WELCOME TO THE INTERNET

 

These guidelines are provided so that students, parents of students under 18 years of age, and staff members are aware of the responsibilities that they are about to acquire. The signature(s) on the application are legally binding and indicate that the party(ies) who has signed the agreement are aware of these conditions and their significance.

 

TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF ACCEPTABLE INTERNET USE

 

The Standish-Sterling Community School District ("District") has actively pursued making advanced technology and increased access to learning opportunities available to our students and staff. We are happy to announce that we now can offer Internet Services through the Bay-Arenac Intermediate School District. Though it seems almost futuristic, the Internet is a part of the information superhighway you may have heard about through the media. We believe this advanced technology will help propel today's schools into the information age by allowing students and staff to access and use information from distant sources, communicate and share information with individuals or groups of other students and staff, and significantly expand their knowledge base. The Internet is a tool for lifelong learning and only begins to open the door to many other advancements that will become commonplace in the years to come.

 

It is the intent of Standish-Sterling Community School District to make on-line resources available to students and staff in order to promote personal growth in information gathering techniques, critical thinking skills, and communication skills. These sources exist in a fluid environment. The information that is available is constantly changing. Therefore the availability of on-line resources does not indicate endorsement of their contents by school officials.

 

With that in mind, we must work together to help students develop the intellectual skills needed to discriminate among information sources and to evaluate and use information that will assist them in meeting their educational goals.

 

BELIEF STATEMENT

 

Freedom of inquiry and access to information are fundamental to the development of our society and are beneficial to all students and staff. On-line electronic resources provide an exceptional opportunity for the promotion of intellectual inquiry, comprehensive information gathering, and awareness of global diversity through world-wide communication and exploration.

 

On-line resources such as the Internet can be used to educate, to inform, to communicate and to entertain. As a learning resource these on-line tools are similar to books, magazines, video, CD-ROM, and other information sources. Students and staff have access to other individuals, government documents, social and scientific data, library indexes, and many other types of information.

 

PROPER AND ETHICAL USE

 

With these new learning tool students and staff must understand and practice proper and ethical use. All students and staff must attend training regarding procedures, ethics and security involving using the Internet before receiving an account name and password in order to use the system.

 

CONDITIONS AND RULES FOR USE:

 

1. Acceptable Use

 

    a)   The purpose of the Internet is to facilitate communications in support of research and education by providing access to unique resources and an opportunity for collaborative work. To remain eligible as a user, the use of your account must be in support of and consistent with the educational objectives of the District. Access to the Internet is made possible through an appropriate provider to be designated by the Bay-Arenac Intermediate School District at its sole discretion. All users of the Internet must comply with all of the existing rules and regulations that are incorporated into this document and are available from the District. All subsequent modifications of policies or regulations are equally binding on the users of this system.

 

    b)   Transmission of any material in violation of any United States or state regulation is prohibited. This includes, but is not limited to, copyrighted material, threatening or obscene material, or material protected by trade secret.

 

    c)   Use for commercial activities is generally not acceptable. Use for product advertisement or political lobbying is also prohibited.

 

    d)   No profane, abusive or impolite language should be used nor should materials be accessed which are not in line with the rules of school behavior. Should students encounter this type of material, they should report this to the teacher immediately. Students are advised never to access, keep, or send any material that they would not want their parents or teachers to see.

 

    e)   Illegal Copying -- Student are not permitted to download any files to school equipment without the prior permission of their teacher. Receiving permission is important and should not be ignored. Students should never download or install any commercial software or shareware or any files on the system without the prior permission of district staff.

 

    f)   Telephone and Other Charges -- The Standish-Sterling Community School District assumes no responsibility or liability for any phone charges including, but not limited to, long distance charges, per-minute (unit) surcharges, and/or equipment or line costs incurred by a user while accessing this system. Other user charges that may be encountered while accessing the system shall also be the responsibility of the user. Any disputes or problems regarding phone or other user charges are strictly between the user and his/her phone company or the provider of the service in dispute.

 

2. Privilege

 

The use of the Internet is a privilege, not a right. Inappropriate use, including any violation of these conditions and rules, can result in termination of the privilege. The administration of the Standish-Sterling Community School District, under this agreement, is delegated the authority to determine appropriate use and may deny, revoke, suspend or close any user account at any time based upon its determination of inappropriate use by account holder or user.

