Educational Purpose
Access to the Information Superhighway and the development of electronic information research skills are now fundamental requirements for preparing students to take their place in a technological society. Vermilion Catholic currently provides limited access through the placement of Internet service in the school library and in the computer lab, and in every classroom. The service is open to students and staff and exists to enhance the educational process.

Use of the internet facilitates research, makes available unique resources, and enables faculty and staff to explore the riches of thousands of libraries and databases, provides the means for interacting with others beyond the school community, and encourages communications, collaboration and greater participation in the global community. It is an essential tool for the future.

Teachers will make every effort to point students to sites that they have evaluated prior to suggesting their use.

Students will be given a username and password at the beginning of their educational experience at Vermilion Catholic. It is their responsibility to maintain the security of their log on information.

Responsibility
The smooth operation and continued use of this resource requires that users adhere to guidelines. In general, it requires that the Internet connection be used ethically, legally, and efficiently. The use of the Internet is a privilege, not a right. It is Vermilion Catholic’s intent to set reasonable requirements for acceptable and responsible use. Any user who violates these guidelines will be denied further access through the school connection.

For purposes of this policy, USER is herein defined as any faculty or staff member, who uses a Vermilion Catholic Internet connection.

Security
Along with the wealth of information resources comes the availability of material that may not be of educational value in the school setting, and material that can be morally objectionable (pornography, violence, etc.) We firmly believe that the richness of education information and global interaction far outweigh the dangers.

However, to assure that guidelines are followed, student Internet use in the school must always be a supervised activity. Any user identified as a security risk, or having a previous history of problems with other systems, may be denied access to the school’s Internet connections.

Vandalism of any kind will also result in cancellation of privileges. Vandalism is defined here as “malicious or deliberate attempt to harm or destroy hardware, software, or to disrupt service, whether by physical means or by the uploading or creation of computer viruses.”

To assure that viruses are not introduced into the system, floppy disks are not allowed and students are not allowed to download files of any type, without the express permission of the school Technology Coordinator.

Acceptable Use
1. All users are expected to abide by the general accepted rules of network etiquette. The most important of these are:

• All users: Be respectful of others in all communications. Use of inappropriate language (vulgarities, profanities, obscenities, verbal abuse and threats, harassment, racial slurs, etc.) will not be tolerated.

• Students : For safety reasons, do not reveal your personal address or telephone number, nor the personal addresses and/or telephone numbers of other students. Do not agree to meet with someone you have met online without your parents’ knowledge and approval.

• Staff Members: Give your personal address and/or phone number only when you deem it appropriate and safe. Do NOT give out personal information of colleagues and/or students.

2. All users are expected to abide by Louisiana and U. S. laws and regulations. Transmission of any material in violation of these laws and regulation is PROHIBITED. This includes, but is not limited to:

• access and/or transmission of obscene, pornographic, or sexually explicit material

• access material that advocates violence or discrimination (hate literature)

• activities that are disruptive to the network service, including destroying data or transmitting computer viruses.

• unauthorized attempts to enter restricted areas of information

• the sending of threatening, defamatory or fraudulent messages

• use for commercial activities

• deliberate violations of copyright, or other use of another person’s intellectual property without their prior written approval and/or giving proper acknowledgement.

3. E-mail use and on-line chats, at this time, are generally restricted to staff members. However, students wishing to e-mail for a specific school project may be allowed to after consulting with the librarian or Technology Coordinator.

4. Students should respect the privacy of other students, should strive to maintain protection over personal passwords, and should inform the school administration and/or the Technology Coordinator if password privacy is in question.

5. Respect the Resource Limits. Use the system only for educational activities and high quality self-discovery activities.

Unacceptable Uses
Students are not allowed to use technology resources in any of the following ways. Students may not:
1. Post personal contact information about themselves or other Vermilion Catholic students.

2. Post information or use Vermilion Catholic’s name in any way on the internet without express permission of the school.

3. Use inappropriate language or bully/harass others students in public messages, private messages, or material posted on web pages.

4. Download any files without the express permission of the Technology Coordinator.

5. Publicize any information that was shared by another student who intended for that information to remain private.

6. Play any games, including but not limited to Solitaire, Hearts, online games, etc. Only those educational programs that have been loaded in conjunction with curriculum software may be played.

7. Chat, e-mail, or post on a message board while using school computers without the express permission of the Technology Coordinator.

8. Plagiarize works found on the internet or violate copyright laws.

Privacy
Student users should NOT expect that files stored on school computers will be private. Electronic messages stored on school computers may be treated like lockers. The files may be reviewed to ensure that users are following the rules set forth in this Acceptable Use Policy. If you are granted e-mail privileges, the Technology Coordinator, administration, and/or your parents have the right at any time to see the content of your e-mail files.

Non-Liability
Vermilion Catholic High School makes no warranties of any kind, whether expressed or implied, for the service it provides, and will not be held responsible for any loss of data resulting from delays and service interruptions.

Vermilion Catholic High School makes no guarantees that the system will be error free and is not responsible for the accuracy or quality of information obtained through the system. All users make use of the information obtained at his or her own risk.

Students are NOT AUTHORIZED to make any purchases of goods and/or services through school accounts. Vermilion Catholic High School is not responsible for financial obligations arising from such purchases made by students through the unauthorized use of the system.

CONSEQUENCES
Depending on the severity of the infraction, consequences will be as follows:

• 1st Violation – Detention or Suspension and restriction of computer privileges

• 2nd Violation – Suspension and removal of all computer privileges at school

• 3rd Violation – Suspension and possible expulsion

NOTICE
This policy and all its provisions are subject to local, state, and federal laws.

ALL staff members, students and any V.C. parent wishing to use the system MUST have a completed copy of the Agreement for Users on file with the Technology Coordinator.