Technology Acceptable Use Policy

 Technology Acceptable Use Policy 6161.2

This policy’s intent is to ensure appropriate educational access to technology, the CPS Network of computers, and the Internet.

Students found in violation of the Technology Acceptable Use Policy will be referred to the building principal or appropriate administrator and the parent or guardian will be notified.   The building administrators will have the right and responsibility to exercise judgment in all technology use violations, including those that may not have been specifically outlined in the acceptable use policy.  Consequences may include suspension of computer privileges, notification of police, and suspension from school and/or recommendation for exclusion from school for up to one calendar year.

Educational Purpose

1. The Cranston Public Schools Network (CPSED.net) has been established for an educational purpose to support and enhance the curriculum. For the purpose of this policy, the term CPSED.net shall include Cranston Public Schools computers, local area networks (LANs), wide area networks (WANs), wireless networks (Wi-Fi), and access to the Internet through CPSED.net or other Internet Service Providers.

1. The CPSED.net has not been established as a public access service or a public

forum.  Cranston Public Schools has the right to place restrictions on the material accessed or posted through the system.  Users, including faculty, staff, students, and  others granted access shall agree to follow the rules set forth in the Cranston Public Schools Disciplinary Procedure Handbook.

1. The CPSED.net shall not be used for private commercial purposes.  This means offering, providing or purchasing products or services for non-school related usage.

1. Political lobbying is not allowed through the CPSED.net.

Student Internet Access

1. Students will have access to the CPSED.net information resources through district owned devices and personal devices.
2. Student users and their parent(s)/guardian(s) must sign the “Technology Acceptable Use Policy Agreement” portion of this handbook.  Signatures are required in order for students to be granted access to the Internet. The parent(s)/guardian(s) can withdraw approval at any time.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Use

1. Instructional Use: Teachers may utilize AI tools for instructional planning and development purposes, following ethical guidelines established by the district. Teachers should visit the Vetted Technology Resources page found under Teacher Resources (under STAFF on the mainpage) for approved AI tools.
2. Student Use: With teacher direction and for approved educational purposes only, high school students may use district-approved AI tools in their learning activities. All AI-generated content used in student work must be properly cited.
1. Note: Students are responsible for ensuring the accuracy and validity of all AI-generated content and must properly cite it to avoid plagiarism.

Unacceptable Uses

1. Breach of Personal Safety

1. Student users will not post personal contact information about themselves, their parent(s)/guardian(s) or other people.  Personal contact information includes (but is not restricted to: home address, telephone, school address, work address or parent information).
2. Student users will not meet in person with anyone met online.
3. Student users will promptly disclose to a teacher or other school employee any message received that is inappropriate or makes them feel uncomfortable.

1. Illegal Activities

1. Users will not attempt to gain unauthorized access to the CPS network or to any other computer system through the CPSED.net or go beyond authorized access levels. This includes attempting to log in through another person’s account or access another person’s files.  These actions are illegal, even if only for the purposes of “browsing.”
2. Users will not make deliberate attempts to disrupt the CPSED.net or any other computer system or destroy data by spreading computer viruses or by any other means.  These actions are illegal.
3. Users will not use the CPSED.net to engage in any other illegal act, such as arranging for a drug sale or the purchase of alcohol, engaging in criminal activity, threatening the safety of a person and/or invading the privacy of individuals.

1. System Security

1. Under no conditions should a password be provided to another person.  Users are responsible for their individual accounts and should take all reasonable precautions to prevent others from being able to use their accounts to protect their own liability. Users will immediately notify a teacher or a system administrator if a possible security problem has been identified.

1. Users will avoid the spread of computer viruses by following the recommendations for district best practices for virus protection.

1. Inappropriate Language

Users will not send, display or receive any public and/or private messages through the CPSED.net that contain inappropriate language. This restriction also applies to material posted on school web pages.

