West Muskingum Local Schools
Responsible Use Policy for Students
 

West Muskingum Local Schools is granting you access to its network and technology resources.  The network and technology resources are one way of enhancing the mission to teach the skills, knowledge, and behaviors you will need for college and career readiness. These technologies may include but are not limited to, district-provided equipment as well as personal devices (computers, tablets, smart phones, laptops, e-readers, etc.).

As a West Muskingum Local Schools student, you are expected to use technology in a meaningful, safe, and responsible way. Technology is to be used as a tool to expand learning. Furthermore, as a user of the district’s network and technology resources, you are expected to use the system with courtesy, respect, and integrity. You are to practice and maintain safe, secure measures regarding data and privacy.

In accepting this agreement, students acknowledge the following rules and conditions:

• Students will use technology in a meaningful, safe, and responsible way.
• Students will use technology resources productively, appropriately, and primarily for school-related purposes.
• Students understand that all district equipment, the district network, and their district account are the property of West Muskingum Local Schools. Their use can be monitored at any time without their knowledge or consent.
• Students will avoid using any technology resource in such a way that would disrupt the activities of other users.
• Students will use email and other means of communications (e.g. blogs, wikis, podcasting, social media, chat, instant messaging, discussion boards, virtual learning environments, etc.) responsibly. Students will not use any type of electronic or internet capable device to post any negative comments regarding staff and students. This includes, but is not limited to, posting or sending both threatening and non-threatening messages, pictures, videos, etc. via electronic message or through the access of any type of social media.
• Students will protect their personal data as well as the data of their peers.  Students will abide by all confidentiality requirements in federal and state law, including but not limited to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.
• Students will respect the political views of others by not using district resources for political advertising, lobbying, or campaigning.
• Students understand that the district resources should not be used for the promotion of commercial goods or services for personal gain.
• Students will conserve district resources through the proper use of printers, server space, video or audio streaming, and network bandwidth. Using the school network to provide any hosted service without prior approval is prohibited.  This applies to services such as but not limited to hosting web sites, file servers, gaming servers, SSH, FTP, IRC, email systems, private VPN, etc.
• Students will use technology in accordance with the laws of the United States and the State of Ohio, including but not limited to laws governing the following:
  • Criminal acts – that include, but are not limited to, “hacking” or attempting to access computer systems without authorization, harassing email, cyberbullying, cyberstalking, child pornography, vandalism, and/or unauthorized tampering with computer systems.
  • Libel which includes publicly defaming people through published material on the Internet or in email, etc.
  • Copyright protections that prohibit copying, selling or distributing copyrighted material without the express written permission of the author or publisher or engaging in plagiarism (i.e., using others' words or ideas as your own). Students should assume that all materials available on the Internet are protected by copyright.
• Students will use the account assigned to them.  Students will not share their password with other students or use another student's account for any reason.
• Students will obtain permission from each individual staff or student before posting any picture, video, or audio of that individual online. Students are prohibited from recording staff members and other students in any manner, unless permission is given and it relates to the educational process.
• Students understand that they are responsible for the use and content of all personal electronic devices while at school or school sponsored events.  Students will have antivirus and anti-malware software installed on their personal devices, and keep it up to date and enabled.
• Students will not use technology resources to access inappropriate content. This includes, but is not limited to, content related to pornography, weapons, hate speech, and academic dishonesty.
• Students understand that district administrators will deem what conduct is inappropriate use if such conduct is not specified in this agreement.

Students understand and will abide by the above Responsible Use Policy.  Misuse of District devices and networks may result in restricted access. Failure to uphold the rules and conditions listed above is misuse. Such misuse may also lead to disciplinary and/or legal action against students, including suspension, expulsion, or criminal prosecution by government authorities. The District will attempt to tailor any disciplinary action to the specific issues related to each violation. 

 

West Muskingum Local Schools
Responsible Use Policy for Staff Members and Substitutes
 

West Muskingum Local Schools is granting you access to its network and technology resources.  The network and technology resources are one way of enhancing the mission to teach the skills, knowledge, and behaviors you will need for college and career readiness. These technologies may include but are not limited to, district-provided equipment as well as personal devices (computers, tablets, smart phones, laptops, e-readers, etc.).

