• electronic mail or e-mail which allows communications with people all over the world;
  
  
• the World Wide Web, which utilizes hyperlinks to "point" to resources and incorporates sound, video, and graphics;
  
  
• file transfer protocol or FTP sites which have information of value to K-12 education;
  
  
• USENET discussion groups which have been developed based on the group member's main interests (only usenet groups set up and authorized by teachers as part of the curriculum are to be used - "chat rooms" are specifically not to be accessed over the district's Internet connection;
  
  
• telnet or remote login which allows access to university library catalogs, local area library catalogs, and even the Library of Congress on-line catalog.
  

Through the use of the Internet, including TENET (Texas Education Network), teachers, students, and staff have access to worldwide information resources. With the creation of a district World Wide Web server, teachers, students, and staff in the district have the opportunity to create their information resources in a graphical environment. Our goal in providing these services is to promote educational excellence in the schools by facilitating resource sharing, innovation, and communication. Not all of the Internet capabilities listed above will be immediately available to faculty, students, and staff via the district World Wide Web server.

With access to computers and people all over the world also comes the availability of materials that may not be considered to be of educational value in the context of the school setting. The district is making reasonable efforts to restrict access to controversial materials. However, on a global network, it is impossible to control all materials and an industrious user may discover controversial materials. The district firmly believes that the valuable information and interaction available on this worldwide network far outweighs the possibility that users may procure materials that are not consistent with the educational goals of the district.

Internet access is coordinated through a complex association of government agencies, and regional and state networks. In addition, the smooth operation of the network relies upon the proper conduct of the end users who must adhere to strict guidelines. These procedures or guidelines are specified here so that each user is aware of the responsibilities that he or she is about to undertake. Procedures and guidelines are considered the same as rules in this handbook.

In general this requires efficient, ethical, and legal utilization of the network resources. Should a district user violate any of these provisions, his or her account may be terminated, future access could be denied, and more extensive disciplinary actions may be taken.

In addition, all users are held responsible for understanding that the inappropriate use of the electronic communications system may be a violation of state, federal, and local laws, including but not limited to: section 1030 of title XVIII of the United States Code Fraud And Related Activity In Connection With Computers, as well as the Texas Computer Crimes Statute, section 1, chapter 33.02 of title VII of the Texas Penal Code, Breach of Computer Security, and section 16.04 of title IV of the Texas Penal Code Unlawful Access to Stored Communications. Violations can lead to investigation and prosecution by law enforcement agencies. Under State Statute S41.001, Parental Liability, parents can also be held responsible for damage caused by a minor child.

Teachers will also have specific responsibilities for supervising student access to the Internet, Tenet, CISD Home pages, and other electronic information resources. The policies, regulations and rules outlined in this handbook describe the responsibilities that students have in using these resources. These responsibilities will be enforced by the teacher or supervising staff when the student is engaged in classroom or other activities conducted under the supervision of the teacher or staff. Teacher responsibilities are further outlined in the Teacher Acknowledgment Form which must be signed by each staff member who intends to utilize Internet or World Wide Web resources for instructional or job related activities. In addition, teachers and other staff members who have access to district Internet and World Wide Web resources are expected to abide by district policies, regulations, and rules concerning their own conduct using district resources to access the Internet.

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• The use of accounts must be in support of education and/or research and consistent with the educational objectives of the Conroe Independent School District.
  
  
• Use of other organization's network or computing resources must comply with the rules appropriate for that network.
  
  
• Transmission of any material in violation of any US or state regulation is prohibited. This includes, but is not limited to: copyrighted material, threatening or obscene material, or material protected by trade secret. (A guiding factor in defining what is obscene may be what is appropriate in a school library setting; libraries can provide further information and, the most commonsense policy is, "when in doubt, don't".)
  
  
• Use for commercial activities is not acceptable, including entering contests.
  
  
• Use of the district network to purchase products is not permitted.
  
  
• Use for product advertisement or political lobbying is prohibited.
  
  
• Users shall not use district computers or networks for any non-instructional or non- administrative purposes. This includes such programs as games or MUDS.
  
  
• Access to specific resources such as IRCs (Internet Relay Chat) will be limited to activities in direct support of educational goals and only as authorized by the teacher for instructional purposes.
  
