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Mercy
Vocational High School
Contract
for Acceptable Online Behavior
Download Acceptable Use Policy in Word 2007 Document Format | Download Netbook Contract in Word 2007 Document Format
With
advances in technology we live in a world where access to information is easier
and faster. We are also moving to a need to share world. Students now
consume information as well as create information for others to use. At Mercy,
our goals are to teach our students how to use these technologies effectively
and safely and to be responsible digital citizens. Learning these technologies
will require new responsibilities for our students.
Mercy
Vocational High School (MVHS) values the use of technology and encourages its
use in creative ways to support student learning in a safe and secure learning
environment. This policy is a guide to ensuring the appropriate use of the
technology as well as safety for all community members.
This
policy applies to any and all devices that are connected to the MVHS Network
including desktop computers, laptop computers, mobile phones, MP3 players,
gaming devices, and digital cameras. Learning always takes priority while using
the MVHS wireless connections as well as any wired connections.
Mercy’s
Acceptable Use Policy was developed with input from other one-to-one schools,
Mercy students, and Mercy’s Technology Department.
Network
- Connecting to the Internet
The
entire school is covered by a high-speed wireless Internet network. All students
will be able to access the Internet, as long as they follow this policy. With
this connection comes a degree of risk, this policy is made to help users avoid
these risks, keep our community safe and abide by Internet
laws.
Guidelines
MVHS
will monitor user data and internet access and check the contents of any
electronic device brought onto the school’s premises or on any official school
event.
Curriculum use of the network and
computer resources takes precedence over non-curriculum use including games not
related to class work.
This
statement covers (but is not limited to) the use of electronic devices
(computers, laptops, digital video and music players, cameras, other recording
devices, mobile phones and organizers) owned by the school and/or by students
that are brought onto school’s premises, on school-sponsored outings, or other
official school functions.
MVHS
reserves the right to ensure all MVHS/student computers (desktops, laptops, and
netbooks) have sufficient space to support learning activities. This may include
the school deleting nonessential games, music and video files.
Users
Shall …
- Treat
all technology and labs with respect
- Report
any inappropriate use of equipment immediately to MVHS’ IT staff (Vice
Principal, IT support person or computer technology
instructor)
- Use
the technology in a responsible manner.
Users
Shall Not...
Touch
another person’s laptop/device unless invited by the owner
Play
with, use, or change another person’s user account or
password
Access
another person’s files or resources
Access
areas of the network for which you have not been given
permission
Load
any game, video or music file on your machine that is not paid for by
you
Play
games at school, unless sanctioned and agreed upon by teachers and
staff
Access
inappropriate websites (obscene, violent etc) on your
laptop
Chat
online or play music/videos unless given permission by your
teacher
Use
a mobile phone or music device unless their use is sanctioned by a teacher for a
learning activity or listening to music during independent
work
Post
or send any message/picture/sound/video that is obscene, rude, harassing,
insulting, threatening or intimidating to anyone
Take
or post any pictures/videos of others without asking their
permission
Abuse
any hardware or software
Users
Shall Not Hog...
Do
not take up bandwidth by downloading movies, music, pictures, or by playing
online games not directly connected to your learning
Do
not store music, movies, pictures or files in your personal school network
folder not connected to your learning.
Users
Shall Not Steal...
Do
not download any illegal materials (e.g. cracked software, pirated music or
movies, or any copyrighted materials) or intellectual property that was not
purchased by you. It is a violation of Federal Law!
Peer-to-peer
(BitTorrent, UTorrent, Limewire, Bearshare, etc.) file sharing is strictly
prohibited and monitored by the MVHS Technology Staff
Usage
will result in appropriate sanctions
Do
not plagiarize i.e. present anybody else’s work as your
own
No
spamming, hacking, hawking, or trolling
Do
not forward or send any content not directly associated with your learning (e.g.
advertisements, games, pictures)
Do
not deliberately or negligently spread viruses, malware, or
spyware
Do
not attempt to access any areas of the school network, or other peoples devices
you do not have permission to visit
Do
not run a business or seek to make profit using the school
network.
