Acceptable Use of Technology Agreement for Bradley County Schools Students 

Students in Bradley County Schools (BCS) must develop the research, information fluency, and technology skills that will allow them to be successful in this digital world, as well as the skills necessary to live safely and ethically.  Computer access and access to the Internet, digital communication and collaboration tools, and online learning spaces are critical to teaching these skills. The guidelines set forth in this document are based on the Children’s Internet Protection Act  (CIPA), Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), Bradley County Schools’ Board of Education Policy 4.406 Use of Internet*, and the 1-to-1 Technology Guidelines & Contractual Agreement to promote safe, legal, and ethical use of technology in the District.  

Failure to adhere to district policies, procedures, and guidelines for the use of district technology resources may result in revocation or restriction of access privileges and/or disciplinary action as defined in their respective school’s Student/Parent/School Handbook,  and 1-to-1 Technology Guidelines & Contractual Agreement. In addition to the district’s standard consequences for misbehavior, any network misuse or illegal activities may result in contact with the student’s parent/guardian, or if a violation of law has occurred, contact law enforcement authorities. 

I will: 

• Follow all district and classroom policies, procedures, and guidelines when using technology. 
• Use all district technology resources to create files and projects for school-related work, research, and college and career planning. 
• Keep my usernames and passwords private. 
• Treat others with respect and use appropriate language in all of my electronic interactions with others.
• Immediately tell a teacher or other adult staff member if I receive an electronic comment or communication that makes me feel uncomfortable, or if I accidentally access inappropriate materials, pictures, video, or websites.
• Respect the work and intellectual property rights of others, and I will not intentionally copy, damage, or delete another user’s work. I will properly cite my sources when I use someone’s information, pictures, media, or other work in my own projects and assignments Bradley County Schools’ Board of Education Policy 4.404 Use of Copyrighted Material**. 
• Respect the privacy of others. I will limit all in-school photography, video, and audio recording to educational use.  I understand that this applies to both district technology resources and my personal electronic devices. 

I will not: 

• Use district technology resources to find, create, or send information to spread lies or misinformation; or harass,  harm, or bully others (***refer to BCBOE Board Policy 6.304 Student Discrimination, Harassment, Bullying, Cyber-bullying, and Intimidation). 
• Use technology to gain unauthorized or inappropriate access to district technology resources (*).
• Use, retrieve, store, or send improper language, pictures, or other digital content (*). 
• Use the District-issued email for political lobbying or communicate with elected representatives nor express opinion on political issues. (Little Hatch Act, Tennessee Code Annotated § 8-30-306)
• Cheat – by using district technology resources or my personal electronic device. I will not get or give answers to tests;  search for and/or copy answers or information on the Internet or other electronic resources contained on or in any technology resource or device; copy and submit someone else’s information or assignment as my own; or conduct other similar forms of electronic cheating. 
• Access inappropriate or blocked resources using personal Wi-Fi accounts, 3G/4G, anonymous proxy sites, or by any other manner while on district property during school hours (*). 
• Share or post any personally identifiable information about others or myself that could help someone locate or contact others or me. This includes such things as email address, full name, home or school address, phone number, parent’s or guardian’s names, and school name (*). (****media release form on file at their respective school)

I understand: 

• Use of district technology resources, including networks, computers or mobile devices, and the Internet is a  privilege, which may be denied, revoked, or restricted at any time for misuse or abusive conduct (*). 
• All BCS students (grades K-12)  are issued an email account that is managed by the District. Student accounts are deactivated on June 30th after their senior year.
• BCS reserves all rights to control its technology resources and may monitor or restrict a user’s technology resources. The District may search any district device that is assigned to a  user; and retrieve, alter, and delete any data created, received, or maintained by any user using district technology resources (*).
• Impero, a BCS monitoring resource, is used for accountability measures and may require parent involvement and intervention.

• Loss, damage, or unavailability of data stored on the system regardless of the cause is not the responsibility of BCS.
• Online learning spaces and communication and collaboration tools should be treated as classroom space, and language and behavior that is not appropriate in the physical classroom is not appropriate in online spaces, no matter what time of day or location those spaces are accessed (*)(**).
• Devices issued by BCS are deployed, tracked, and managed by One to One Plus. I am responsible for returning the undamaged device upon request.

Acceptable Use of Technology Agreement for Students 

• Assignments in online learning spaces are just like any other assignment in school, and students are expected to follow all policies and procedures in the Student/Parent/School Handbook, including all policies related to cheating,  plagiarism, and acceptable use of technology. 
• Personal electronic devices are at an increased risk of being stolen, misplaced, or damaged, and BCS is not responsible for any damage or theft of personal property. 
• Use of personal electronic devices during the school day should be limited to legitimate educational purposes. Refer to the Student/Parent/School Handbook for the respective school’s policy personal devices. 
•  I may be subject to disciplinary action for using technology in violation of district policies, procedures, guidelines,  or the Student/Parent/School Handbook. 

Parent/Guardian Notice and Permission 

Filter 

Within the schools, the BCS provides students with access to various technology resources, including a wide range of educational resources through the Internet. The District uses content filtering technology in compliance with the Children’s Internet Protection  Act (CIPA) on all school computers with Internet access to protect against unacceptable web content. However, because no web filtering technology is 100% safe, the District makes every effort to monitor online activity.  

Parent and Guardian Rights 

Outside of school, parents/guardians bear responsibility for providing guidance on Internet use, just as they do with other information sources such as television, radio, movies, and other possibly offensive media. Parents/guardians are responsible for monitoring their child’s use of the Internet and access to district technology resources, including online learning spaces,  collaboration tools, and educational resources. 

While parents/guardians DO NOT have the right to use technology resources, including devices and BCS-issued email accounts, for their own personal use for purchasing goods or services, they do bear certain responsibilities(*). Parents/guardians have the right at any time to review the contents of their child’s electronic data and email files. In the event that a parent/guardian has serious concern regarding their child’s safety and wishes to review their child’s electronic files,  they must submit their request in writing to the school principal. The request must include the student’s name,  school name, a list of files, screenshots, or accounts names and usernames (Twitter @studentusername), and the reason for requesting a copy of their child’s files.  The building principal will work with the Information Technology Department to obtain copies of the files.  

Parents/guardians also have the right to request termination of their child’s computer and account access through a written request. Parents/guardians should be aware that their decision to limit or eliminate access to technology resources will significantly affect their child’s ability to work collaboratively on projects and assignments, and will hamper the development of skills necessary to live and work in this increasingly digital world.  

Parents/guardians who wish to terminate their child’s access to district technology resources must provide a written request to the school principal. Without a written request, the District will assume that permission has been granted for the student to access the Internet, electronic resources, and online learning spaces.  

LEGAL REFERENCES:

47 U.S.C. §254 (Children’s Internet Protection Act of 2000 (CIPA)) 47 C.F.R. § 54.520 (FCC rules implementing CIPA)

FOOTNOTES:

*Bradley County Schools’ Board of Education Policy 4.406 Use of Internet

**Bradley County Schools’ Board of Education Policy 4.404 Use of Copyrighted Material

***Bradley County Schools’ Board of Education Policy 6.304 Student Discrimination, Harassment, Bullying, Cyberbullying, and Intimidation

**** Bradley County Schools’ Board of Education Policy 6601 Student Directory Information; Media Release

Revised: 1-14-2021