  
• Sending of "Chain Letters" or "broadcast messages" (spamming) to lists or individuals, and any other types of use which would cause congestion of the networks or otherwise interfere with the work of others is prohibited.
  
  
• Transmission of information which violates or infringes on the rights of any other person or any information which would be abusive, profane, or sexually offensive is prohibited.
  
  
• While software and shareware is available over the Internet, the quality of the software and impact on the system cannot be guaranteed. Software and shareware should not be downloaded to individual user accounts or computers without the express permission of a teacher. Software that has not been approved will be removed from accounts by the system administrator. In the case of shareware, the author expects reimbursement for the use of the software. Any user downloading shareware is expected to reimburse the software's author for the privilege of using the software. The district will not be responsible for shareware downloading and fees. Shareware may not be stored on district electronic resources without permission from principals or his/her designee.
  
  
• If a student accesses information or a site with information that does not have an educational or research purpose, he or she is to exit from the site immediately and inform the teacher.
  

You may ask students to print out a copy of the history of sites that have been accessed during any specific Internet session in order to verify the educational nature of the sites that have been visited.
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Network Etiquette (Netiquette):

"Netiquette" is a term describing the generally accepted rules of behavior on networked systems. District staff and students are expected to abide by these rules and access may be revoked for violation of these rules.

• Be polite. Do not get abusive in messages to others.
  
  
• Use appropriate language. Do not swear, use vulgarities, or any other inappropriate language.
  
  
• Illegal activities are strictly prohibited.
  
  
• Do not reveal personal addresses or phone numbers or those of students, teachers, or staff members.
  
  
• Note that electronic mail (e-mail) is not guaranteed to be private. People who operate the system do have access to all mail. Mail can be forwarded to accounts other than those to which it was originally addressed. Messages relating to or in support of illegal activities may be reported to the authorities (school, local, state, or federal).
  
  
• Do not use the network in such a way as to disrupt the use of the network by other users.
  
  
• All communications and information accessible via the network are assumed to be the property of the publisher and/or sender and may be copyrighted and should not be distributed or copied without permission.

Important Do's

• Do be brief. Fewer people will bother to read a long message.
  
  
• minimize spelling errors. Be sure the message is easy to understand and read.
  
  
• use accurate and descriptive titles for messages and articles. Tell people what it is about before they read it.
  
  
• get the most appropriate audience for the message, not the widest.
  
  
• remember that humor and satire are very often misinterpreted.
  
  
• remember that if posting to multiple groups, specify all groups in a single message.
  
  
• cite references for any facts presented.
  
  
• do not be too critical of the spelling and grammar errors of others.
  
  
• keep signatures brief.
  
  
• remember that all network users are human beings.
  
  
• post only to known groups.
  
  
• not"attack" correspondents; persuade them with facts.

Security:

Security on any computer system is a high priority, especially when the system involves many users. If you or a student feel you can identify a security problem on the Internet, a building or system administrator must be notified. Do not permit the problem to be demonstrated to other users. The following is considered inappropriate use of the network.

• Do not use another individual's account without written permission from that individual.
  
  
• You are responsible for the protection of your password to your account. Do not give your account name and password to other individuals. If you suspect that your account is being used by others, notify your system administrator immediately.
  
  
• Attempts to logon onto the Internet as a system administrator or to perform system administrator tasks may result in cancellation of user privileges.
  
  
• Any user identified as a security risk or having a history of security problems with other computer systems may be denied access to district network resources.
  
  
• Anyone illegally obtaining and using access to other computer systems may be the focus of state or federal investigation and prosecution. Applicable state statutes include Section 16.04 Unlawful Access To Stored Communications and Section 33.03 Breach of Computer Security.
  
  
• Students are not to reveal their personal home address, home phone number, or the phone numbers of any other individuals. Personal signatures on any e-mail must use the school address only. The student must notify his/her parent(s)/guardian(s) and system administrator immediately if any individual is trying to contact him or her for illicit or suspicious activities.
  
  
• If unacceptable or illegal activities take place using a student's account, then the student will be held responsible, regardless of whether he or she personally took the actions, which may result in loss of access to the Internet or other disciplinary actions.

