Monroe Township Public Schools

Student Acceptable Use Policy

Rules and Procedures

 

Educational Purposes:

Monroe Township Public Schools is providing students with access to the district’s electronic network and equipment for

educational purposes. This includes Internet access, computer services, videoconferencing, cloud storage, cloud applications,

virtual environments, computer equipment and related equipment for educational purposes. The purpose of this equipment is to

assist in preparing students for success in future ready life and work by providing them with electronic access to a wide range of

information and the ability to communicate with people from throughout the world. This document contains the rules and

procedures for acceptable student use of the Monroe Township Schools electronic network and equipment.

• The Monroe Township Public Schools electronic network has been established for a limited educational purpose. The term "educational purpose" includes classroom activities, career development, and limited high-quality self-discovery activities. The term “post”, used throughout this document, includes all digital communication such as contributions to shared documents, responses to digital surveys, chat features, digitally submitted work, and virtual meeting programs etc.
• The Monroe Township Public Schools electronic network has not been established as a public access service or a public forum. Monroe Township Public Schools has the right to place reasonable restrictions on material that is accessed or posted throughout the network.
• Parent/guardian permission is required for all students under the age of 18. Access is a privilege - - not a right.
• It is presumed that students will honor this agreement in which their parent/guardian has signed. Beyond the clarification of standards outlined in this policy, the district is not responsible for the actions of students who violate them.
• The district reserves the right to monitor all activity on the MTPS electronic network and on district owned devices (e.g. Chromebook). Students and parents are advised that the school district may record or collect information on student activity or the student use of the device (see section: GoGuardian). The school district will not use any such  methods in a manner that would violate the privacy rights of the student or any individual residing with the student. Students will indemnify the district against any damage that is caused by the students' inappropriate use of the network and devices.
• Students are expected to follow the same rules, good manners and common-sense guidelines that are used with other daily school activities as well as the law in the use of the Monroe Township Public Schools electronic network and equipment.

General Unacceptable Behavior while using any portion of the Monroe Township Public Schools electronic network and equipment
 

Behaviors include, but not limited to the following are prohibited:

• Students will not post information that, if acted upon, could cause damage or a danger of disruption.
• Students will not engage in personal attacks, including prejudicial or discriminatory attacks.
• Students will not harass another person. Harassment is persistently acting in a manner that distresses or annoys another person. If a student is told by a person to stop sending messages, they must stop.
• Students will not knowingly or recklessly post false or defamatory information about a person or organization.
• Students will not use criminal speech or speech in the course of committing a crime such as threats to the president, instructions on breaking into computer networks, child pornography, drug dealing, purchase of alcohol, gang activities, threats to an individual, etc.
• Students will not use speech that is inappropriate in an educational setting or violates district rules.
• Students will not use images associated with hate speech, hate groups or any image that counteracts the district’s efforts at inclusivity.
• Students will not use the camera or video recording capabilities of the laptop, Chromebook or iPad to photograph or videotape others without their express written knowledge and consent.
• Students will not abuse network resources and technology equipment.
• Students will not behave inappropriately in virtual meeting environments or attempt to impersonate another person in the meeting.
• Students will not display, access or send offensive messages or pictures. (As defined in section 1460 of Title 18, United States Code and section 2256 of Title 18, United States Code)
• Students will not use the Monroe Township Public Schools electronic network and equipment for commercial purposes.
• Students will not offer, provide, or purchase products or services with district provided technology and network access.
• Students will not use the Monroe Township Public Schools electronic network and equipment for political lobbying.
• Students may use the system to communicate with elected representatives and to express their opinions on political issues.

Email/Online Communication

• High school and middle school students will be provided with email, for educational interactions, integration with Google Workspace apps, and academic communication with teachers.
• Student email accounts will not be able to send/receive electronic messages outside of the school district domain.
• Students will not establish or access web-based e-mail accounts on commercial services through the district network unless such accounts have been approved for use by the individual school. (e.g., Yahoo mail, AOL mail, Hotmail)
• Students will not repost a message that was sent to them privately without the permission of the person who sent them the message.
• Students will not post or share private information about themselves or another person.
• Students will present themselves in a professional manner in email messages to staff and peers at all times. Student email will not be used for personal manners not related to academic or school related topics.
• Students may use chat features, but only under the direct supervision of a teacher or in a moderated environment that has been established to support educational activities and has been approved by the district or individual school.

