Computers, E-mail & Internet
School Computers
The use of messaging and the Internet to further efficiency and capabilities is encouraged; however, the use of the Internet and messaging can be associated with some school dangers and difficulties. Each user will be personally accountable for his/her appropriate use of the Internet, email and school computers. Passwords should not be written down or revealed to anyone. The following guidelines and information have been developed by Edison in preparing school email/messaging and internet policies to help students make thoughtful decisions when using the electronic communications:
● Students should not have any expectation of privacy with respect to personal electronic communication sent or received on the school network. Because electronic communication is not private, students should avoid sending personal messages that are sensitive or confidential.
● Users should be aware that software and systems are in place that can monitor and record all Internet and email usage, email messages, and each file transfer into and out of internal networks. Edison reserves the right to review information recorded and monitor information at any time.
● Each person using the Internet and email facilities of Edison shall identify himself or herself honestly, accurately and completely.
● Intentionally transmitting, storing, accessing and/or displaying of any kind of sexually explicit or otherwise objectionable image or document on the system is a serious violation of Edison existing policy on harassment and is expressly forbidden. Sexually explicit or objectionable material may not be accessed or archived, stored, distributed, edited or recorded using the Edison network or computing resources. Objectionable material includes, but is not limited to, messages containing derogatory, harassing, or inflammatory remarks about an individual or group’s race, color, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, religion, age, disability or other characteristic or attribute not related to academic or artistic performance.
● The Internet, email, and computing resources must not be used knowingly for any activity that would violate the laws and regulations of the United States or any other nation, or the laws and regulations of any state, city, province or other local jurisdiction in any way.
● Personal use must be infrequent, used only in necessary circumstances and must not: o Involve prohibited activity; o Interfere with the productivity of the student or his/her peers; o Consume system resources or storage capacity on an ongoing basis; or o Involve large file transfers or otherwise deplete system resources available for learning purposes.
● To prevent computer viruses from being transmitted through the system unauthorized downloading of any software or instant messenger services is prohibited. All software downloads must be approved and installed by authorized personnel.
● Copyrighted materials belonging to external entities may not be transmitted by students on the Internet. Users are not permitted to copy, transfer, rename, add or delete information or programs belonging to other users unless given express permission to do so by the owner. Failure to observe copyright or license agreements may result in disciplinary action from Edison or legal action by the copyright owner.
● Other prohibitions may include o False, misleading or libelous material. o Posting chain letters, jokes, solicitations, or advertisements not related to some business purpose or activity.
o Use for personal gain.
o Use for political or religious activities except as permitted by applicable federal, state, and local laws.
o Transmitting/posting confidential material/data.
Students or guardians with questions regarding network, email or Internet use should ask a member of the core leadership team.
PC/Local Area Network
Personal Computers, Tablets and Local Area Networks are property of Edison and are intended to be used for school purposes only.
While students may have a personal password to access their computer or network, Edison reserves the right to monitor any workstation in order to ensure compliance with School policy. Students should not expect that applications or data resident on either the hard drive or the network server will be private, or that no one else will have access to them.
The network and workstations may be periodically audited for viruses and unlicensed software. To prevent computer viruses from being transmitted through the computer system or possible copyright violations, employees are prohibited from installing or downloading any software (i.e.: instant messaging, games, screensavers, weather programs, music, etc.) without prior authorization from Edison. All software installed or downloaded must be registered in accordance with instructions from Edison. This action will be taken in order to protect Edison’s liability with respect to software licensing agreements, as well as to minimize negative impacts on the network, such as viruses and excessive use of the network resources.
Students violating the PC/LAN policy will be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including suspension or expulsion.