St. Francis Catholic High School

INTERNET SAFETY

You don’t need to understand the Internet to protect your family. Included with your son/daughter's laptop is a subscription to an Internet filtering software for mobile laptops. This reliable and always current Internet security technology stops pornographers, hackers, trojans and other threats in their tracks. Endorsed by leading family ministries and businesses, Internet mobile filter and parental control software keeps your son or daughter safe online wherever they surf at school, at home, or at their favorite "hot spot" anywhere in the US.

It is important to remember that no program is perfect. There is always the possibility that something inappropriate could “slip through” or something that is appropriate will be blocked. Realize that filtering programs do not necessarily protect teens from all dangerous activities. And even though they might block what one can see online, they might not block what they can say. For example, even with a filter it might be possible for a child to post inappropriate material or personal information on a social networking site or blog or disclose it in a chat room or instant message. The best way to assure that your son/daughter is having positive online experiences is to stay in touch with what they are doing. One way to do this is to spend time with your children while they're online. Have them show you what they are doing and be sure to set rules and guidelines for their Internet use. We highly recommend following these basic guidelines from "Teen Safety on the Internet Highway":

Be open with your teens and encourage them to come to you if they encounter a problem online
Keep your identity private
Never get together with someone you “meet” online
Never respond to e-mail, chat comments, instant messages or other messages that are hostile, belligerent, inappropriate or in any way make you feel uncomfortable

SafeTeens.com has posted valuable articles with tips and hotlinks for training students to be safe on the Internet. Any parent whose children have access to a computer-- whether their own laptops, a home desktop, or a friend's-- should take a look at this posting.

SafeTeens.com

SFCHS has determined which internet sites are accessible to students and faculty from school owned computers, including Mac laptops. If a student or parent finds a site that they believe is inappropriate, they can make that request via email to the Technology Director. Or if they would like a site to be made available, they can submit that request at the moment the site is blocked since there are instructions on that page to request unblocking the site from our filters. Note, blocking or unblocking a site can not be done for individual accounts. Blocking or unblocking applies to the entire body of students and because of that we take very serious considerations when changing the security policies.

Students should be aware that tampering with SFCHS systems such as hacking, tampering with wired or wireless equipment, access points, access to restricted files or attempts to access restricted files have serious consequences and in many cases legal ramifications. It is also the student's responsibility to notify the technology department of any glitches, problems or vulnerabilities in our systems as soon as the student detects them.

SFCHS Acceptable Use Policy 2010-2012

St. Francis Catholic High School is committed to student use of technology as a tool to expand learning opportunities and conduct scholarly research. The use of technology facilitates global collaboration, a vital skill for our 21st century learners. Students at SFCHS utilize laptop computers on a wireless network. Laptops and campus computers are strictly for educational use consistent with the educational goals of St. Francis Catholic High School. Along with the opportunity this provides comes responsibility. This Acceptable Use Policy is designed to give students and their family’s clear and concise guidelines regarding the appropriate use of laptops as well as other computers on the SFCHS campus. The underlying premise of this policy is that all members of the SFCHS community must uphold the values of honesty and integrity. The proper use of technology reflects the strength of one’s character, as does one’s behavior. We expect our students to exercise good judgment and to utilize technology with integrity.

User Identity

• Upon signing this agreement, you are liable for any activity on your user account or any SFCHS owned computer.

E-Mail

The use of e-mail during class is prohibited unless authorized by faculty or administration for educational purposes.
Students should use appropriate language in their e-mail messages when email is allowed.
No inappropriate e-mail is allowed including derogatory, obscene, or harassing messages. E-mail messages of an abusive or harassing nature will be regarded as a major violation and will be subject to a disciplinary response.
Chain letters of any kind and spam are prohibited. Chain letters are defined as any e-mail message asking you to pass information or messages on to other individuals or groups via e-mail.
Students are prohibited from accessing anyone else’s e-mail account.
E-mail etiquette should be observed. In general, only messages that one would communicate to the recipient in person should be written.

Chatting, Blogging and WolfDen

Instant messaging is prohibited on campus
Discussion board postings on WolfDen should follow the same etiquette requirements as in the classroom.
Participation in chat rooms during school hours is prohibited during the school day.

Audio and Video

Audio on computers should be turned off unless required for the activity being conducted.
Listening to music either aloud or with earphones is not permitted on campus unless required for the activity being conducted.
When sound is needed, headphones provided by the student must be used. Headphones may also be available for checkout in the Media Center.
The use of laptops to watch movies and DVD videos, unless assigned by a teacher, is not permitted during the school day.
Any audio or video recording may be done only with the prior written permission of all parties being recorded.
Sharing of music (including iTunes music sharing) over the school network is strictly prohibited and is subject to appropriate consequences.