As a West Muskingum Local Schools staff or substitute, you are expected to use technology in a meaningful, safe, and responsible way. Technology is to be used as a tool to expand learning. Furthermore, as a user of the district’s network and technology resources, you are expected to use the system with courtesy, respect, and integrity. You are to practice and maintain safe, secure measures regarding data and privacy.

In accepting this agreement, staff and substitutes acknowledge the following rules and conditions:

• Staff and substitutes will use technology in a meaningful, safe, and responsible way.
• Staff and substitutes will use technology resources productively, appropriately, and primarily for school-related purposes.
• Staff and substitutes understand that all district equipment, the district network, and their district account are the property of West Muskingum Local Schools. Their use can be monitored at any time without their knowledge or consent.
• Staff and substitutes will avoid using any technology resource in such a way that would disrupt the activities of other users.
• Staff and substitutes will use email and other means of communications (e.g. blogs, wikis, podcasting, social media, chat, instant messaging, discussion boards, virtual learning environments, etc.) responsibly. staff and substitutes will not use any type of electronic or internet capable device to post any negative comments regarding staff and students. This includes, but is not limited to, posting or sending both threatening and non-threatening messages, pictures, videos, etc. via electronic message or through the access of any type of social media.
• Staff and substitutes will protect their personal data as well as the data of their peers and students.  Staff and substitutes will abide by all confidentiality requirements in federal and state law, including but not limited to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.
• Staff and substitutes will respect the political views of others by not using district resources for political advertising, lobbying, or campaigning.
• Staff and substitutes understand that the district resources should not be used for the promotion of commercial goods or services for personal gain.
• Staff and substitutes will conserve district resources through the proper use of printers, server space, video or audio streaming, and network bandwidth. Using the school network to provide any hosted service without prior approval is prohibited.  This applies to services such as but not limited to hosting web sites, file servers, gaming servers, SSH, FTP, IRC, email systems, private VPN, etc.
• Staff and substitutes will use technology in accordance with the laws of the United States and the State of Ohio, including but not limited to laws governing the following:

  Staff members and substitutes understand and will abide by the above Responsible Use Policy.  Misuse of District devices and networks may result in restricted access or account cancellation. Failure to uphold the rules and conditions listed above is misuse. Such misuse may also lead to disciplinary and/or legal action against employees, including personnel action and/or criminal prosecution by government authorities. The District will attempt to tailor any disciplinary action to the specific issues related to each violation.

  • Criminal acts – that include, but are not limited to, “hacking” or attempting to access computer systems without authorization, harassing email,cyberbullying, cyberstalking, child pornography, vandalism, and/or unauthorized tampering with computer systems.
  • Libel which includes publicly defaming people through published material on the Internet or in email, etc.
  • Copyright protections that prohibit copying, selling or distributing copyrighted material without the express written permission of the author or publisher or engaging in plagiarism (i.e., using others' words or ideas as your own). Staff and substitutes should assume that all materials available on the Internet are protected by copyright.
• Staff and substitutes will use the account assigned to them.  Staff and substitutes will not share their password with peers or students or use another peer's account for any reason.
• Staff and substitutes will obtain permission from each individual staff, substitute or student before posting any picture, video, or audio of that individual online. Staff and substitutes are prohibited from recording staff members, substitutes and students in any manner, unless permission is given and it relates to the educational process.
• Staff and substitutes understand that they are responsible for the use and content of all personal electronic devices while at school or school sponsored events.  Staff and substitutes will have anti-virus and anti-malware software installed on their personal devices, and keep it up to date and enabled.
• Staff and substitutes will not use technology resources to access inappropriate content. This includes, but is not limited to, content related to pornography, weapons, hate speech, and academic dishonesty.
• Staff and substitutes understand that district administrators will deem what conduct is inappropriate use if such conduct is not specified in this agreement.

The West Muskingum Local School District ("WMLSD") seeks to enhance students’ education through the use of technology and online educational tools and resources. Specifically, teachers may use a variety of web-based services and applications to supplement curriculum, teach 21st century skills, provide collaboration experiences, perform assessments, and personalize each student’s education. The Director of Technology in conjunction with the building Technology Advisory Committees  is responsible for researching, reviewing and approving the most effective web-based tools for learning. Most of these services and applications are offered by third parties. A full list of approved online programs and resources can be found on the District’s website at  West Muskingum Local Schools Educational Technology Contract Registry this list also provides links to each site’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. 

