Policy 490 - Acceptable Use of Technology by Students
Adopted on February 8, 2024
Effective February 8, 2024
The Board provides technology and information resources to support the educational and professional needs of its students and staff. The Board provides students with access to the Internet for limited educational purposes only and utilizes online educational services/apps to enhance the instruction delivered to its students.
As West Virginia Board of Education Policy 2460 defines the acceptable use of technology for all students, staff, and visitors in West Virginia's K12 computer network and school facilities, the Board adopts this policy and incorporates it by reference here. The following provisions are intended to extend to local operation and in no way contradict or supplant WVBE Policy 2460.
The County's computer network and Internet system do not serve as a public access service or a public forum, and the Board imposes reasonable restrictions on its use consistent with its limited educational purpose.
This policy and the Student Code of Conduct govern students' use of the County's technology and information resources and students' personal communication devices when they are connected to the County's computer network, Internet connection, and/or online educational services/apps, or when used while the student is on Board-owned property or at a Board-sponsored activity.
The Board may not be able to technologically limit access to only those services and resources that have been authorized for the purpose of instruction, study and research related to the curriculum.
The Board may add other electronic filters at the county or school level.
The Superintendent may authorize temporary or permanent access to websites or online educational services/apps containing appropriate material, if access to such sites has been inappropriately blocked by the technology protection measures. The determination of whether material is appropriate or inappropriate shall be based on the content of the material and the intended use of the material, not on the protection actions of the technology protection measures.
Parents are advised that a determined user may be able to gain access to services and/or resources on the Internet that the Board has not authorized for educational purposes. Parents of minors are responsible for setting and conveying the standards that their children should follow when using the Internet.
Pursuant to Federal law, students shall receive education about the following:
- safety and security while using e-mail, chat rooms, social media, and other forms of direct electronic communications;
- the dangers inherent with the online disclosure of personally identifiable information;
- the consequences of unauthorized access (e.g., "hacking", "harvesting", "digital piracy", "data mining", etc.), cyberbullying and other unlawful or inappropriate activities by students online; and
- unauthorized disclosure, use, and dissemination of personally identifiable information regarding minors.
Staff members shall provide instruction for their students regarding the appropriate use of technology and online safety and security as specified above and staff will monitor students' online activities while at school.
Monitoring may include, but is not necessarily limited to, visual observations of online activities during class sessions; or use of specific monitoring tools to review browser history and network, server, and computer logs.
Building principals are responsible for providing training so that Internet users under their supervision are knowledgeable about this policy and its accompanying guidelines. The Board expects that staff will provide guidance and instruction to students in the appropriate use of the technology. Such training shall include, but not be limited to, education concerning appropriate online behavior, including interacting with other individuals on social media, including in chat rooms and cyberbullying awareness and response.
Students are responsible for good behavior when using County technology resources - i.e., behavior comparable to that expected of students when they are in classrooms, school hallways, and other school premises and school-sponsored events. Communications on the Internet are often public in nature. General school rules for behavior and communication apply.
Students may only use County technology resources to access or use social media if it is done for educational purposes in accordance with their teacher's approved plan for such use.
Students who disregard this policy may have their use privileges suspended or revoked, and disciplinary action taken against them.
Students are personally responsible and liable, both civilly and criminally, for uses of County technology resources that are not authorized by this policy.
District-Issued Student E-Mail Account
Students assigned a school email account are required to utilize it or an account associated with it for all school-related electronic communications, including those to staff members and individuals and/or organizations outside the County with whom they are communicating for school-related projects and assignments. Further, as directed and authorized by their teachers, they shall use their school-assigned email account when signing-up/registering for access to various online educational services, including mobile applications/apps that will be utilized by the student for educational purposes.
Personal e-mail accounts on providers other than the WVDE's e-mail system may be blocked at any time if concerns for network security, spam, or virus protection arise. Students are expected to exercise reasonable judgment and prudence and take appropriate precautions to prevent viruses from entering the County's network when opening or forwarding any e-mails or attachments to e-mails that originate from unknown sources.
Students shall not send or forward mass e-mails, even if educationally-related.
Students may join list servs or other e-mail services (e.g. RSS feeds) that pertain to academic work, provided the e-mails received from the list servs or other e-mail services do not become excessive. E-mail from list servs or e-mail services may be blocked if the e-mails received by the student become excessive.
Students are encouraged to keep their inbox and folders organized by regularly reviewing e-mail messages and purging e-mails once they are read and no longer needed for school.