Games

The viewing and/or playing of electronic games is not permitted during school hours except as part of an assigned, in-class activity.
The school reserves the right to remove any game from a school computer that is considered inappropriate or impedes the educational purpose of the laptop program.
No games that are “played” over the school network are allowed.
Games that include violence, adult content, inappropriate language, and weapons are not to be installed or “played” on school computers including the laptops.
Screensavers that include gaming components are not allowed.

Laptops

Student laptops must not be left unattended at any time. If a laptop is found to be unattended, it will be turned in to the Technology Department.
Laptops must be in a student’s possession or secured in a locked classroom or locker at all times.
Do not lend your laptop to other students.
Do not borrow a laptop from another student.
Laptops must be carried and transported appropriately on campus. They should be carried in their approved cases at all times. Failure to close the lid of a laptop before transporting it could damage the hard drive and result in permanent loss of data. Note: Students are entirely responsible for backing up their own data. Lost or damaged data is not the responsibility of the school. All school–issued laptops must be in the school–issued laptop case.
No food or beverages should be in the vicinity of the laptops. Laptops may not be used in the Cafeteria during lunch.
Laptops should be handled with respect and care. Inappropriate treatment of school laptops is not acceptable.
Laptop and laptop cases are not to be written on, to have stickers applied to them, or to be defaced in any way.
Don't remove, move or write on the identification sticker on your laptop.
Don't remove, move or write on the Bag ID tag attached to your laptop bag.
Students are not allowed to create any administrative passwords on their laptops.

Network Access

Students must not make any attempt to access servers or network information that is not open to the public.
The utilization of proxy avoidance IP numbers and programs is strictly prohibited.
Students may not use the school network for personal or private business reasons including but not limited to online ordering and purchases.
Students are not to knowingly degrade or disrupt online services or equipment as such activity is considered a crime under state and federal law (Florida Computer Crimes Act, Chapter 815, Florida Statutes). This includes tampering with computer hardware or software, vandalizing data, invoking computer viruses, attempting to gain access to restricted or unauthorized network services, or violating copyright laws.
St. Francis Catholic High School is not responsible for damaged or lost data transferred through our network or stored on laptops, computers, or our file servers.

File Sharing

File sharing is the public or private sharing of computer data or space. Any program that creates a point–to–point connection between two or more computing devices for the purpose of sharing data is considered file sharing.
File sharing of any kind is prohibited both on campus and off campus. The only exception to this is when it is a specific assignment given by a faculty member.
No file sharing software of any kind is to be installed on school computers including laptops. Examples of this type of software are Limewire, Bearshare, Kazaa, iMesh, BitTorrent etc. Although these types of programs are software downloads, they automatically create file sharing connections.
There is a $25 re-imaging charge to get rid of any unapproved software or files.

Deleting Files

Do not delete any folders or files that you did not create or that you do not recognize. Deletion of certain files will result in a computer failure and will interfere with your ability to complete class work and may affect your grades.
There is a $25 re-imaging charge to correct system files.

Downloading and Loading of Software

Students are not permitted to install custom/individual applications that require administrator privileges.
Students are not permitted to install software.
The downloading of music files, video files, games, etc. through the school’s network is absolutely prohibited unless it is part of an assigned, in-class activity.
The school reserves the right to remove any software that has been loaded onto the computer that impedes the educational purpose of the laptop program.
Copyrighted movies may not be “ripped” from DVDs and placed on the laptops nor may copyrighted movies be downloaded to the laptops from the Internet.
Only commercial videos (such as television programs) legally purchased from the iTunes music store or another like entity may be downloaded to the laptops.
• Shareware and freeware programs such as animated cursors (i.e., Comet Cursor), screen savers, and others similar to these automatically open connections to the computers from outside the SFCHS network. Such connections are Spyware, and they not only monitor the activities on that computer, but they also slow down the operation of the computer and the network connection. Therefore, these applications are prohibited.
There is a $25 re-imaging charge to get rid of any unapproved software or files.

Screensavers

Inappropriate or copyrighted media may not be used as a screensaver.
Presence of weapons, pornographic materials, inappropriate language, alcohol, drug, gang related symbols or pictures will result in disciplinary actions.
There is a $25 re-imaging charge to remove any of the above.

Internet Use

The Internet is a rich and valuable source of information for education. Inappropriate materials are available on the Internet and are strictly prohibited. These materials include items of a sexual or pornographic nature, extremist or militant materials, gambling, depictions of violence, images that are intended to be abusive or harassing, etc. Students must not access, display, or store this type of material.
Information obtained through the Internet must be properly cited and in compliance with copyright laws. Due to the quickly changing nature of the Internet, a hard copy of referenced material is recommended.
Students are required to give proper credit to all Internet sources used in academic assignments, whether quoted or summarized. This includes all forms of media on the Internet, such as graphics, movies, music, and text.
Plagiarism includes the use of any information obtained from the Internet that is not properly cited. Plagiarism of Internet resources will be treated in the same manner as any other incidences of plagiarism.
If a student accidentally accesses a website that contains obscene, pornographic or otherwise offensive material, he/she is to notify a teacher, or the Technology Coordinator as quickly as possible so that such sites can be blocked from further access. This is not merely a request; it is a responsibility.

