KLB School Network/Internet Acceptable Use Policy

This policy applies to pupils and staff at KLB School and forms the basis of an 'acceptable use' agreement that pupils and parents are required to sign before pupils can access the Internet.

Educational Purpose.

The KLB Network/Internet access has been established for an educational purpose. The term "educational purpose" includes classroom activities, career development, and quality research activities.

Use of Internet facilities:

The school Internet service is provided by the South West Grid for Learning (SWGfL).  The SWGfL monitors and audits the use of the Internet by KLB School and reports any potential misuse that it identifies.

If inappropriate material is accessed accidentally, users should immediately report this to a member of staff so that this can be taken into account in monitoring.

KLB School expects all users to use the Internet responsibly and strictly according to the following conditions:

A summary of unacceptable usage:

Users shall not use the school Internet* system to:

• Visit Internet sites, make, post, download, upload or pass on, material, remarks, proposals or comments that contain or relate to:
  • pornography (including images, video as well as explicit animation and textual descriptions)
  • promoting discrimination of any kind (including material that promotes intolerance on the basis of gender or sexual orientation)
  • promoting racial or religious hatred
  • promoting illegal acts
  • promoting drugs and substance abuse (including web sites that promote the use, manufacture and distribution of illegal drugs, as well as sites that promote the abuse of legal substances such as prescription drugs or the sale of alcohol to minors)
  • graphic portrayal of violence, as well as sites that promote violence or self-endangerment, or contain instructions for making weapons of violence or the sale of such weapons
  • any other content which may be offensive to pupils or staff.
• Access web-based chat sites that allow users to make contact with individuals in the outside world without providing sufficient safeguards and protection to young people
• Access web-based email services, other that the service provided by the school
• Access sites offering Internet-based SMS messaging services
• Run any form of private business or create, edit or access your own web pages outside the school network.
• Visit sites that might be defamatory or incur liability on the part of the school
• Upload, download, or otherwise transmit (make, distribute or distribute) commercial software or any copyrighted materials belonging to third parties outside the school
• Reveal or publicise confidential or proprietary information, which includes but is not limited to: financial information, personal information, databases and the information contained therein, computer/network access codes, and business relationships
• Intentionally interfere with the normal operation of the Internet connection, including the propagation of computer viruses and sustained high volume network traffic (sending or receiving of large files or sending and receiving of large numbers of small files or any activity that causes network congestion) that substantially hinders others in their use of the Internet.
• Solicit, represent personal opinions or reveal confidential information or use it in any other way that could reasonably be considered inappropriate
• Carry out political lobbying, either directly or via email. But users can use the system to communicate with elected representatives and to express your opinion on political issues.
• Access the UseNet Internet News system or Chat services, e.g. IRC and ICQ

(*for the purpose of this policy, Internet usage means any connection to the Internet via Web browsing, FTP, external email or news groups)

Further guidance on pupil Internet and email access.

1. All pupil Internet access must be supervised (with the exception of 6th form pupils). This means there must be a member of staff in the room who is aware that the pupil is accessing the Internet. If the member of staff leaves the room then pupils must stop using the Internet.
2. Inappropriate Access to online material.
   1. Internet access is filtered through our Internet Service Provider (ISP). This is not infallible but pupils who deliberately try to access filtered material or bypass the filtering service will have their Internet access suspended.
3. The school email service can be used for personal use but the rules given below on email use must be followed.
4. Misuse of the Internet will result in the suspension of Internet access for a fixed period of time.
5. You may not create or edit personal web pages without approval from a member of staff. Any content added using the school Internet access is the responsibility of the school and must therefore be checked and approved by a member of staff. Pupils are requested not to add a guestbook etc. to such sites because of their unregulated nature.
6. Pupils should not access website guestbooks, forums or chat rooms due to the unregulated nature of the content, unless there is clear educational value and a member of staff is aware of the activity.
7. Pupils are reminded that any content they upload to the VLE, including their homepages, is visible to all pupils in their year group and all staff.