1. Users will not send, display or receive messages through the CPSED.net that use obscene, profane, lewd, vulgar, rude, inflammatory, threatening, or disrespectful language.
2. Users will not send, display or receive information through the CPSED.net that could cause damage or disruption.
3. Users will not send, display or otherwise engage in personal attacks, including prejudicial or discriminatory attacks through the CPSED.net.
4. Users will not send, display or receive messages through the CPSED.net that harass another person.  Harassment is persistently acting in a manner that distresses or annoys another person. If asked to stop sending messages, the user must stop.
5. Users will not send, display or receive false or defamatory information about a person or organization through the CPSED.net.
6. Users will not send, display or receive anonymous messages using pseudonym signatures through the CPSED.net.

1. Respect for Privacy

1. Users will respect the privacy of confidential messages and will not repost those messages without the permission of the person who sent the message.
2. Users will not post private information about another person or organization.

1. Respect for Resource Limits

Users will utilize the system only for educational activities and limited, high quality self-discovery activities.  Faculty will provide developmentally appropriate guidance to students as they make use of telecommunications and electronic information resources to conduct research and other studies related to the Cranston Public Schools curriculum. All students will be informed by faculty of their rights and responsibilities as users of the CPSED.net network prior to gaining access to that network, either as an individual user or as a member of a class or group.

1. Student users will not download any file without the expressed permission of the instructor.
2. Users will not post chain letters or engage in “spamming.”  Spamming is sending an annoying or unnecessary message to a large number of people.
3. All users will check their email frequently and delete unwanted messages promptly.
4. The students are required to maintain their digital drive space.
5. At the time of graduation or their exit from the district, students are required to migrate their Google information to their personal accounts.

1. Plagiarism and Copyright Infringement

1. Users will provide proper citation for information gathered from online sources through the CPSED.net, or on the Internet.  Plagiarism is taking the ideas or writings of others and presenting them as if they were yours. 
2. Users will respect the rights of copyright owners.  Copyright infringement occurs when a user inappropriately reproduces a work that is protected by a copyright.  A work includes: text, graphics, photos, sounds, music, animation, video and software programs.  If a work contains language that specifies appropriate use of that work, users should follow the expressed requirements. If unsure whether or not a work may be used, permission from the copyright owner must be requested.
3. Citing information from AI Sites: 
• Use MLA formatting for an AI citation:
• In-text citation: ("Character analysis of Hamlet," GPT-3)
• Works Cited entry: Character analysis of Hamlet. GPT-3. Accessed May 10, 2024.

1. Inappropriate Access to Material

1. Receiving or inputting pornographic materials, promoting violence, engaging in racial,

gender or other defamatory slurs or for personal attacks on others through the CPSED.net is strictly prohibited.

1. Receiving or transmitting information through the CPSED.net pertaining to dangerous instruments such as bombs, automatic weapons, or other illicit firearms, weapons, or explosive devices is prohibited.
2. The CPSED.net does not permit the use of student initiated chat rooms.

Individual Rights

1. Search and Seizure
1. Network administrators may review files and communications to maintain system integrity and to ensure that users are utilizing the CPSED.net responsibly.  Users should not expect that files stored on district servers, computers, or cloud based storage will be private.
2. An individual search will be conducted if there is reasonable suspicion that a user has violated this policy.

1. Due Process

1. The Cranston Public Schools will cooperate fully with local, state, or federal officials in any investigation related to any illegal activities conducted through the CPSed.net.
2. In the event there is a claim that a user has violated this policy, the user will be notified of the suspected violation.  An opportunity to present an explanation will be provided.

Limitation of Liability

1. The Cranston Public Schools makes no guarantee that the functions or the services provided by or through CPSED.net will be error-free or without defect.

1. The Cranston Public Schools will not be responsible for any damage suffered, including but not limited to, loss of data or interruptions of service.

1. The Cranston Public Schools is not responsible for the accuracy or quality of the information obtained through or stored on CPSED.net.

1. The Cranston Public Schools will not be responsible for financial obligations arising through the unauthorized use of the CPSED.net system.

Internet Safety Policy                                                                                6161.2

1. The Cranston Public Schools will provide age-appropriate training for students who use the Cranston Public Schools Internet facilities. The training provided will be designed to promote the district’s commitment to:
1. The standards and acceptable use of Internet services as set forth in the Cranston Public Schools Internet Safety Policy.
2. Student safety with regard to safety on the Internet.
3. Appropriate behavior while online, on social networking websites, and in chat rooms.
4. Cyberbullying awareness and response.