Sanctions
… Possible punishment if the rules are not followed
Sanctions
for violations stated above may include the following
measures:
Confiscation
of the device for a defined period
Withdrawal
of privileges including on-line access for breaches of on-line
policy
Withdrawal
of the right to use electronic devices at Mercy Vocational High
School
Blockage
from the network of any and all devices downloading illegal files such as music,
video and photographs for a predetermined time
Payment
for cost of any necessary repairs not covered by the insurance
policy.
Serious
Breaches of Rules
All
incidences will be handled on a student-by-student basis
Violations
could result in suspension or expulsion
Law
enforcement agencies may be involved
Note:
If
a harassing or threatening message is received DO NOT reply. Print message and inform school
officials immediately.
One-to-One
Netbook Program
The
netbooks are jointly owned by Mercy Vocational High School and the
parent/guardian while the student attends Mercy. The netbook becomes the
student’s netbook when he/she graduates from Mercy Vocational High School.
Parents/guardians are required to buy the insurance each year the netbook is in
the hands of a student.
User
Responsibilities Concerning Netbooks
Have
the netbook with you everyday and bring it to your classes unless directed
differently by a teacher.
Keep
the netbook in a safe, clean place.
Insurance will
not cover a lost computer due to negligence (i.e. leaving unattended on top of
locker)
Charge
the netbook battery on a regular basis at home so that it can be used during the
school day; students will not be able to charge their netbooks at
school.
Notify
MVHS if the users home address changes at any point during the time they possess
the netbook.
A
police report must be filed in the event of theft
or fire; provide MVHS with a copy of the report that is
filed.
Keep
the netbook in its sleeve and in a PADDED backpack.
Administration
of Computers
All
users will be granted with the power to change the settings within their
assigned netbook. That way updates to software can be made and peripherals can
be hooked up to the laptop with ease. The user may not change password settings
or computer name settings; these are uniform to the school and are necessary for
the maintenance and upkeep of the netbook.
Record
Keeping
Each
netbook has three unique identifiers, the serial number, the wired network MAC
address, and the wireless network MAC address. Each of these numbers is recorded
for each netbook as well as to which student it is being issued. Do not remove or damage the
sticker with the serial number or exchange serial numbers with any other
netbook.
File
Storage
Personal
files should be kept to a minimum on the netbook. These should be saved to an
external hard disk drive or USB flash drive - this includes all music files and
photographs. MVHS is not responsible for
any lost school or personal files.
A
two gigabyte storage space will be available through DropBox for students to
keep all school related files safe - All files should be saved to the Dropbox
account - further instruction using Dropbox will be given in the
school.
Students
are responsible for maintaining current backups of all their own schoolwork
either online through Dropbox or their own backup solution (such as through an
external hard disk drive or USB flash drive). You will be expected to turn in
your work on time even in the event that your laptop fails. The IT team CANNOT
recover your files.
The
IT team is not responsible for any files lost during
service.
Web
Content Filtering
Internet
access is filtered throughout the school when accessed through the wired or
wireless network, preventing access to inappropriate, objectionable,
non-academic, or non-productive material. Students are not permitted to use
proxies or any other method to bypass these filters. They are in place for your
safety.
Email
All
students, faculty, and staff have a Mercy email account. It is used to
communicate with parents, other students, teachers and others. E-mail may be
used during the school day for academic, but not for personal purposes. If there
is a personal need, students may access e-mail before, after school or with the permission of a teacher. A
Mercy E-mail account is never private and users of e-mail should be aware of
this.
Users
will have access to an email account during the four years they attend MVHS. An
email address with the suffix @mercyvhs.org will be provided to all students,
faculty and staff. This email address is to be used for all school-related
business. Your private account should be used for all other
communications.