 

3. Monitoring

 

The Standish-Sterling Community School District reserves the right to examine all data accessed or stored in the machines involved in the Internet Link to make sure that all users are in compliance with these regulations.

 

No user shall use this Internet Link to perform any acts that may be construed as illegal or unethical, including using this link to gain unauthorized access to other systems on the network.

 

4. Network Etiquette

 

All users are expected to abide by the generally accepted rules of network etiquette. These include, but are not limited to, the following:

 

    a)   Be polite. Do not send abusive messages to others.

 

    b)   Use appropriate language. Do not swear, use vulgarities or any other inappropriate language. Do not engage in activities that are prohibited under state or federal law.

 

    c)   Do NOT reveal your personal address or phone numbers or those of other students or colleagues. The school address should be used for all correspondence.

 

    d)   Note that electronic mail (e-mail) is not guaranteed to be private. People who operate the system do have access to all mail. Messages relating to or in support of illegal activities may be reported to the authorities and may result in the loss of user privileges. Messages received on the system are generally retained on the system until removed by the account holder. Users are expected to remove old messages in a timely manner and system administrators may remove messages if not attended to regularly by the user. The District will investigate reports regarding e-mail that is alleged to contain defamatory, inaccurate, abusive, obscene, profane, sexually oriented, threatening, racially offensive, illegal, or other similar types of information. In addition, the District reserves the right to inspect any and all e-mail at any time and will cooperate fully with district, local, state, and federal officials in any investigation concerning or relating to any e-mail transmitted on this system.

 

    e)   Do not use the network in such a way that you would disrupt the use of the network by other users.

 

    f)   All communications and information accessible via the network should be assumed to be private property.

 

5. No Warranties

 

The Standish-Sterling Community School District and the Bay-Arenac Intermediate School District make no warranties of any kind, whether express or implied, for the service it is providing. The Standish-Sterling Community School District will not be responsible for any damages a user suffers. This includes loss of data resulting from delays, no-deliveries, misdeliveries, or service interruptions caused by the Standish-Sterling Community School District's negligence or by the user's errors or omissions. Use of any information obtained via the Internet is at the user's own risk. The Standish-Sterling Community School District and the Bay-Arenac Intermediate School District specifically deny any responsibility for the accuracy or quality of information obtained through its services. All users need to consider the source of any information they obtain, and consider how valid that information may be.

 

Note: The Standish-Sterling Community School District makes no guarantees, implied or otherwise, regarding the reliability of the data connection. Neither the Standish-Sterling Community School District nor the sponsor organizations, shall be liable for any loss nor corruption of data while using the Internet connection. The system administrators and the school district do not warrant that the functions or services performed by, or that the information or software contained on the system will meet the member's requirements or that the operation of the system will be uninterrupted or error-free or that defects in the system will be corrected. The district's system will be provided on an "as-is,” “as-available" basis. The district does not make any warranties, express or implied, including without limitation, those of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose, with respect to any services provided by the same and any information or software contained therein.

 

The Standish-Sterling Community School District is not required to continue providing Internet accesses service and may, at its sole discretion, cancel its participation as a service provider.

 

The most important prerequisite for someone to receive an Internet account is that he or she take full responsibility for his or her own actions. The Standish-Sterling Community School District will not be responsible for the actions of anyone connecting to the Internet through this hookup. All users shall assume full liability, legal, financial, or otherwise, for their actions. In the case of minor students this liability shall be assumed by the parents or legal guardian. In addition, the District takes no responsibility for any information or materials that are transferred through the Internet.

 

6. Security

 

    a)   Security on any computer system is a high priority, especially when the system involves many users. Users must never allow others to use their password. Users should also protect their password to ensure system security and their own privilege and ability to continue the use of the system.

 

    b)   If you feel you can identify a security problem on the Internet, you must notify a system administrator. Do not demonstrate the problem to other users.

 

    c)   Do NOT use another individual's account without express written permission of the account holder.

 

    d)   Attempts to log on to the Internet as a system administrator may result in cancellation of user privileges.

 

    e)   Any user identified as a security risk for having a history of problems with other computer systems may be denied access to the Internet by the Standish-Sterling Community School District or the Bay-Arenac Intermediate School District.

 

7. Vandalism and Harassment

 

    a)   Vandalism and harassment will result in cancellation of user privileges.

