g. Forges e-mail messages or uses an account owned by others;

h. Invades privacy of others;

i. Posts anonymous messages;

j. Possesses any data which is a violation of this policy;

k. Loads or stores any software not owned or approved onto district technology; and/or

l. Engages in other activities that do not advance the educational purposes for which district technology is provided.


TECHNOLOGIES COVERED

High Point Regional High School may provide the privilege of Internet access, desktop computers, laptops, tablets, smartphones, videoconferencing capabilities, online collaboration capabilities, message boards, email, and more.  This responsible use policy applies to both district owned/BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) technology equipment utilizing the district network, the district internet connection, and/or private networks/internet connections accessed from district-owned/BYOD devices at any time. As new technologies emerge, High Point Regional High School will seek to provide access to them. The policies outlined in this document cover all available technologies, now and into the future, not just those specifically listed or currently available.


WEB ACCESS

High Point Regional High School provides its users the privilege of access to the Internet, including web sites, resources, content, and online tools. Access will be restricted in compliance with CIPA regulations and school policies.  Web browsing may be monitored and web activity records may be retained indefinitely.  Users are expected to respect that the web filter is a safety precaution, and shall not attempt to circumvent it when browsing the Web.


EMAIL

High Point Regional High School may provide users with the privilege of email accounts for the purpose of school-related communication.  Availability and use may be restricted based on school policies.  If users are provided with email accounts, the account should be used with care.  Users should not send personal information; should not attempt to open files or follow links from unknown or untrusted origin;and should use appropriate language. All messages sent and received on the district email must have an education or administrative purpose, except that personal email is permitted within the boundaries noted in this policy.  Email is not to be considered private, is subject to review, and will be archived in accordance to federal and state law.

District and system administrators may inspect the contents of any email, or disclose such contents when required to do so by the board policy, regulation or other laws and regulations of the State and Federal governments.  The board reserves the right to cooperate fully with local, state or federal officials in any investigation concerning or relating to any email sent or received on the district email system.


SOCIAL MEDIA COLLABORATIVE CONTENT  

Recognizing the benefits collaboration brings to education, High Point Regional High School may provide users with access to web sites, Google Apps or other tools that allow communication, collaboration, sharing, and messaging among users. Users are expected to communicate with responsible, safe, mindful, and courteous conduct. Posts, chats, sharing, and messaging may be monitored. Users should be careful not to share personally-identifying information online.


SCHOOL ISSUED DEVICES

High Point Regional High School may provide users with laptops or other devices to promote learning. Users should abide by the same responsible use policies when using school devices off the school network as on the school network.  Users are expected to treat these devices with extreme care and caution; these are expensive devices that the school is entrusting to your care. Users should immediately report any loss, damage, or malfunction to IT staff immediately. Users may be financially accountable for any damage resulting from negligence or misuse.  


BYOD (PERSONALLY-OWNED) DEVICES

Teachers have the discretion to determine when students may use personal technology in the classroom. Students must comply with their teachers’ requests to shut down or put away personal technology. When students leave an assigned classroom, cell phones will remain in the classroom in the location required by teacher. All personal technology must be in silent mode. Students may not use personal technology during assessments unless otherwise directed by school personnel. Students shall not transmit, post or otherwise publicly share photographs or videos that they have taken of any person on school grounds or in a school vehicle.


SECURITY AND DAMAGES

Users are expected to take reasonable safeguards against the transmission of security threats over the district network. Including but not limited to: not opening or distributing infected files or programs and not opening files or programs of unknown or untrusted origin.  If you believe a High Point computer or mobile device you are using might be infected with a virus, please alert IT.  Do not attempt to remove the virus yourself or download any programs to help remove the virus. High Point Regional High School does not repair, maintain or provide general support for personally owned devices. If a device is stolen or damaged, it will be handled through the administrative office in a manner similar to other personal property. It is recommended that students personalize their devices for easy identification and utilize protective cases. The High Point IT department will not service any non-district owned technology.


DOWNLOADS

Users should not download or install any software programs over the district network or onto district resources without express permission from IT staff. You may be able to download file types such as images or videos. For the security of our network, downloading of such files should only be from reputable sites, and only for educational purposes.


NETIQUETTE

Users should always use the Internet, network resources, and online sites in a courteous and respectful manner.  Users should recognize that among the valuable content online is unverified, incorrect, or inappropriate content. Users should only use trusted sources when conducting research via the Internet.  Users should also remember not to post anything online that they wouldn’t want students, parents, teachers, or community members to see. Once something is online, it’s out there—and can sometimes be shared and spread in ways you never intended.


PLAGIARISM

Users should not plagiarize (or use as their own, without citing the original creator) content, including words or images, from the Internet. Users should not take credit for things they didn’t create themselves, or misrepresent themselves as an author or creator of something found online. Research conducted via the Internet should be appropriately cited, giving credit to the original author.


PERSONAL SAFETY

Users should never share personal information, including phone number, address, social security number, birthday, or financial information, over the Internet. Users should recognize that communicating over the Internet brings anonymity and associated risks, and should carefully safeguard the personal information of themselves and others.  If you see a message, comment, image, or anything else online that makes you concerned for your personal safety, bring it to the attention of administration immediately.