Further guidance on unacceptable usage:

The following uses of the KLB School Network are considered unacceptable:

1. Personal Safety:
   1. Users will not e-mail personal contact information about themselves or other people. Personal contact information includes your address, telephone, school address, work address, etc.
   2. Users should not access or contribute to online forums as these are often unregulated.
   3. Pupil users should promptly disclose to a member of staff or other school employee any message they receive that is inappropriate or makes you feel uncomfortable.
2. Illegal Activities:
   1. Users will not attempt to gain unauthorised access to The KLB School Network or go beyond their authorised access. This includes attempting to log-on 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 attempt to bypass the ISP filtering system.  Such attempts will result in a permanent ban of Internet access
   3. Users 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.
3. System Security:
   1. Users are responsible for their individual user area and should take all reasonable precautions to prevent others from being able to use it. Under no conditions should users let any other pupil know their password.
   2. Users will immediately notify a teacher or the system administrator if they have identified a possible security problem. Users MUST NOT go looking for security problems because this will be construed as an illegal attempt to gain access.
   3. Users will avoid the inadvertent spread of computer viruses. Unchecked floppy disks and USB flash/pen drives must not be used and email attachments that are suspect or from unknown sources should not be opened.
   4. Users will not download computer programs or files from the Internet without permission from a member of staff.
   5. Users will not try to load computer programs onto the KLB School Network or attempt to run programs that are not accessed through the Start Menu or Desktop screen.
4. Inappropriate Language:
   1. Restrictions against inappropriate language apply to public and private email messages, file names, the content of files and material posted on Web pages.
   2. Such inappropriate language includes obscene, profane, lewd, vulgar, rude, inflammatory, threatening, or disrespectful language.
5. Email misuse:
   1. Users will not email information that could cause damage or a danger of disruption.
   2. Users will not harass another person. Harassment is persistently acting in a manner that distresses or annoys another person. If a user is told by someone to stop sending them messages, then they must stop.
   3. Users will not knowingly or recklessly email false or defamatory information about a person or organisation.
   4. Users will not forward an email that was sent privately without permission of the person who sent the message.
   5. Users will not email private information about another person.
   6. Users will not email chain letters or engage in "spamming". Spamming is sending an annoying or unnecessary message to a large number of people.
   7. Users will not use email in lessons without permission from the member of staff taking the lesson.
6. Misuse of resources:
   1. There are only a limited amount of computers available outside lesson times. Priority will always be given to uses who need to use the computers for educational and careers purposes and users must use the Internet only for educational and career development.
   2. Users will avoid unnecessary printing. A record of all printing is logged automatically by the Network. Users will be responsible for monitoring their printer credits using the Status Manager. Unnecessary printing will result in printer credits not being renewed.
   3. Accessing and playing games via the Internet is not allowed. A limited number of games do have some significant educational value and these listed 'games' are the only ones users are permitted to access.
   4. Running non-educational files on the network - users should not play non-educational multi-media such as MP3 or video clips.  Bringing such files into school (on floppy disks, USB flash drives or as email attachments etc.) is not permitted.
   5. For copyright reasons, users must not store or download commercial music of video files anywhere on the school network.
   6. Shared areas on the school network are for transferring files and users are responsible for their removal when they are no longer needed. If users place inappropriate files in a shared area then then their network access is liable to be suspended.
   7. Listening to online radio broadcasts or watching website video clips online slows the whole network.  Unless this is for educational reasons and permission has been given by a member of staff, this is not allowed.
7. Monitoring of the network.
   1. Pupil users should expect only limited privacy in the contents of their personal files on the KLB School Network.
   2. Routine maintenance and monitoring of files stored on the KLB School Network may lead to discovery that users have violated this Policy or the law.
   3. Routine monitoring of user logs, user files and the screens of pupils using the Internet may lead to discovery that users have violated this Policy or the law.
   4. An individual search will be conducted if there is reasonable suspicion that users have violated this Policy. The investigation will be reasonable and related to the suspected violation.
   5. Parents have the right at any time to request to see the contents of pupil email files, both sent and received.
8. Policy violations.
   1. KLB School will co-operate fully with local, or government officials in any investigation related to any illegal activities conducted through the KLB School Network.
   2. Misuse of the Internet or email will result in user access to these facilities being suspended. Continued misuse will result in the suspension becoming permanent.

Personal Responsibility:

Pupils and staff users should be aware of the following:

1. All user actions on the KLB School Network are logged continuously. This includes the workstation used, the time logged on for, the websites accessed, what software is used and any printing done.
2. These logs can be used to track specific actions by users or workstations at any given time.
3. Users are responsible for the contents of their user area. If obscene or inappropriate files are found by routine scans then access will be suspended and parents notified.
4. Details and/or printouts of any unacceptable material or Internet access will be posted home to parents/guardians and the access to the KLB network suspended.

Discretionary Rights:

KLB School reserves the right to vary the terms of this policy at any time and without prior notice. KLB School has the right to withdraw access to the Network, suspend Internet access or email access. Network access will be suspended until any policy discrepancy has been finalised. The decision of KLB School is final.