 

    b)   Vandalism is defined as any malicious attempt to harm, modify, and destroy data of another user, the Internet, USEnet or other networks that are connected to the NSFnet Internet backbone. This includes, but is not limited to, the uploading or creating of computer viruses.

   

    c)   It shall be considered vandalism to introduce unauthorized software and/or viruses onto the system that could disrupt services, destroy existing programs, or eliminate information stored on the system. The user will be liable for damages and may be referred to the appropriate authorities for prosecution.

 

    d)   Harassment is defined as the persistent annoyance of another user, or the interference of another user's work. Harassment includes, but is not limited to, the sending of unwanted e-mail.

 

8. Procedures for Use

 

    a)   Student users must always get permission from their instructors before using the network or accessing any specific file or application. STUDENTS ARE REQUIRED TO FOLLOW WRITTEN AND ORAL CLASSROOM INSTRUCTIONS AT ALL TIMES.

 

    b)   Student users must sign-in legibly on the appropriate log or register in the classroom each time they use the network.

 

    c)   All users have the same right to use the equipment. Therefore, users shall not play games or use the computer resources for other non-academic activities when other users require the system for academic purposes. In addition, users shall not waste nor take supplies, such as paper, printer ribbons, and diskettes, that are provided by the District. All users agree to talk softly and work in ways that will not disturb other users.

 

9. Encounter of Controversial Material

 

Users may encounter material that is controversial and which users, parents, teachers or administrators may consider inappropriate or offensive. However, on a global network it is impossible to control effectively the content of data and an industrious user may discover controversial material. It is the users' responsibility not to initiate access to such material. Any decision by the Standish-Sterling Community School District to restrict access to the Internet material shall not be deemed to impose any duty on the Standish-Sterling Community School District to regulate the content of material on the Internet.

 

Because of the size of the Internet, many kinds of material eventually find their way onto the system. All users should be aware that the transfer of certain kinds of materials is illegal, and punishable by fines or a jail sentence.

 

DISTRICT GUIDELINES FOR STUDENT USE OF THE INTERNET

 

Internet users are expected to use the Internet as an educational resource. The following procedures and guidelines are used to help ensure that appropriate use.

 

    1.   Students are to receive instruction in the proper use of the Internet through a review of the Student Expectations for Use of the Internet.

    2.   Students are required to sign a contract indicating their understanding and acceptance of the district's guidelines. They may then use the Internet in a supervised classroom environment.

    3.   Parents must give their permission for their child to use the Internet independently for educational purposes as an individual by signing the "Agreement and Application for the Standish-Sterling Community School District Internet Account." Parents also have the option of denying permission for their child to use the Internet.

    4.   Students are responsible for the results of their explorations of the Internet and will be subject to the consequences of the District discipline policy for violations of school rules.

 

STUDENT EXPECTATIONS FOR USE OF THE INTERNET

 

Internet users are expected to behave responsibly in accessing and viewing information that is pertinent to the mission of the district. You are expected to abide by the generally accepted rules of network etiquette. These include (but are not limited to) the following:

 

    1.   Be courteous and respectful in your messages to others.

    2.   Use appropriate language. Do not swear, use vulgarities or any other inappropriate language. Illegal activities are strictly forbidden.

    3.   Do not reveal your home address or phone numbers, or those of other students or colleagues. Use school addresses and phone numbers only... even if you think you "know" your correspondent.

    4.   Note that electronic mail (e-mail) is not guaranteed to be private. People who operate the system do have access to all mail. Messages relating to or in support of illegal activities may be reported to the authorities.

    5.   Always try to do your best writing, and proofread and edit your messages.

    6.   Only public domain software can be downloaded and then only after receiving prior permission.

    7.   Do not post personal messages on bulletin-boards or "List Serves". Send personal messages directly to the person to whom you want to write.

    8.   Do not use the network in such a way that you would disrupt the use of the network by other users.

 

ON-LINE SAFETY RULES

 

    o    I will not give out personal information, such as my address, telephone number, parent's work address or telephone number or the name and location of my school without my parents' permission.

    o    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.

    o    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 parents right away so that they can contact the on-line service.

    o    I will talk with my parents so that we can set up rules for going on-line. We will decide upon the time of day that I can be on-line, the length of time I can be on-line, and appropriate areas for me to visit. I will not access other areas or break these rules without their permission.