Use of online services and apps may involve cloud-based storage of student school work and/or the collection of personally identifiable information. In order for a student to use certain services/apps, the service provider may require the provision of a student’s first and last name, age, WMLSD network username, WMLSD-issued email address, and/or password.

Under Federal Law (the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act – "COPPA"), these websites must provide parental notification and obtain verifiable parental consent before collecting personal information from children. The law, however, permits school districts to obtain this consent thereby eliminating the need for each website operator to request parental consent. For more information on COPPA, please visit the Federal Trade Commission's website at https://www.ftc.gov/tips-advice/business-center/privacy-and-security/childrens-privacy .

Parent/Guardian consent is entirely voluntary. However, students that do not have permission to use these services/apps will be unable to access or participate in most of the activities conducted online. The only exclusion to this is when performing state assessments which can only be conducted online. WMLSD is not able to make exceptions to the policy nor allow parents to only select specific products. Classroom teachers will provide alternative assignments for students who are excused from usage of online tools. By law, a service provider may be required, upon request, to provide a parent/guardian with a description of the identifying information collected, to provide an opportunity to review the information and have it deleted, to provide an opportunity to prevent further use of information, to maintain the confidentiality of any information, and to obtain parental/guardian consent for any use or disclosure of information for commercial purposes. For more information regarding your child's access to and use of these resources, please contact your child’s principal. 

Google Workspace for Education Notice to Parents and Guardians

This notice describes the personal information we provide to Google for these accounts and how Google collects, uses, and discloses personal information from students in connection with these accounts. Using their Google Workspace for Education accounts, students may access and use the following “Core Services” offered by Google (described at https://workspace.google.com/terms/user_features.html):

● Assignments
● Calendar
● Classroom
● Cloud Search
● Drive and Docs
● Gmail
● Google Chat
● Google Chrome Sync
● Google Meet
● Google Vault
● Groups for Business
● Keep
● Migrate
● Sites
● Tasks

Learn more about what Additional Services are and how they differ from Core Services in the Help Center at https://support.google.com/a/answer/6356441. In addition, we also allow students to access certain other Google services with their Google Workspace for Education accounts. Specifically, your child may have access to the following “Additional Services”:

● A list of additional services is available at https://support.google.com/a/answer/181865.

Further, we allow students to access additional third-party services with their Google Workspace for Education accounts. Our school administrator enables access to these third-party services with your student’s Google Workspace for Education account and authorizes the disclosure of data, as requested by the third-party services. Additional information about these third-party services is available at West Muskingum Local Schools Google Additional Services.

Google provides information about the information it collects, as well as how it uses and discloses the information it collects from Google Workspace for Education accounts in its Google Workspace for Education Privacy Notice. You can read that notice online at https://workspace.google.com/terms/education_privacy.html. You should review this information in its entirety, but below are answers to some common questions:

What personal information does Google collect?
When creating a student account, West Muskingum Local Schools may provide Google with certain personal information about the student, including, for example, a name, email address, and password. Google may also collect personal information directly from students, such as a telephone number for account recovery or a profile photo added to the Google Workspace for Education account. When a student uses Google core services, Google also collects information based on the use of those services. This includes:

● account information, which includes things like name and email address.
● activity while using the core services, which includes things like viewing and interacting with content, people with whom your student communicates or shares content, and other details about their usage of the services.
● settings, apps, browsers & devices. Google collects information about your students’ settings and the apps, browsers, and devices they use to access Google services. This information includes browser and device type, settings configuration, unique identifiers, operating system, mobile network information, and application version number. Google also collects information about the interaction of your students’ apps, browsers, and devices with Google services, including IP address, crash reports, system activity, and the date and time of a request.
● location information. Google collects information about your student’s location as determined by various technologies such as IP address and GPS.
● direct communications. Google keeps records of communications when your student provides feedback, asks questions, or seeks technical support

The Additional Services we allow students to access with their Google Workspace for Education accounts may also collect the following information, as described in the Google Privacy Policy:

● activity while using additional services, which includes things like terms your student searches for, videos they watch, content and ads they view and interact with, voice and audio information when they use audio features, purchase activity, and activity on third-party sites and apps that use Google services.
● apps, browsers, and devices. Google collects the information about your students’ apps, browsers, and devices described above in the core services section.
● location information. Google collects info about your student’s location as determined by various technologies, including: GPS, IP address, sensor data from their device, and information about things near their device, such as Wi-Fi access points, cell towers, and Bluetooth-enabled devices. The types of location data we collect depend in part on your student’s device and account settings.