Internet

• Access to information for students on the web will be provided through filtered and monitored sites in a manner prescribed by the school district.
• Students will practice proper digital citizenship skills when using the internet on connected devices. (see section “Personal Safety and Digital Citizenship)

Student Created Digital Media and Content

 

• All student work posted will maintain the appropriate copyright protections afforded to the student.
• With the approvals of the appropriate district administration and under the supervision of their teacher, students may establish online digital media (e.g., web pages, blogs, podcasts) for specific educational objectives. Material presented on the student media must be related to educational activities and/or career preparation activities. Student media must include the following notice: "This content is student created. Opinions expressed in this media shall not be attributed to the district."
• Material that fails to meet established educational objectives or that is in violation of this policy or student disciplinary code will be removed. Student material will not be removed on the basis of a disagreement with the views expressed by the student.
• Student created digital media may be removed at the end of the school year unless special arrangements are made.
• Material placed on student created digital media is expected to meet academic standards of proper spelling, grammar and accuracy of information.
• Material (graphics, text, sound, etc.) that is the ownership of someone other than the student may not be used on student created digital media unless formal permission has been obtained.
• All student created media should have a link back to the homepage of the classroom, school or district, as appropriate.

 

Google Workspace for Education

 

Monroe Township Public Schools uses Google Workspace for Education for students in elementary, middle and high school in

the district. Google Workspace is a collection of online applications. These applications do not reside on the computer itself, but

rather they are accessed through a web browser. This is considered working “in the cloud." The benefit of this structure allows

flexibility in accessing documents and projects from ANY computer with Internet access. Staff and students can access their

school documents from any internet connected device.

 

Google Workspace for Education is a special setup of the popular Google Apps, tailored specifically for educational institutions.

For example, accounts are managed by the school (and not by Google) This service is available through an agreement with

Google and Monroe Township Public School District. Google Workspace for Education runs on an Internet domain purchased

and owned by the school and is intended for educational use. Each student will be issued a Google account which will serve as

their login to all Google Workspace Apps.

 

The Google agreement with MTPS provides access to Google applications and storage. While Google hosts these services

off‐site, MTPS maintains the ability to manage users, groups and settings, much like other locally hosted systems. Students

have no expectation of privacy in their use as school administrators have the right and ability to monitor user accounts for policy

and security enforcement. This means that MTPS can grant and revoke user access and control other settings to ensure a safe

and secure collaboration environment for students and teachers.

 

MTPS students will have access to the suite of Google Apps as deemed appropriate by Monroe Township Public Schools.

 

By signing the AUP, students and their parents agree to adhere to the following:

• Agree to Google’s Workspace for Education terms of service found at this link..
• Student Google Workspace accounts are to be used for educational purposes related to Monroe Township Public
• Schools and may not use them for:
  • Unlawful activities
  • Commercial purposes (running a business or trying to make money)
  • Personal financial gain (running a web site to sell things)
  • Inappropriate sexual or other offensive content
  • Threatening another person
  • Misrepresentation of MTPS’ staff or students.
• Apps, sites, email, and groups are not public forums. They are extensions of classroom spaces where student free speech rights may be limited.
• School technology staff have access to student Google Workspace accounts for monitoring purposes.
• Students have no expectation of privacy on the Google Workspace system.
• Agree to, but recognize that students are not limited to, the following safety standards:
  • Students may not post personal contact information about themselves or other people. That includes last names, addresses and phone numbers.
  • Students agree not to meet with someone they have met online without their parent’s approval and participation.
  • Students will tell their teacher or other school employee about any message they receive that is inappropriate or makes them feel uncomfortable.
  • Students are responsible for the use of their individual accounts and should take all reasonable precautions to prevent others from being able to use their account. Under no conditions should a user provide his or her password to another person.
  • Students under the age of 13 will not use their Google Workspace account or district provided email to open or create any other accounts or third-party services. Students 13 years of age and older will only create accounts with third party systems with explicit permission from teaching staff, district administration and parent/guardian.
• Access to Google Workspace for Education is considered a privilege accorded at the discretion of the school. MTPS maintains the right to immediately withdraw the access and use of Google Workspace and associated application when there is reason to believe that violations of law or school policies have occurred.