 

 

PENALTIES FOR IMPROPER USE:

 

    1.   Any user violating these rules, applicable state and federal laws or posted classroom and district rules is subject to loss of network privileges and any other District disciplinary options up to and including expulsion from school.

 

    2.   In addition, any user violating these rules, applicable state and federal laws or posted classroom and district rules may be subject to criminal prosecution and/or civil penalties.

 

 

APPLICATION FOR ACCOUNT

 

After reading all of the material in this document you may make application for an account. The "Agreement and Application for the Standish-Sterling Community School District Internet Account" forms may be obtained from the principal's office in the building you attend or work.

 

 

 

                                    Standish-Sterling Board of Education

 

Ronald Schwab, President                                                  Daniel Chapman, Trustee

Penny Page, Vice-president                                                Leonard LeClair, Trustee

Mary Beth Bechtel, Secretary                                          Marycloe Pendred, Trustee

William Thorp, Treasurer                                           Claude L. Inch, Superintendent

 

APPENDIX A: BAY-ARENAC TERMS AND CONDITIONS

 

 

INTRODUCTION

 

The Terms and Conditions of the Bay-Arenac Intermediate School District (BAISD) have been included for your information and are current as of January, 1997. In some cases, you will note that there is a conflict between the conditions of the BAISD and the Standish-Sterling Community School District. You must know that IN ALL CASES, THE MORE STRINGENT STANDARD WILL BE APPLIED.

 

TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THE BAY-ARENAC INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL DISTRICT

 

GENERAL INFORMATION

Bay-Arenac Net is a service provided by Bay-Arenac Intermediate School District. It is connected by a T1 link to MERIT. Because of the complex association between so many government agencies and networks, the end user of any of these networks must adhere to strict guidelines. Your signature on this application is legally binding and indicates that you have read these Terms and Conditions carefully and understand their significance.

 

INFORMATION CONTENT & USES OF Bay-Arenac Net

Members and the parents of members under 18 years of age are advised that some systems may contain defamatory, inaccurate, abusive, obscene, profane, sexually oriented, threatening, racially offensive, or illegal materials. Bay-Arenac Net, Bay-Arenac Intermediate School district and the System Administrators do not condone the use of such materials and do not permit usage of such materials in the school environment. Parents of minors having accounts on Bay-Arenac Net should monitor home usage of the system. Students knowingly bringing such materials into the school environment will be dealt with according to the discipline policies of the individual school buildings, local district, and Bay-Arenac Intermediate School District. Bay-Arenac Net is provided on an "as is, as available" basis.

 

THIRD PARTY SUPPLIED INFORMATION

Members are urged to use caution (Buyer Beware!) when considering the purchase of goods or services from people over the Internet. Bay-Arenac Net is not liable for any purchases made.

 

 

TELEPHONE CHARGES

Bay-Arenac Net assumes no responsibility or liability for any phone charges including, but not limited to, long distance charges, per minute (unit) surcharges and/or equipment or line costs incurred by a member while accessing Bay-Arenac Net.

 

Any disputes or problems regarding phone service are strictly between the member and his/her local phone company and/or long distance service provider.

 

 

ONLINE CONDUCT

Any action by a member that is determined by a System Administrator to constitute an inappropriate use of Bay-Arenac Net or to improperly restrict or inhibit other members from using and enjoying Bay-Arenac Net is strictly prohibited. Members specifically are not to submit, publish. or display on Bay-Arenac Net any defamatory, inaccurate. abusive, obscene, profane. sexually oriented. threatening, racially offensive, or illegal material; nor shall they encourage the use of controlled substances. Transmission of material, information, or software in violation of any local, state or federal law is prohibited.

 

Bay-Arenac Net is to be used by the member for his/her personal use only. Members may not make use of Internet for any personal gain. Commercial uses of Bay-Arenac Net are strictly prohibited unless prior written consent from the System Administrators has been granted.

 

COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL

Copyrighted material must not be placed on any system connected to Bay-Arenac Net without the author's permission. Only the owner(s) or persons they specifically authorize may upload copyrighted material to Bay-Arenac Net. Members may download copy-righted material for their own use with the expressed permission of the owner or authorized person.