Email/Chatting
Etiquette
Communicating
online is very much like communicating with people in person. You must be
respectful of others at all times. Remember that all email messages and chat
logs can be read by the MVHS Technology Team and the administration. Do not
write anything you would not want to share with teachers and
parents.
Members
of MVHS, including staff members, use instant messaging and blogging software to
communicate. Part of the learning experience at MVHS is to responsibly use these
types of communication methods as part of your school day. Students need to be
aware that chatting during class time when not instructed to do so is a
distraction. Students who are asked to refrain from or quit using chat programs
during class time must do so immediately.
Publishing
or Uploading to the Web
In
some cases your class work will be published online or students will be asked to
hand in assignments that are published online. Having work published online
means the world can see what you have uploaded. This is a great opportunity for
students as well as people not directly involved with MVHS to see the work you
do here; it provides you and other students a chance to share your work and have
it viewed. People curious about MVHS will be visiting our web page to see what
goes on daily.
Netbook
Support
Students
having problems with their Mercy-issued netbook can bring them to Room 218 for
service. This room will be staffed by the Computer Technology teachers and
students. The computer will be assessed to determine what the problem
is.
Mercy
is not responsible for repairing any hardware or software upgrades that may have
been performed by either you or a third party (i.e.; friends or relatives). In
the event that any such work has been done, or if shown to be the cause of the
issue, we will attempt to restore the system back to default hardware and
software settings. Upgrades always
have a risk of permanent damage. This is not covered under the insurance
policy.
Mercy
will not provide support in regards to upgrading, reprogramming, or replacing
any software program or operating system or any hardware component, including
but not limited to; RAM, hard disk drive, BIOS, or networking components, unless
the hardware component has been deemed faulty. Students are expected to be
running Windows 7 Starter Edition on their netbooks throughout the school day. A
netbook running any other variation of Microsoft Windows or Linux or any other
operating system will not be supported unless the operating system is required
by their teacher. We will also not provide support in regards to hacking,
distributing malware, or reconfiguring any software or system settings for
illegal or inappropriate activities, whether for during or outside of
school.
Cost for repairs
not covered by the Netbook insurance policy will be the responsibility of the
student.
Netbook
Support Office Hours
Students
experiencing a problem with his/her netbook may bring the netbook to Room 218
during the following times:
During
homeroom with permission from the homeroom teacher
During
6th or 7th lunch with permission from the lunch-room
moderator
After
school
Netbook
Insurance Policy
The
cost for netbook insurance is $10.00 with $0 deductible. The insurance covers
loss from:
accidental
damage,
theft
(police report must be filed)
fire,
flood, natural disasters
power
surge due to lightning occurring during the policy period. (see the insurance
handbook for more detailed information
The
insurance policy does not cover:
Damage
caused by the user.
Visible
damage caused to chargers.
Batteries.
F.A.Q’s
1.
What
do I owe up front?
The
money for the insurance is owed at the beginning of each school
year.
2.
What
is not covered by the insurance?
Batteries
that can not keep a charge are not covered and chargers that have physical
damage to the casing.
3.
Who
pays for parts that are not covered by the insurance?
In
the event that a battery goes bad or the charger suffers physical damage by the
user then the user or his/her guardian must pay for the parts that are broken or
missing.
4.
Who
makes the decisions about what is covered under the
insurance?
The
insurance company makes the decisions.
5.
When
does the student get to keep the netbook?
A
student will keep his/her netbook when he/she successfully graduates from Mercy.
The netbook will be returned to Mercy if a student leaves Mercy prior to
graduation.
6.
What
happens if the student leaves his/her netbook at home?
This
is considered unprepared for class.
The teacher will decide what the consequence is.
7.
What
happens if the student’s netbook battery is not charged for the school
day?
The
student is responsible for charging the netbook battery at home. If the student
does not do this and the battery runs low during the school day then this is
considered unprepared for class.
Mercy does not have the resources (outlets) to have students charging their
netbooks during class.
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