CYBERBULLYING

Cyberbullying will not be tolerated. Harassing, dissing, flaming, denigrating, impersonating, outing, tricking, excluding, and cyberstalking are all examples of cyberbullying. Don’t be mean. Don’t send emails or post comments with the intent of scaring, hurting, or intimidating someone else. Engaging in these behaviors, or any online activities intended to harm (physically or emotionally) another person, could result in severe disciplinary action and/or loss of privileges. In some cases, cyberbullying can be a crime. Remember that your activities are monitored and retained.
CHROMEBOOK 1:1 - ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY

All students will be issued Google Chromebooks for use in school and at home. This  provides students and their parents/guardians with information about taking care of the equipment and using it to complete assignments.
Students are solely responsible for the Chromebooks issued to them and must adhere to the following: ● Students must comply with the TECHNOLOGY/ RESPONSIBLE USE POLICY ● Students must bring their Chromebook to school every day and make sure it is fully charged. ● Students must treat their device with care and never leave it in an unsecured location. ● Students must promptly report any problems with their Chromebook to the teacher or a staff member. ● Students may not remove or interfere with the serial number and other identification tags. ● Students may not attempt to remove or change the physical structure of the Chromebook,including the keys, screen cover or plastic casing. ● Students may not attempt to install or run any operating system on the Chromebook other than the Chrome OS operating system supported by the school. ● Students must keep their device clean and must not touch the screen with anything (e.g., your finger, pen, pencil, etc.) other than approved computer screen cleaners.

SPARE EQUIPMENT AND LENDING

If a student’s Chromebook is inoperable, the school has a limited number of spare devices for use while the student’s Chromebook is repaired or replaced. This agreement remains in effect for loaner computers. If a student does not bring his/her Chromebook to school, the student may be required to borrow a device from the school based on the direction from his/her teacher or administrator


VIOLATIONS OF THIS RESPONSIBLE USE POLICY

Misuse comes in many forms, including any messages sent/received that indicate or suggest pornography, unethical or illegal solicitation, racism, sexism, terrorism,threats, inappropriate language and other issues described above. Students may not use the camera or audio feature on their device to capture, record, or transmit audio, video, or still photos of other students, faculty, or staff without explicit permission given by the teacher. Violations of the Responsible Use Policy may result in a loss of access as well as other disciplinary or legal action.  The particular consequences for violations of this policy shall be determined by the Administration in matters relating to the use of district technology and by the Superintendent, or designee, in matters of discipline, or actions by which the authorities are the appropriate course of action.


I understand and will abide by the provisions and conditions of this Responsible Use Policy.  I realize that all technology accounts are designed for educational purposes only.  I understand that any violation of the above provisions may result in disciplinary action, the revoking of my user accounts, and any appropriate legal action.  I will not hold my teacher nor High Point Regional High School responsible for or legally liable for materials distributed to or acquired from the network.  I also agree to report any misuse of the Internet to the system administrator or to my teacher.


Facebook Fan, HP Twitter Page, Instagram

High Point Regional High School welcomes the community’s contributions to its Facebook Page (e.g. comments, photo tagging, wall posts, etc.). Community-contributed content on the Page is the opinion of the specific author and does not represent High Point Regional High School.
High Point Regional High School abides by Facebook’s Statement of Rights and Responsibilities , and the school asks its Facebook Fans to do the same. In particular, please do not "post unauthorized commercial solicitations (such as spam)"; "bully, intimidate, or harass any user"; "post content that is hateful, threatening, pornographic, or that contains nudity or graphic or gratuitous violence"; or "do anything unlawful, misleading, malicious, or discriminatory" on High Point Regional High School’s Facebook Page.
High Point Regional High School reserves the right, but is not obligated, to remove comments that contain commercial solicitations; are factually erroneous/libelous; are wildly off-topic; that cannot be translated into English by Google Translate or other free online translation software; or that otherwise violate Facebook’s Statement of Rights and Responsibilities. Facebook encourages all users to utilize the "Report" links when they find abusive content.
Unless a written statement to the contrary is filed with High Point Regional High School’s, all participants (including students, athletes, parents, relatives, friends, High Point employees and volunteers) give implicit permission and authorization to High Point Regional High School and the Board of Education to use any form of multimedia (including still photos, video, DVD, internet/web and name release ) for promotional, communicative, recognition, educational and fundraising purposes. By granting permission all participants’ release, waive and hold harmless High Point Regional High School, the Board of Education, and it’s employees of any and all claims for damages for libel, slander or invasion of right of privacy.
High Point Regional High School thanks you in advance for your contributions to the high school’s Facebook Page, and for your help in creating a safe and vibrant online community.

MULTIMEDIA RELEASE FORM

Unless a written statement to the contrary is filed with High Point Regional High School, all participants (including players, parents, relatives, friends, High Point employees and volunteers) give implicit permission and authorization to the High Point Regional High School and the Board of Education to use any form of multimedia (including still photos, video, DVD, internet and name release) for promotional, communicative and recognition purposes.  By granting permission all participants’ release, waive and hold harmless High Point Regional High School, the Board of Education and its employees and volunteers of any and all claims for damages for libel, slander or invasion of right of privacy.



updated 8/12/21 

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