 

PUBLIC DOMAIN MATERIAL

Any member may download public domain programs for his/her own use or non-commercially redistribute a public domain program. Members assume all risks regarding the determination of whether a program is in the public domain. (NOTE: Standish-Sterling procedures require prior permission before downloading anything from the Internet.)

 

 

DISK USAGE

The System Administrators reserve the right to set quotas for disk usage on Bay-Arenac Net. A member who exceeds his/her quota will be advised to delete files to return to compliance. Files will be removed by a System Administrator when a member remains in non-compliance.

 

ELECTRONIC MAIL

Electronic Mail (E-mail) is a private electronic message sent by or to a member in correspondence with another person having Internet mail access. Members are expected to remove old messages in a timely fashion and the System Administrators may remove such messages if not attended to regularly by the member. The System Administrators will not normally inspect the contents of e-mail sent by one member to an identified addressee, or disclose such contents to other than the sender, or the intended recipient, without the consent of the sender or an intended recipient unless required to do so by law or policies of Bay-Arenac Intermediate School District or to investigate complaints. (NOTE: Standish-Sterling procedures do not provide any presumption of privacy.)

 

SECURITY

If a member identifies a security problem on Bay-Arenac Net, the member must notify a system Administrator or e-mail help@bay.k12.mi.us. The member should not demonstrate the problem to others. Attempts to login to the system using another member's account or as a System Administrator are prohibited. Allowing another person to use your member login name and password is prohibited. Any member identified as a security risk or having a history of problems with other computer systems may be denied access to Bay-Arenac Net.

 

VANDALISM

 

Vandalism is prohibited. It is defined as any malicious attempt to harm or destroy data of another member, Bay-Arenac Net or any of the agencies or other networks that are connected to the Internet backbone. This includes but is not limited to the uploading or creation of computer viruses.

 

TERMINATION OF ACCOUNT

A member may terminate his/her account on Bay-Arenac Net by sending notice to a System Administrator. The System Administrators reserve the right, at their sole discretion, to suspend or terminate a member's access to and use of Bay-Arenac Net upon any breach of the Terms and Conditions by the member. Prior to a suspension or termination, or as soon as it is practical, the System Administrator will inform the member of the suspected breach and give the member an opportunity to present an explanation. (NOTE: Internet usage is a privilege that will be forfeited through abuse.)

 

 

ENFORCEMENT PROVISIONS

In order to ensure adherence to these Terms and Conditions. the System Administrators reserve the right to monitor all activity on Bay-Arenac Net and to inspect any files including e-mail, stored on the system. Privacy is not guaranteed.

 

OTHER PROVISIONS

The Terms and Conditions shall be interpreted. construed and enforced in all respects in accordance with the laws of the State of Michigan.

 

EXCEPTION OF TERMS AND CONDITIONS

All terms and conditions of participating agencies are also applicable. They are available online.

Standish-Sterling Community School District

3789 Wyatt Road

Standish, Michigan 48658

 

AGREEMENT AND APPLICATION FOR INTERNET ACCOUNT

                                                                             

 

Directions: After reading the Terms and Conditions for Acceptable Use which accompany the application for an Internet Account complete the appropriate portions of the following contract completely and legibly. The signature of a parent or guardian is also required. Please return the contract to your teacher. Any questions you may have should be addressed to your teacher as well.

 

Student Information And Acceptance

 

Last Name:  _____________________________________	First:__________________________

Graduation Year: __________

I Accept And Agree To Abide By The Following Rules:

1.       I agree to abide by all rules and regulations established by the Standish-Sterling Community School District regarding use of the Internet link. I also realize that the Administration of the Standish-Sterling Community School District reserves the right to change these rules at its sole discretion at any time without notice.

 

2.       I realize that the primary purpose of the Standish-Sterling Community School District Internet Connection is educational, and as such, educational purposes shall take precedence over all others.

 

3.       I realize that the use of the Internet Link is a privilege, not a right. I accept that inappropriate behavior may lead to penalties including revoking of my Internet account, disciplinary action, and/or legal action.

 

4.       I agree not to participate in the access or transfer of inappropriate or illegal materials through the Internet connection of the Standish-Sterling Community School District. Students are advised to refrain from materials which they feel would be objectionable to their parents or to teachers in this district. I realize that in some cases, the transfer of such information may result in legal action against me.

 

5.       I agree not to allow other individuals to use my account nor will I give anyone my password. I realize that I am responsible for the actions of others if I allow them to use my account.