Privacy, Use, and Safety

Students may not give any personal information regarding themselves or others through e-mail or the Internet including name, phone number, address, passwords, etc. unless they are completely sure of the identity of the person with whom they are communicating. Frequently the identity of someone on the Internet is impossible to confirm. Therefore, contact with such individuals is considered inappropriate and unsafe.
Students are not to provide the e-mail address or other personal information regarding other students, faculty, or administration to anyone outside of the school without their permission.
Students must secure and maintain private passwords for network and laptop access. This is important in order to protect the privacy of each student. Do NOT share personal passwords or usernames.
St. Francis Catholic High School respects the privacy of every student, faculty member, and administrator with respect to stored files and e-mail accounts. However, if inappropriate use, including honor code violations or harassment, are suspected, the school administration has the right to view these files in order to investigate suspected inappropriate behavior.
The school will monitor computer activities that take place on school-owned computers including logging website access, newsgroup access, bandwidth, and network use.
Students are prohibited from accessing faculty, administration, and staff computers as well as school file servers for any reason without explicit permission from the user or administrator of that computer.
Students are prohibited from utilizing the command prompt interface. In addition to this, students are prohibited from using any method to obtain control of another person’s computer through the use of their own computer.
Students are prohibited from utilizing peer-to-peer networking or any method of file sharing between computers unless authorized by the technology staff.
Students are prohibited from using laptops or any computer for acts of cruelty (including mean-spirited e-mails, offensive blogging, etc.).
Laptops that are provided by the school continue to be the property of the school. Therefore the school has the right to view all content at any time.
Any electronic device used on the school network, even if privately owned, is subject to all policies and consequences of the Acceptable Use Policy including: the right to view the content of the device at any time; the right to remove content from the device; and the right to retain the device in the school’s possession if there is an infraction to the AUP that deserves that consequence.

Copyright

Unauthorized duplication, installation, alteration, or destruction of data programs, hardware, or software is prohibited.
Data, programs, hardware, software, and other materials including those protected by copyright may not be transmitted or duplicated.

Consequences

The school reserves the right to enforce appropriate consequences for the violation of any section of the Acceptable Use Policy. Such consequences could include the loss of privileges on a laptop, the loss of the use of the computer for an amount of time determined by the administration and members of the Technology Department, possible disciplinary action, and possible legal action.
These consequences apply to students participating in the laptop lease program at St. Francis Catholic High School as well as to students who are using the school’s laptops and computers on campus.
Computers with illegal or inappropriate software or materials on them will be reformatted or “re-imaged,” and the student will be charged a $25 AUP violation fee PER incident for this service. This amount may be increased for repeat violations.
In the case of repeated laptop abuse and/or damages, the school has the right to revoke the use of the school’s laptop and the student will be restricted to using only on-campus computers. Repeated AUP offenses or laptop abuses may lead to the loss of a student’s privilege of using a laptop on campus.
Students are to report any known violations of this Acceptable Use Policy to appropriate administrative staff members. Random checks of student laptops will be conducted throughout the year to ensure that these policies are being followed.
St. Francis Catholic High School takes no responsibility for activities conducted on school computers and laptops or materials stored on computers, laptops, or the school’s network.

Florida Computer Crimes Act

Fla. Stat. 815.04 Offenses against Intellectual Property Whoever willfully, knowingly, and without authorization:

1. Modifies data, programs, or supporting documentation residing or existing internal or external to a computer, computer system, or computer network;

2. Destroys data, programs, or supporting documentation residing or existing internal or external to a computer, computer system, or computer network;

3. Discloses or takes data, programs, or supporting documentation which is a trade secret as defined in S.812.081 or is confidential as provided by law residing or existing internal or external to a computer, computer system, or computer network;commits an offense against intellectual property and is guilty of a felony in the third degree punishable by up to 5 years imprisonment and a fine of up to $5,000.

Fla. Stat. 815.06 Offenses against Computer Users Whoever willfully, knowingly, and without authorization:

1. Accesses or causes to be accessed any computer, computer system, or computer network;

2. Denies or causes the denial of computer system services to an authorized user of such computer system services; commits an offense against computer users and is guilty of a felony in the third degree punishable by up to 5 years imprisonment and a fine of up to $5,000.

If the offense is committed for the purposes of devising or executing any scheme or artifice to defraud or to obtain any property, then the offender is guilty of a felony of the second degree punishable by up to 15 years imprisonment and a fine of up to $10,000.