Personal Communication Devices
"Personal communication devices" (PCDs) as used in this policy are defined as those electronic devices which may, as whole or part of their function, allow for communication via wireless, wired, visual, or auditory means to one or many other parties.
While students may possess PCDs in school, on school property, during after school activities (e.g., extra-curricular activities) and at school-related functions, they must be placed into vibrate or silent mode and stored out of sight during school hours except when explicitly authorized by school administration. School administration may require storage of a student's PCDs in a particular location, i.e., in the student's locker, when it is required to be stored out of sight.
However, technology including, but not limited to, PCDs intended and actually used for instructional purposes (e.g., taking notes, recording classroom lectures, writing papers) may be permitted, as approved by the classroom teacher.
Students may not use PCDs on school property or at a school-sponsored activity to access and/or view Internet web sites that are otherwise blocked to students at school.
During after school activities, PCDs shall be placed into vibrate or silent mode and stored out of sight when directed by the administrator or sponsor.
Except as authorized by a teacher, administrator or IEP team, students are prohibited from using PCDs during the school day, including while off-campus on a field trip, to capture, record and/or transmit the words or sounds (i.e., audio) and/or images (i.e., pictures/video) of any student, staff member or other person. Using a PCD to capture, record and/or transmit audio and/or pictures/video of an individual without proper consent is considered an invasion of privacy and is not permitted. Students who violate this provision and/or use a PCD to violate the privacy rights of another person shall have their PCD confiscated and held until a parent/guardian picks it up, and may be directed to delete the audio and/or picture/video file while the parent/guardian is present. If the violation involves potentially illegal activity, the confiscated-PCD may be turned over to law enforcement.
The use of PCDs that contain built-in cameras (i.e., devices that take still or motion pictures, whether in a digital or other format) is prohibited in locker rooms, shower facilities, and/or rest/bathrooms.
Students shall have no expectation of confidentiality with respect to their use of PCDs on school premises/property.
Students may not use a PCD in any way that might reasonably create in the mind of another person an impression of being threatened, humiliated, harassed, embarrassed or intimidated. In particular, students are prohibited from using PCDs to: (1) transmit material that is threatening, obscene, disruptive, or sexually explicit or that can be construed as harassment or disparagement of others based upon their race, color, national origin, sex (including sexual orientation/transgender identity), disability, age, religion, ancestry, or political beliefs; and (2) engage in "sexting" - i.e., sending, receiving, sharing, viewing, or possessing pictures, text messages, e-mails or other materials of a sexual nature in electronic or any other form. Violation of these prohibitions shall result in disciplinary action. Furthermore, such actions will be reported to local law enforcement and child services as required by law.
Students are also prohibited from using a PCD to capture, record, and/or transmit test information or any other information in a manner constituting fraud, theft, cheating, or academic dishonesty. Likewise, students are prohibited from using PCDs to receive such information.
Possession of a PCD by a student at school during school hours and/or during extra-curricular activities is a privilege that may be forfeited by any student who fails to abide by the terms of this policy, or otherwise abuses this privilege.
Violations of this policy may result in disciplinary action and/or confiscation of the PCD. The building principal will also refer the matter to law enforcement or child services if the violation involves an illegal activity (e.g., child pornography, sexting). Discipline will be imposed on an escalating scale ranging from a warning to an expulsion based on the number of previous violations and/or the nature of or circumstances surrounding a particular violation. If the PCD is confiscated, it will be released/returned to the student's parent/guardian after the student complies with any other disciplinary consequences that are imposed, unless the violation involves potentially illegal activity in which case the PCD may be turned over to law enforcement. A confiscated device will be marked in a removable manner with the student's name and held in a secure location in the building's central office until it is returned to the student, retrieved by the parent/guardian, or turned over to law enforcement as appropriate. School officials will not search or otherwise tamper with PCDs in Board custody unless they reasonably suspect that the search is required to discover information that may be relevant to an imminent safety or security risk, or when authorized to do so by the student's parent(s).or guardian(s). If multiple offenses occur, a student may lose his/her privilege to bring a PCD to school for a designated length of time or on a permanent basis.
A person who discovers a student using a PCD in violation of this policy is required to report the violation to the building principal.
Students are personally and solely responsible for the care and security of their PCDs. The Board assumes no responsibility for theft, loss, or damage to, or misuse or unauthorized use of, PCDs brought onto its property.
Parents/Guardians are advised that the best way to get in touch with their child during the school day is by calling the school office.
Students may use school phones to contact parents/guardians during the school day when granted approval by an appropriate staff member.
All students shall annually receive instruction on this policy and acknowledge receipt and understanding of it by means of a written statement provided by the Superintendent.
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