INTERNET SAFETY POLICY for OTATARA SCHOOL

PURPOSE

To provide Internet access so all staff and students at Otatara School can:

•Become effective and safe users of the Internet.

•Extend their awareness and knowledge of the Internet.

•Become motivated, responsible, independent users of the Internet.

•Become effective users of the Interactive Whiteboards.

GUIDELINES

•Training for staff who wish to use the internet and email is facilitated through the principal or delegated staff member.  Training is essential for the safety and protection of staff, students and equipment.

•Students will need to be directed to sites on the net, rather than surfing.

•All staff* must READ a copy of this School Internet Safety Policy and sign a Staff Internet Use agreement before using the Internet themselves, indicating they are aware of the details of this policy.  This documentation will be kept on file by the school.

•Staff accepts responsibility for any family members’ use of the school network.

•Staff can have individual Internet e-mail accounts.

* Staff includes all school personnel both teaching and non-teaching

Students Use of the Internet

•All students must sign the School Computer Use Agreement and have the signed permission of a parent / caregiver before using the Internet or Interactive Whiteboard at school.  These documents must be kept on file by the appropriate staff member.

•A teacher must be in the room whenever a student uses the Internet.

Safety Issues

•While all possible care will be taken by the staff while the children are using the Internet and all inappropriate use will be dealt with, ultimately the staff and Board of Trustees cannot be held liable or accountable for students own actions.

•The school will continue to refine methods of improving safety on the Internet.

POLICY for the ONLINE PUBLICATION of STUDENT IMAGES and WORK

PURPOSE

The school uses a range of learning technologies to enhance student learning.  These include electronic mail (e-mail), Interactive Whiteboard and the Internet.  From time to time, we may publish on the school’s website www.otatara.school.nz, material for educational purposes, to share the results of learning within the school community, and to promote the school within the wider community.  This may include samples of students’ schoolwork and images of students and groups of students in activities at the school.

Images of students may include scanned, digital, or video images of them taking part in school or class activities.

GUIDELINES

•The school will publish the material only on its own website www.otatara.school.nz and New Zealand based websites endorsed by the Ministry of Education’s website The Online Learning Centre – Te Kete Ipurangi (www.tki.org.nz).  The school may also recommend that students work, or the whole school website, be available through Te Kete Ipurangi.

•The school publishes student material online for three main purposes:

1.To educate the student in accordance with the national curriculum, including on the role and use of technology in society.

2.To encourage the student to be part of and participate in the school community.

3.To promote the school in the wider community.

Privacy and online publishing

Parents and students should be aware that the school cannot control who has access to the information published on its Internet website or the other websites mentioned.  In recognition of this, the school takes steps to safeguard the privacy of the students and to comply with the Privacy Act 1993.

•The school acknowledges that it cannot control who accesses the websites on which students’ images or material is published or the copying, by visitors to these websites, of images of the students’ and their work.

•Our school newsletter and notices will contain children’s christian and surnames but no contact phone numbers or addresses unless supplied specifically by submitters to the newsletter.

•In all other cases the school will identify students on the websites only by their first name and year at school.  Students’ surnames, home addresses, and telephone numbers will not be available on the websites.

•The school will immediately remove all material relating to a student from its website if requested by a legal guardian of the student and, in any event, once the student leaves the school permanently.

School management of online publishing.

The school will set the educational purpose for publishing students’ work online.  Students’ image and school work may be chosen for online publication if it meets the purpose and if the school holds the consent of the parent to publish the student’s material online. 

•The school will not publish material online that may defame anyone, be objectionable from a human rights point of view, be obscene, or infringe the copyright of third parties.  All student material published online will be subject to an editing process, which will include the correction of spelling and grammatical errors.

Enquires

The school welcomes any enquiry from parents or students about the operation of this policy.

Disputes

The school has a procedure to resolve complaints or other disputes.  This procedure is contained in the Policies File.

COMPUTER AND INTERNET USE AGREEMENT

I understand that:

•The purpose for school computers and other information technology resources is to support learning.

•The school will do its best to keep me safe while using global information systems such as the Internet.

•I know that I am not permitted to access material though the Internet which is offensive (e.g. pornographic), dangerous, inappropriate, or illegal.*

•I am forbidden to pass on such material by copying, storing or printing it.

•If I use e-mail at school, I am not permitted to send any messages which are offensive, dangerous, inappropriate at school or illegal.*

•I may use the Internet or e-mail at school only if there is a teacher present in the classroom and completing a specific classroom task.

Students*   Please ask your teacher if you need any of these explained to you.

I understand how important it is to:

1.Take care of Information Technology resources, such as computers and the Internet.

Be careful with equipment and furniture.

Respect the copyrights on software that prohibit copying.

Use only school software on school computers.

2.Be considerate of other users.

Share available equipment.

Be careful not to waste computer resources, e.g. paper.

Avoid disruption of the running of any computer or network.

Take care not to scan or display graphics, record or play sounds, or type messages which could cause offence to others.

Remove immediately from the screen any material that would not be allowed at the School which I accidentally come across, and tell the teacher right away.                            

     

3.   Be responsible for privacy and security

I will not give anyone on the Internet information about myself or anyone else – this includes address, phone number, photograph or credit card information.

I will tell the teacher if I come across a virus or security problem.

Breaking theses rules will result in loss of privileges and disciplinary action.

STUDENT INTERNET AGREEMENT

Student

I have read this Agreement and know the importance of the school rules for the use of computers and the Internet.

I know that if I break these rules, I might lose the right to use a school computer, and the school may take other disciplinary action against me.  Whatever the case, there will be a consequence for my actions.

Child’s Name (printed)Room

Parents / Caregivers

I have read this Agreement and understand that my child is responsible for using equipment and the Internet as outlined here.

I have gone through the Agreement with my child and explained its importance and that there will be consequences for breaking the Agreement.

I understand while the school will do its best to restrict student access to offensive, dangerous, inappropriate material at school, or illegal material on the Internet through e-mail, it is the responsibility of my child to have no involvement is such material.

I give / withhold my permission for _____________ to be given access at school to global information systems such as the Internet or e-mail.

I give / withhold my permission for _________ image and work to be published online.

Caregiver’s Name (printed)Signature

I give permission for my child to use the Internet and Interactive Whiteboards while at school.

Caregiver’s Name (printed)Signature

Date

We do / do not have access to e-mail and Internet at home.

Our home e-mail address is ______________________________________________

If you would like to discuss this document please contact the school office.