Villa Maria Academy

The purpose of this policy is to establish the appropriate use of Villa Maria Academy's computing and telecommunication networks, computing equipment and computing resources. They are owned by the Academy and are provided primarily to support the academic and administrative functions of the school. Federal and state law as well as school policies and procedures govern the use of this equipment and technologies.

It is the school's policy to promote an open computing environment that allows access for all individuals to computing resources. In order to protect its information assets, the school relies heavily on its computerized information systems and recognizes that all computerized resources, including software programs, data, hardware, and networks, must be protected from misuse and operated and maintained in a secure environment.

Villa Maria Academy High School's access to the Internet provides benefits to students, teachers, administrators, and staff in our school. Our goal in providing this service is promote educational excellence by facilitating resources sharing, exploration, innovation and communication through our direct Internet connection. The Internet is an electronic hookup to millions of computers and individuals in the world. With this access comes the availability of materials that may not be considered to be of educational value. Special precautions have been taken and a proxy server and our provider, DCA-Net, restrict access to controversial materials. However, on a global network it is impossible to control all materials and an industrious user may discover inappropriate information. We firmly believe that the valuable information and interaction available on this worldwide network far outweighs the possibility that users may procure material that is not consistent with the educational goals of Villa Maria Academy. The user of computers and Internet access is a privilege and not a right. We require all students, parents/guardians, and teachers sign a binding agreement, which acknowledges that they have read the terms and conditions of acceptable use and understand their inherent responsibilities.

Electronic communications facilities (such as email, VMA Intranet, and World Wide Web) are for the use of the Villa Maria community. Those permitted access to school's network or Internet services are responsible for using it in an effective, ethical and lawful manner. School communications may be picked up by the user on campus and during school hours only.

GUIDELINES:

• The use of school computers is limited to educational purposes.
• The same responsible behavior expected from a member of the Villa Maria community in regular school settings is also expected in cyberspace. It is therefore, inappropriate to invade the privacy of another by accessing another's computer files without consent. "Pirating" software, the illegal use or transferal of stolen software is a form of stealing and hence is unacceptable.
• Personal privacy must be protected. For a student's own safety, she should never pass along personal information to anyone on cyberspace. This includes chat rooms and discussion forums.
• Discriminatory or obscene language is prohibited. Harassing, insulting, or attacking others is prohibited. This includes email sent from the user's in-school account or another Internet or web account. Sending or displaying offensive messages or pictures is prohibited. Messages sent under an assumed name or modified address or with the intent to obscure the origin of the message are prohibited.
• No one may knowingly or recklessly distribute unwanted mail or other messages. For example, chain letters and other schemes that may cause excessive network traffic or computing load are prohibited.
• All users are issued a personal drive for which to store projects, student work or the like. This drive is 2MB in size and is backed up nightly. The Coordinator of Technology reserves the rights to issue warnings for exceeding the user limit for their personal drive and/or therefore delete files either inappropriate or older than 6 months to free space on the server. A user has two (2) days to clear large files out of their personal drives after a warning is issued.
• A system administrator in the course of routine maintenance may monitor the server and it's contents. In addition, electronic mail systems store messages in files (e.g. the file containing an attachment.) These files are copied to tape in the course of system backups. The contents of these files and the copies on system backup tapes are subject to investigation if a violation occurs.
• Copyrighted material must not be downloaded without the author's permission. Only those authorized by the Coordinator of Technology will be allowed to download or install programs to the system. This includes all music MPEG3 files and games.
• The use of chat rooms or chat software, and ftp sites is prohibited.
• Electronic mail relating specifically to curricular work may be used under the supervision of a faculty member or within class time. E-Mail is not guaranteed to be private. You are responsible for your account and all activity that is conducted with your account. Each user must maintain the confidentiality of their data and password. You must register your password with the Coordinator of Technology once a change has been made. If you feel that your account has been tampered with, contact the technology office immediately.
• Vandalism of any kind will result in termination of computer privileges. Vandalism is defined as any attempt to harm or damage computers, computer systems, or computer networks, or to infiltrate another computer system. This includes creating or uploading computer viruses or changing of the system settings (desktop).
• Any user who does not choose to comply with these guidelines will lose computer privileges for a period of time to be determined by the administration. Repeated infractions may result in permanent termination of computer and/or Internet privileges. Standard disciplinary procedures of Villa Maria Academy will apply.
• All users who are using the lab areas on campus are required to sign in with the lab monitor on duty. If no person is on duty, users who wish to use the computers must sign in on the list in the room.

Updated 9/12/00

Lisa Roberts, Coordinator of Technology