GoGuardian: Device Monitoring and Filtering

 

• All district issued connected devices, accounts, and digital network will have CIPA compliant filters and 24/7 monitoring policies applied (e.g., GoGuardian, Lightspeed or similar)
• GoGuardian policies apply at the account level. Therefore, any device capable of installing and running Google extensions will be monitored and filtered by the designated building policy when students’ Google account is in use.
• GoGuardian Teacher provides teachers with a portal to direct students' attention to specific online resources and close off-topic tabs on one or more devices. The goal of GoGuardian for Teachers is to help keep students on-task and away from inappropriate content. Teaching Staff will have access to GoGuardian Teacher to aid in management of digitally enriched classrooms and online learning.
• GoGuardian Admin provides district and technology administrators with the tools needed to closely monitor students’ browsing history and searches for explicit and/or inappropriate content and manually manage filtered content to ensure a safe and productive digital learning experience.
• GoGuardian Beacon 24/7 provides school counseling teams and administrators the tools to start identifying students who are most at risk of suicide and self-harm. Beacon uses advanced machine learning to monitor content on school-issued devices and accounts and provides schools with alerts of the most serious phase of suicide intent: Active Planning.
• GoGuardian Parent App enables schools to share students’ online activity with their parents or guardians. This simple
• app is managed by the school’s IT administrator, but downloaded and used by parents on their own, eliminating the
• need to manually share student activity. GoGuardian Parent also gives parent/guardians some control over their child’s
• access during out of school hours and weekends.
• When a student is off campus, parents are responsible for supervising internet access and usage. We encourage you to discuss rules for appropriate internet usage with your child and reinforce lessons of digital citizenship and safety with him or her. We also highly encourage you to report any potential cyberbullying or other sensitive issues to us.
• Monroe Township Public Schools has enabled parental notifications during after school hours, Monroe Township Public Schools will use GoGuardian Beacon to automatically notify a parent or guardian after school hours via email and/or text message to help provide support for an at-risk child. GoGuardian will notify parents or guardians at the number associated with the child on the PowerSchool student information system. Please make sure, for GoGuardian Beacon and otherwise, that our system has your correct email address and phone number on file at all times.

Personal Safety and Digital Citizenship

• Students will not share personal contact information about themselves or other people. Personal contact information includes address, telephone, school address, or work address.
• Elementary and middle school students will not disclose their full names or any other personal contact information for any purpose.
• High school students will not disclose personal contact information, except to education institutes for educational purposes, companies or other entities for career development purposes, or without specific building administrative approval.
• Students will not agree to meet with someone they have met online.
• Students will promptly disclose to a teacher or other school employee any message received that is inappropriate or makes the student feel uncomfortable.
• Digital Citizenship: The quality of habits, actions, and consumption patterns that impact the ecology of digital content and communities with respect to learning and safe online interactions/practices.
• Students will practice proper Digital Citizenship skills when using connected devices in all online interactions and media creation.
• Students should take every reasonable precaution and make valid effort to only view and utilize school appropriate websites and applications.

System Security

• Students are responsible for their individual accounts and should take all reasonable precautions to prevent others from being able to use them. Under no conditions should students provide their password to another person.
• Students must immediately notify a teacher or the system administrator if they have identified a possible security problem. Students should not go looking for security problems, because this may be construed as an illegal attempt to gain access.
• Students will not attempt to gain unauthorized access to any portion of the Monroe Township Public Schools electronic network. This includes attempting to log in through another person's account or access another person's folders, work, or files. These actions are illegal, even if only for the purposes of "browsing".
• Students will not make deliberate attempts to disrupt the computer system or destroy data by spreading computer viruses or by any other means. These actions are illegal.
• Students will not attempt to connect personal devices to the school network or systems without the explicit permission by the Network Administrator and proper safeguards in place.
• Students will not attempt to set up a VPN or other unmonitored connection while using district technology.

Software and Files

• ● Software is available to students to be used as an educational resource. No student may install, upload or download
• software, apps, or extensions without permission from the district technology department.
• ● A student's account may be limited or terminated if a student intentionally misuses software on any district-owned
• equipment.
• ● Files stored on the network are treated in the same manner as other school storage areas, such as lockers. Routine
• maintenance and monitoring may lead to discovery that a student has violated this policy or the law. Students should
• not expect that files stored on district resources are private.