How does Google use this information?
In Google Workspace for Education Core Services, Google uses student personal information primarily to provide the core services that schools and students use, but it’s also used to maintain and improve the services; make recommendations to optimize the use of the services; provide and improve other services your student requests; provide support; protect Google’s users, customers, the public, and Google; and comply with legal obligations. See the Google Cloud Privacy Notice for more information.

In Google Additional Services, Google may use the information collected from all Additional Services to deliver, maintain, and improve our services; develop new services; provide personalized services; measure performance; communicate with schools or users; and protect Google, Google’s users, and the public. See the Google Privacy Policy for more details.

Does Google use students' personal information for users in K-12 schools to target advertising?
No. There are no ads shown in Google Workspace for Education core services. Also, none of the personal information collected in the core services is used for advertising purposes.

Some additional services show ads; however, for users in primary and secondary (K12) schools, the ads will not be personalized ads, which means Google does not use information from your student’s account or past activity to target ads. However, Google may show ads based on general factors like the student’s search queries, the time of day, or the content of a page they’re reading.

Can my child share information with others using the Google Workspace for Education account?
We may allow students to access Google services such as Google Docs and Sites, which include features where users can share information with others or publicly. For example, if your student shares a photo with a friend who then makes a copy of it, or shares it again, then that photo may continue to appear in the friend’s Google Account, even if your student removes it from their Google Account. When users share information publicly, it may become accessible through search engines, including Google Search.

Will Google disclose my child’s personal information?
Google will not share personal information with companies, organizations, and individuals outside of Google except in the following cases: With our school: Our school administrator (and resellers who manage your or your organization’s Workspace account) will have access to your student’s information. For example, they may be able to:

● View account information, activity, and statistics.
● Change your student’s account password.
● Suspend or terminate your student’s account access.
● Access your student’s account information in order to satisfy applicable law, regulation, legal process, or enforceable governmental request;
● Restrict your students’ ability to delete or edit their information or privacy settings.

With your consent, Google will share personal information outside of Google with parental consent.

For external processing, Google will share personal information with Google’s affiliates and other trusted third-party providers to process it for us as Google instructs them and in compliance with our Google Privacy Policy, the Google Cloud Privacy Notice, and any other appropriate confidentiality and security measures.

For legal reasons, Google will share personal information outside of Google if they have a good-faith belief that access, use, preservation, or disclosure of the information is reasonably necessary for legal reasons, including complying with enforceable governmental requests and protecting you and Google.

What choices do I have as a parent or guardian? First, you can consent to the collection and use of your child’s information by Google. If you don’t provide your consent, we will not create a Google Workspace for Education account for your child, and Google will not collect or use your child’s information as described in this notice.

If you consent to your child’s use of Google Workspace for Education, you can access or request deletion of your child’s Google Workspace for Education account by contacting your child’s principal. If you wish to stop any further collection or use of your child's information, you can request that we use the service controls available to access personal information, limit your child’s access to features or services, or delete personal information in the services or your child’s account entirely. You and your child can also visit https://myaccount.google.com while signed in to the Google Workspace for Education account to view and manage the personal information and settings of the account.

What if I have more questions or would like to read further?
If you have questions about our use of Google’s Google Workspace for Education accounts or the choices available to you, please contact [insert contact information for the school administrator]. If you want to learn more about how Google collects, uses, and discloses personal information to provide services to us, please review the Google Workspace for Education Privacy Center (at https://www.google.com/edu/trust/), the Google Workspace for Education Privacy Notice(at https://workspace.google.com/terms/education_privacy.html), and the Google Privacy Policy at https://www.google.com/intl/en/policies/privacy/), and the Google Cloud Privacy Notice at (https://cloud.google.com/terms/cloud-privacy-notice).

The Core Google Workspace for Education services are provided to us under the Google Workspace for Education Agreement (at https://www.google.com/apps/intl/en/terms/education_terms.html) and the Cloud Data Processing Addendum (at https://cloud.google.com/terms/data-processing-addendum).

 

Student Responsible Use Policy	Staff & Substitute Responsible Use Policy
Google Workspace for Education Notice to Parents & Guardians