1. Compliance with the E-rate requirements of the Children's Internet Protection Act ("CIPA") in the Cranston Public Schools is achieved with the assistance of Securly on Chrome OS devices and Fortinet Advanced Firewall Web Filtering used as an umbrella for remaining devices. This utility allows the district to block access to inappropriate content. The following is a guideline to the filtering that has been configured through the R3000 interface.

• High School Category Blocks

-Adult Content

-Child Pornography

-Pornography

-Games

• Middle School Category Blocks

-Adult Content

-Child Pornography

-Pornography

-“R” Rated

-Games

• Elementary School Category Blocks

-Adult Content

-Child Pornography

-Pornography

-“R” Rated

-Obscene/Tasteless

-Games

• Cranston District Wide Custom Blocks

-Facebook

-TikTok

-SnapChat

-YouTube (able to access safe videos through VuSafe)

-Instagram

Following receipt of this training, the student will acknowledge that he/she received the training, understood it, and will follow the provisions of the District's acceptable use policies.

Policy Adopted: 8/28/14 (res.No. 14-8-26) Cranston Public Schools

Amended: 7/15/2019 (Res. 19-07-15)         Cranston, RI

Amended: 8/14/24 (Res.24-07-02)

Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) Policy

6161.3

Purpose:

The Cranston Public Schools recognizes that its students need to be engaged in activities that promote 21st Century learning skills. Communication and collaboration are central tenets of the 21st Century learner. Many students’ lives today are filled with media that gives them mobile access to information and resources whenever and wherever needed. The Cranston Public Schools has developed a secure, centrally-managed wireless infrastructure that can support personal wireless electronic devices. The Cranston Public Schools will allow students to use personal electronic devices, at the discretion of the teacher,  after they and their parents/guardians have signed the BYOD student user agreement. Students wishing to participate must follow the policies stated in the CPS Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) as well as the following requirements.

Device Types:

For the purpose of this program, the word “device” means a privately owned wireless and/or portable electronic piece of equipment that includes laptops, netbooks, tablets/slates, smartphones, eReaders and any device that can connect to a wireless infrastructure.

Responsible use of BYOD:

1. The purpose of the use of electronic devices in CPS is educational.  

1. The use of BYOD is limited to the discretion of the teacher.  Electronic devices are not to be used unless directed to do so by a teacher.  Students are not to use electronic devices in classrooms until directed by a teacher. Teachers cannot require that students have a device with them in class. Teachers will not be expected to provide tech support to students experiencing difficulty with their devices.

Requirements:

• For any student who wishes to use a personally owned electronic device within the Cranston Public Schools, they and their legal guardian must read and sign this agreement and submit it to the building principal.
• Students and parents at the start of each new school year must renew this policy.
• The student accepts full responsibility for his or her device and shall keep it with him/herself at all times. The Cranston Public Schools is not responsible for the security of the device.
• The student shall be responsible for the proper care of their personal device, including any costs of repair, replacement or any modifications needed to use the device at school.
• The school reserves the right to inspect a student’s personal device if there is reason to believe that the student has violated CPS policies, administrative procedures, school rules or has engaged in other misconduct while using their personal device.
  
• Violations of any CPS policies, administrative procedures or school rules involving a student’s personally owned device may result in the loss of use of the device in school and/or disciplinary action according to the CPS disciplinary code, which may include loss of use of device ranging from a day to the rest of the year, detention, ISS, and/or suspension. The device may be confiscated and a parent will be required to pick it up.
• The student shall comply with teachers’ requests to shut down the device.
• Personal devices shall be charged prior to bringing it to school and shall be capable of running off its own battery while at school.
• The student shall not use the devices to record, transmit or post photos or video of a person or persons on campus, nor shall any images or video recorded at school be transmitted or posted at any time without the permission of the teacher or appropriate school official.
• The student shall only use their device to access relevant files in accordance with the CPS Student AUP.
• Students are not to make any attempts to bypass or circumvent network security systems or filters. Students are only to access the internet via the CPS network, not through cellular networks or other wireless connections.

Policy Adopted: 8/18/14 (Res. No. 14-8-26) CRANSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS

CRANSTON, RHODE ISLAND