Updating User Information:

Internet sites may occasionally require new registration and account information from you to continue accessing the site. Currently, there are no user fees for access to Internet sites, however, this is subject to change with 24 hours notice. Access to Tenet may involve user fees. Individual users are responsible for payment of Tenet fees. Programs may choose to subscribe to fee-for-service networks. These charges will be paid for from school or program budgets.

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World Wide Web:

The district has created a World Wide Web server that will provide individuals with Internet accounts access to information about the district and programs. Students do not have permission to create "home pages" or directories without teacher review and approval. Student home pages may not be posted on school home pages on the district servers without teacher review for content and linkages and approval by the principal and his/her designee. Pictures cannot be posted on student home pages or on class home pages that allow students to be identified individually by name. Student work will be published only under the direction of the supervising teacher.

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Home Use of District Computing Resources:

The district may grant access to network services from non-school sites as an option. The district will not be responsible for providing facilities to students in order to access those services from home. Users shall not take home district technology equipment (hardware or software) without written permission of a teacher or principal.
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Disk Usage:

Users may be granted disk storage space to store e-mail messages or other files. However, disk space is finite and the site administrators reserve the right to set quotas for disk usage on the system. A user who exceeds his or her quota will be advised to delete files to return to compliance. Users may request additional file space from site administrators. After notice, a user who remains in non-compliance of disk space quotas may have their files removed by a system administrator. Additionally, site administrators may find it necessary to recover disk space and remove files. The administrator will attempt to notify the user so that the files can be moved to a medium outside the system.

Other actions that shall be taken by users in order to conserve system resources will be addressed in the training course that will be taken by every applicant for a system account.

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• Respect the legal protection provided by copyright and license to programs and data.
  
  
• Respect the rights of others by complying with all district policies regarding intellectual property.
  
  
• Respect the rights of others by complying with all district policies regarding sexual, racial, and other forms of harassment, and by preserving the privacy of personal data to which you have access.
  
  
• Respect the privacy of others by not tampering with their files, passwords, or accounts, or representing others when messaging or conferencing.
  
  
• Use only computer ids or accounts and communications facilities that you are duly authorized to use, and use them for the purposes for which they were intended.
  
  
• Respect the integrity of computing systems and data; for example, not intentionally developing programs (such as viruses) or making use of already existing programs that harass other users, or infiltrate a computer or computing system, and/or damage or alter the software components of a computer or computing system, or gain unauthorized access to other facilities accessible via the network.
  
  
• Understand that illegal use will result in an investigation and potential prosecution.

In addition to the rights and responsibilities that students, staff, and faculty are expected to exercise in accessing the Internet and other electronic information resources, there are guidelines for protecting students from unexpected information or messages on the Internet. These guidelines are included in the student handbook. They are relevant to home use of Internet resources. They are included here for discussion, referral, and use.

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Guidelines for Safe Use of Computer Resources

Using electronic information resources can be a great educational benefit and allow students to "meet" people from all over the world - ranging from scientists to schoolchildren from other countries - and it can be a lot of fun. However, remember that you cannot "see" who you are talking to on the Internet. People may misrepresent themselves. The district will make reasonable efforts to supervise school access to ensure that Internet access is a positive educational experience. However, many students may also access the Internet from home facilities as well. In order to ensure your safety and positive outcomes from Internet access, the district strongly recommends that the following guidelines be used.

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• I will not give out personal information such as my address, telephone number, parent's work address/telephone number, or the name and location of my school without my teacher's permission at school or my parent's permission.
  
  
• I will tell my parents right away if I come across any information that makes me feel uncomfortable.
  
  
• I will never agree to get together with someone I "meet" on-line without first checking with my parents. If my parents agree to the meeting, I will be sure that it is in a public place and bring my mother or father along.
  
  
• I will never send a person my picture or anything else without first checking with my parents.
  
  
• I will not respond to any messages that are mean or in any way make me feel uncomfortable. It is not my fault if I get a message like that. If I do, I will tell my teacher or parents right away so that they can contact the system administrator.
  
  
• I will follow the rules that my teacher has set at school and I will talk with my parents so that they can set up rules for going on-line at home.
  
