Acceptable Use Policy
Holy Cross School Acceptable Use Policy
Holy Cross School aims to foster personal growth in technology, information gathering and communications skills. The purpose of this Acceptable Use Policy is to foster the independent use of the school network, subject to procedures and standards for appropriate network behavior and communication. Holy Cross School reserves the right to monitor students’ use of technology, including private messages and Internet usage.
Independent use of the school network is necessary for students to pursue educational goals. Such use is subject to the procedures and standards for appropriate network behavior. Therefore, the cooperation of all parties, including parents, is critical to ensure the appropriate use of technology. Violations of the Acceptable Use Policy (“AUP”) are deemed a major offense and will result in appropriate disciplinary action.
Students MAY NOT engage in any conduct that violates this AUP. Some specific examples include, but are not limited, to the following:
1. Any attempt, by any means, to circumvent system security (e.g. Ultrasurf or similar program), bypass internet content filtering, guess passwords, or in any way gain unauthorized access to local or network resources is forbidden. Violation of this policy will result in major disciplinary action as follows:
• Offense #1 – Administrative Detention
• Offense #2 – Suspension/Expulsion
• Offense #3 – Suspension/Expulsion
The School Administration reserves the right to randomly inspect student’s devices to ensure security measures in place are not being circumvented and that the student is using the device for educational purposes while on campus.
2. Transferring copyrighted materials to or from any Holy Cross School network without the express consent of the copyright owner. This is a violation of federal law and is expressly prohibited.
3. The primary use of the network shall be reserved for those individuals utilizing materials that have a direct or indirect impact on the student’s educational program at Holy Cross School. Network use for e-mail to friends, chatting, reading jokes, searching sport sites, farming out information on games, or other actions that are not directly or indirectly related to the School’s curriculum are not of educational value and are not allowed.
4. Any use of the system, including the Internet and e-mail, for defamatory, inaccurate, abusive, obscene, profane, sexually oriented, threatening, racially offensive, illegal or other prohibited material is not permitted. Use of the system to harass, defame, or offend is forbidden. Individuals are encouraged to report any such misuse of the system to the Director of Information Technology.
5. All users must recognize that e-mail or network messages may contain thoughts, conclusions, and certain biased perceptions that were never intended for publication. There may be liability for defamation or spreading false and disparaging information about third parties, particularly comments on students, personnel applicants, or various vendors. Such use of the network is expressly prohibited.
6. No personal or student information, which is protected by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, shall be disseminated through the network.
7. All users of the network must comply with the Electronic Communication Privacy Act (ECPA), Child Internet Protection Act (CIPA) and may need to comply with the Communications Decency Act (CDA). These Acts prohibit the unauthorized interception or disclosure of e-mail messages by third parties, and govern the appropriateness of certain material being remitted to the Internet. The ECPA does permit interception or disclosure if either the sender or the receiver of the communication consents.
8. Users of the network recognize that the School does have the authority to intercept e-mail messages of all users and acknowledge that no privacy right is construed to exist in the network. The School Administration reserves the right to monitor all accounts by any means whatsoever, with or without the user’s knowledge, to determine that the network is being used for educational purposes and in compliance with these Guidelines. No student should ever give out his own, or someone else's name, address, or telephone number to strangers online or anywhere else.
9. Network users may never share their password with another person or allow another person to share their account. It is the user’s responsibility to protect accounts from unauthorized use, including changing passwords periodically and using passwords that are not easily guessed. Students are not allowed to log onto another student’s laptop or to use another student’s login and password on their computer. Logging onto the network with another student’s ID and password or using another student’s computer constitutes hacking and will result in major disciplinary action.
10. Use of the Internet for commercial gain or profit is not allowed from the Holy Cross network.
11. Users may not move, open the case of, or reconfigure any school-issued computers. Users are financially responsible for any damage they cause to a computer or any segment of the network.
12. Students may not attempt to harm or destroy property of Holy Cross School, another user, or any other agencies or networks that are connected to the Internet. In addition to physical damage inflicted to equipment, this policy includes, but is not limited to, the uploading, downloading, or creation of computer viruses or other programs designed to damage computers, attempts to crash computers or networks, and attempts to bypass security arrangements and programs. Security on any computer system is a high priority because there are multiple users whose work is often the product of many hours of effort. Any student who identifies a security problem should notify the School at once and must not demonstrate the problem to other users.
13. Holy Cross School makes no warranties of any kind, whether expressed or implied, for the services it is providing. The School will not be responsible for any damages suffered while using the system. These damages include, but are not limited to, loss of data because of delays, non-deliveries, mis-deliveries, or service interruptions caused by the system or the user’s errors or omissions. Use of any information obtained via the information system is at a user’s own risk. Holy Cross School is not responsible for the accuracy of any information obtained through electronic information resources.
14. Removable flash drives may be used at school, only if they contain data or information for a class or project. Flash drives are not to have stored on them any type of program or material that would be considered in violation of school policies (examples include games, hacking software, tweaks, and music.)
15. Under no circumstances is a student to use a computer designated as a faculty or administrative staff member’s computer. There are no exceptions to this regulation.
16. Students are not allowed to use the school logos, Crest, or any other graphic representation that is specific to Holy Cross School without the permission of Director of Marketing & Communications.
17. Students should not publish or cause the publishing of material to the internet that in any way is offensive, inappropriate, or in any way may cause harm to Holy Cross or its faculty, staff or students. This includes but is not limited to material posted on personal websites, social networking sites, forums, or blogs.
18. Students are not allowed to use any Holy Cross School material, including information from the Holy Cross website or Holy Cross promotional materials, on personal web spaces or social networking sites.