Technology Hardware

• Hardware and peripherals are provided as tools for student use for educational purposes. Students are not permitted to relocate hardware (except for portable devices), install peripherals or modify settings to equipment without the consent of the district technology department.
• Devices that have been assigned to students for take home use shall be used in accordance with the rules expressed in this document.

Student Chromebooks and Connected Devices

• ● Students are expected to maintain and care for their district provided Chromebook and/or connected device.
• Student responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
  • Use their device for educational purposes only.
  • Follow the procedures and policies outlined in the Monroe Township Public Schools Acceptable Use Policy both in and out of school.
  • Protect their Chromebook by carrying it securely in their district-issued carrying case and prevent careless or malicious damage.
  • Never leave their Chromebook unattended in an unsecured or unsupervised location.
  • Charge their Chromebook’s battery to full capacity each night.
  • Report all damages to or issues with their Chromebook to the Technology Department via designated reporting systems.
  • Not alter or attempt to change, disable, or circumvent the management settings, content filters, or virus protection software on their Chromebook.
  • Never share their Chromebook with other students or individuals.
  • Never purposely break, dismantle, disengage or render the device unusable. All repairs must be completed by MTPS technology personnel.
• Device/Account Ownership: The Chromebook is the property of the Monroe Township Public School District (MTPS). MTPS retains sole right of possession of the Chromebook and grants permission to the student to use the Chromebook according to the guidelines set forth in this document. Moreover, MTPS administrative staff retains the rights to collect and/or inspect the Chromebook at any time, including via electronic remote access; and to alter, add or delete installed software or hardware. In order to possess and use the borrowed device, the student must comply at all times with the expectations of the Chromebook Agreement and the district’s Acceptable Usage Policy (AUP), which is contained in Board Policy. The legal title to the borrowed device belongs to the MTPS and shall at all times remain as such. Your right of possession and use of the borrowed device is limited to, and conditioned upon, your full and complete compliance with the expectations detailed in the Chromebook Agreement, the MTPS Handbook and the district’s AUP. Because the borrowed device and Google Account are the property of the MTPS, it is subject to monitoring of use and search of contents at any time. There is no expectation of privacy in use or data stored on a district-owned device

 

 

Information regarding proper Chromebook use, handling and care can be found on the MTPS technology website;

Please Click Link Here

 

Vandalism

• Any malicious attempt to harm or destroy data, the network, other network components connected to the network backbone, hardware or software will result in cancellation of network privileges. Disciplinary measures in compliance with the district's discipline code and policies will be enforced.
• Any harm or destruction of district provided connected devices (e.g. Chromebooks, hotspots etc.) is the sole responsibility of the student’s parent/guardian. All damage to devices due to negligence or malicious intent will result in a fine dependent on the severity of the damage and disciplinary measures in compliance with the district’s discipline code and policies.

Plagiarism and Copyright Infringement

• Students will not plagiarize works found on the Internet. Plagiarism is taking the ideas or writings of others and presenting them as if they were the students.
• District policies on copyright will govern the use of material accessed and used through the district system.
• Copyrighted material will not be placed on any system without the author's permission. Permission may be specified in the document, on the system or must be obtained directly from the author.

Online Meetings/Remote Learning

• Online Meeting (Google Meet, Skype, Zoom etc.) is a way that students can communicate with other students, teachers, speakers, museums, etc. from other parts of the country and the world. With connected equipment, students can see, hear, and speak with other students, speakers, museum personnel, etc. in real time.
• Online Meeting sessions may be videotaped by district personnel or by a participating school involved in the exchange in order to share the experience within ours or their building or district.
• Students' voices, physical presence, and participation in the videoconference are transmitted to participating sites during each session. Rules and procedures relative to acceptable use and behavior by students apply during all video conference sessions.
• Students will not impersonate another individual or attempt to disguise their identity when joining an online meeting.
• Students are expected to behave appropriately as a representative of the school and MTPS district. Inappropriate and disruptive behavior in an online meeting shall result in the same disciplinary action as disruptive behavior in the classroom in accordance to the school district disciplinary code and policy
• All school rules apply within virtual environments.

Student Rights

• Students' right to free speech applies to communication on the Internet. The Monroe Township Public Schools electronic network and district-maintained Google Workspace apps is considered a limited forum, similar to the school newspaper, and therefore the district may restrict a student's speech for valid educational reasons. The district will not restrict a student's speech on the basis of a disagreement with the opinions that are being expressed.
• An individual search will be conducted if there is reasonable suspicion that a student has violated this policy or the law.
• The investigation will be reasonable and related to the suspected violation.