  

The Conroe Independent School District (District) will be offering access to the Internet, Tenet, and a district based World Wide Web server to teachers, staff, and students for the purposes of pursuing educational and research goals. Access to these resources is considered a privilege and district policies, regulations, and procedures have been developed to address the issues and concerns raised by access to electronic information. In addition to the general policies, regulations, and procedures that must be adhered to by all district personnel and students who have access to electronic resources from the district's computers and network systems, teachers (and librarians who work directly with students on educational assignments) will have a number of additional responsibilities for maintaining adherence to district policies, regulations, and procedures while promoting Internet access in pursuit of educational goals.

These new responsibilities will apply once teachers or district staff indicate that they want Internet or World Wide Web access. Such responsibilities are in keeping with the standards and practices outlined in the Code of Ethics and Standard Practices for Texas Educators - DH(E) and policy CQ.

1. Teachers will be responsible for attending classes on Internet access prior to teaching courses to students who will be provided Internet access as part of their course work.
   
   
2. Teachers will be responsible for distributing and collecting the student signed consent forms needed in order to provide students with access and with forwarding the forms to the principal's office and system administrator in order to obtain passwords.
   
   
3. Teachers will be professionally responsible for closely monitoring student conduct on the Internet during class sessions and during other teacher supervised use and activities. Teachers may ask a student to print out a copy of the history of sites that have been accessed during any specific Internet session to verify the educational relevance of the site.
   
   
4. Resources will be restricted unless for specific class use. Examples: Use of Internet Relay Chat sessions or access to Usenet groups is not permitted. Teachers are responsible for regulating access.
   
   
5. Students may be allowed to develop and post their own World Wide Web pages; however, teachers must preview and approve the proposed content and linkages of those pages prior to posting. Pictures that allow an individual student to be identified by name are prohibited. Home pages will be posted to the school's Internet home pages on the district server only after further review by the principal or his/her designee. The districtwide Electronic Information Resources subcommittee of the Technology Steering Committee will be developing further procedures on home pages and expected content and quality of home page material. Only teachers will be allowed to upload files to the district Web server after the review process. This responsibility may not be delegated.
   
   
6. Commercial use of Internet resources is not acceptable, including entering contests.
   
   
7. Purchases will not be permitted using district network resources.
   
   
8. Student access to the Internet may be denied by parental action and cannot be considered mandatory. Students who do not have access to the Internet must be provided with alternative means for completing class assignments.
   
   
9. Because of limited disk space and the potential for negative impact on system performance, students will not be able to download, store, and run software and shareware from the Internet without teacher permission. In the case of shareware, the author expects reimbursement. Any user downloading shareware is expected to reimburse the software's author for the privilege of using the software. The district will not be responsible for shareware downloading and fees. Shareware may not be stored on district electronic storage resources without permission from the principal or his/her designee.
   
   
10. Teachers will be responsible for following through on suspected violations of Internet policies and procedures by students working on their class assignments, whether during their classes or not.
    
    
11. Teachers will intervene if there is any suspected violation of policies on use of copyrighted materials.
    
    
12. Teachers who assign or suggest Internet use for class assignments must teach and monitor proper copyrighting and referencing citation of materials acquired over the district's computer network.
    
    
13. Teachers and district staff recognize that computer files and e-mail have the same legal status as other district communications and files that are subject to public access.
    
    
14. Teachers and district staff recognize that activities outlined in the district handbook as illegal or which are contrary to state or federal law can result in disciplinary action or charges being brought against district personnel who are found to engage in or permit such activities using district computers and networking facilities. Relevant state statutes are Section 16.04 Unlawful Access To Stored Communications And Section 33.02 Breach Of Computer Security.
    
    
15. Teachers may not use district electronic resources to acquire and/or bring through the district's network obscene, offensive, or objectionable material. The system has been financed by public money and is not intended for the private use of individual staff. Access to Internet sites will be monitored and tracked by system administrators.
    
    

I have read the district's Internet policy and above requirements and agree to follow district guidelines.

              																																						  
___________________________         ___________________________

Teacher/Employee Signature          Printed Name 

______________________         ___/____/____ 
School                          Date
  
____________________           ___/____/____   
Principal's Signature          Date


One copy to Principal's Office          One Copy to employee


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These "rules" and further guidelines for safe use of on-line resources
 can be found at http://www.larrysworld.com/child_safety.html.