All students who wish to use the internet must have a contract signed by both a parent/guardian (if student is under 18) and his or herself. Any violations to the guidelines listed below will result in a denied access of the internet.
Acceptable Use: The purpose of Internet is to support research and education by providing access to unique resources and an opportunity for collaborative work. The use of the District's accounts must be in support of and consistent with the educational objectives of the Lyndhurst Public Schools. Transmission of any material in violation of any United States or state regulation is prohibited. This includes, but is not limited to, copyrighting material, threatening or obscene material, or material protected by trade secret. Use of the system to access, store or distribute obscene, pornographic, or inappropriately suggestive or illegal material is prohibited. The unauthorized installation, use, storage, or distribution of copyrighted software and/or materials on District computers is prohibited. Use for commercial activities by for-profit institutions Is not acceptable. Use for product advertisement or political lobbying is also prohibited.
Privileges: The use of the District's Internet access is a privilege, not a right, and inappropriate use will result in cancellation of those privileges. Only those with prior experience or prior instruction who have signed this contract shall be authorized to use the Internet. The Lyndhurst Board of Education, under this agreement, has the authority to determine appropriate use and may deny, suspend, or terminate any user privileges at any time, based upon a determination of inappropriate use by the user.
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:
Be polite; do not send abusive messages to others.
Use appropriate language. In all messages, do not swear, use vulgarities or any other inappropriate language. Anything pertaining to illegal activities is strictly forbidden. (Note: 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 must be reported to appropriate authorities and will result in the loss of user privileges.)
Privacy. Do not reveal the personal addresses or phone numbers of yourself or any other person. All communications and information accessible through the network should be assumed private property of those who put it on the network.
Connectivity. Do not use the network in such a way that you would disrupt the use of the network by other users.
Services: The Lyndhurst Board of Education will not be responsible for any damages a user suffers. This includes loss of date resulting from delays, no deliveries, mis-deliveries, or service interruptions caused by the internet provider, the 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 Lyndhurst Board of Education specifically denies 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.
Vandalism: Vandalism is defined as any malicious attempt to harm, modify, and destroy data of another user, the Internet, or other networks that are connected to the Internet backbone. No use of the network system shall serve to disrupt the operation of the system by others; system components including hardware, software, property or facilities shall not be destroyed, modified or abused in anyway. This includes, but is not limited to, the uploading or creating of computer viruses, tampering or altering security codes or passwords, hacking, altering, dismantling or disfiguring any file data, including without limitation, student data, District, school or staff files, and downloading information or messages without authority.
Harassment: Harassment is defined as the persistent annoyance of another user, or the interference of another user's work. Users are responsible for the appropriateness and content of public and private material transmitted or published on the system. Consistent with the District's affirmative action policies, harassment includes, but is not limited to, the sending of unwanted mail, discriminatory remarks, unwelcome compliments, or other antisocial behaviors or expressions.
Encounter of Controversial Material: Internet access in the schools is filtered through a proxy server. Users cannot access all web sites that contain inappropriate material. However, users may still encounter material that is controversial and which users, parents, teachers, or administrators may consider inappropriate or offensive. However, on the internet it is impossible to control the content of data and a user may discover controversial materials. It is the user's responsibility not to initiate access to such material. Users are urged to notify their teacher or supervisor whenever they come across information or messages that are dangerous, inappropriate, or make them feel uncomfortable. The Lyndhurst Board of Education shall not be held liable for any decision to restrict or regulate access to Internet materials