Due Process

• The district will cooperate fully with local, state, or federal officials in any investigation related to any illegal activities conducted through the district network and connected devices/accounts.
• In the event there is an allegation that a student has violated the district acceptable use regulation and policy, the student will be provided with a written notice of the alleged violation and be provided an opportunity to be heard in the manner set forth in the disciplinary code.
• Disciplinary actions will be tailored to meet specific concerns related to the violation and to assist the student in gaining the self-discipline necessary to behave appropriately on an electronic network. Violations of the acceptable use regulation and policy may result in a loss of access as well as other disciplinary or legal action.
• If the violation also involves a violation of other provisions of other school rules, it will be handled in a manner described in the school rules. Additional restrictions may be placed on a student's use of his/her network account.

Limitation of Liability

• The district makes no guarantee that the functions or the services provided by or through the district network will be error-free or without defect. The district will not be responsible for any damage suffered, including but not limited to, loss of data or interruptions of service.
• The district is not responsible for the accuracy or quality of the information obtained through or stored on the network and cloud services. The district will not be responsible for financial obligations arising through the unauthorized use of the network, connected devices, and/or cloud services.

Violations of this Acceptable Use Policy

• Students' violation of this policy shall be subject to the consequences as indicated within this policy as well as other appropriate discipline which includes, but is not limited to:
  • o Use of network only under direct supervision
  • o Limited use of network and internet access on connected devices
  • o Suspension or revocation of network privileges
  • o Suspension of computer privileges
  • o Suspension from school
  • o Expulsion from school and/or legal action and prosecution by the authorities
  • o Activities found in violation of local and federal law will be reported to law enforcement immediately
  • o The particular consequences for violations of this policy shall be determined by the school administrators, the superintendent or designee and the board shall determine when school expulsion and/or legal action or actions by the authorities are the appropriate course of action. Decisions may be appealed in accordance with Policy Number 5710 Student Grievances.

Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA)

 

In order to meet its educational goals, Monroe Township Public Schools may utilize third party websites and online services,

such as Google Apps for Education, ConnectEd, etc. for its students. Such services are used to assist with education specific

needs both inside and outside of the classroom. Many of these services have education specific versions that enable teacher

control/monitoring. The school, when possible and appropriate, will utilize the education specific versions and also restrict the

use of the services and access to posted material to the classroom.
 

Under COPPA, verifiable parental consent is required for students under the age of thirteen (13) if accounts containing personal

information are created for them on third party websites or online services.
 

At most, MTPS enters only the following information about students when creating accounts in these services:

• First Name
• Last Name
• Student ID
• Email Address / Google Account

MTPS utilizes this information, as opposed to randomly generated usernames, etc., to provide consistency for students and to

leverage educational services. By doing this, students can use the same username and password for ALL school technology

resources and services regardless of whether they are local or hosted offsite. In some cases, less information is entered,

dependent on the need.
 

In order to ensure we meet the requirement of COPPA, MTPS requires verifiable parental consent to create accounts for ALL

students.
 

To learn more about COPPA visit or click link here.

Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA)

 

Children’s Internet Protection Act governs the filtering of Internet access; acceptable use; and digital citizenship education
 

Federal Agency with Oversight – Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
 

District Oversight / Responsibility:

• Technology Services manages technology protection measures.
• District staff, including teachers and support staff, are responsible for monitoring student use of district technology resources and educating students about proper online behavior

Violation of CIPA could result in the loss of eRate funds for the district

 

CIPA requires the district to

• Use a “technology protection measure” (Internet filter) to filter all Internet connected devices and block access to visual depictions deemed “obscene,” “child pornography,” or “harmful to minors”
  • Filter can be disabled for adults for “bona fide research or other lawful purpose”
  • Under the law, “minor” is defined as “individual who has not attained the age of 17”
• Adopt and enforce an Internet Safety Policy. Policy must address:
  • Monitoring of online activities
  • Safety and security of all forms of direct electronic communications
  • Unauthorized online access (hacking and other unlawful activities)
  • Unauthorized disclosure of personal identification information
• Educate students about appropriate online behavior (Digital Citizenship)