Freedom, responsibility, honesty, trust, self-control

St Joseph's School has established a Local Area Network (LAN) for the use of students which will provide ready access to the Internet for e-mail and World Wide Web access. The use of the LAN and associated Learning Technologies is an integral part of the learning process, and opens up vast information resources with unlimited potential for the benefit of students. Students will be able to access the Internet as part of their normal classroom work, or as a research tool at other times.

As well as the obvious advantages to students, there are also some concerns that affect both teachers and parents. To deal with these issues this Internet Access Policy has been drawn up after considerable discussion and consultation.

At St Joseph's School, we aim to:

• provide access to the Internet and e-mail for educational purposes
• provide access only to appropriate information
• encourage the use of this technology to develop links with other educational communities and community organisations.

The Internet is the largest computer network in the world. Users of the Internet will be able to access information on virtually any topic and communicate with people around the world. Such access will enhance students' learning and broaden their horizons. Access to the Internet will be provided for educational purposes only. These will include on-line search for specific research assignments and the use of E-mail for communication necessary for class work.

• That all students should have access to this technology
• Whilst every effort will be made to ensure that students do not access controversial material, parents and guardians should realise that the very nature of the Internet makes it impossible to guarantee the consistent quality of information. Parent or guardian permission is required for students to be able to have access to the School's Internet facilities.
• That parents, guardians and students will need to agree to the provisions of the Internet Usage Policy before and Internet Usage Card will be provided.

The following guidelines for students are to be adhered to:

• the Internet will be used only for class work or other set educational work in and out of class time.
• students will not deliberately access, display, download or send unacceptable material (racist, sexist, violent, antisocial, obscene)
• students accidentally accessing unacceptable material must immediately turn the screen off and notify the supervising teacher.
• students will not physically damage hardware or software or interfere with system configurations or files
• students will not knowingly breach copyright laws
• students must not use another persons account (i.e. e-mail address or login name)
• students should not divulge any confidential details (e.g. telephone number, address, etc.) in any e-mail they send because of the public availability of the information

STUDENTS BREACHING THOSE PROVISIONS MAY HAVE THEIR INTERNET USAGE WITHDRAWN FOR UP TO 100 SCHOOL DAYS. AN INCIDENT REPORT WILL BE COMPLETED WHICH MAY RESULT IN A DISCIPLINE MEETING.

This is based on two main elements, the first is an appropriate level of supervision at school, and the second is a recognition of the responsibility of students not to abuse or misuse their access.

1. All students using the Internet will be supervised either by their classroom teacher, or by a teacher librarian. As well, students will only be accessing the Internet for a specific, age-appropriate research purpose, not browsing or "surfing". Students will be required to fill in a Research Purpose form which will specify the subject and topic areas they are researching.
2. Before any student is able to access the Internet, they will have received a copy of St Joseph's Code of Ethics Guidelines for Students accessing the Internet, and will have to return to school a Parent Approval form signed by themselves and their parents. This policy sets out guidelines which covers such areas as accessing material of an unsuitable nature, and acknowledging the source of any material used. Once this is returned, the student's access will be "Internet Approved'

Breaches of the school policy will result in the student losing their access rights for a time to be determined by the policy. Depending on the seriousness of the offence, other disciplinary action may also apply.

[Back to Top] [Policy (Students)] [Code of Ethics for Students]

1. The School is the owner of copyright in all e-mail messages created by its employees and contractors in performing their duties.

1. From time to time, the contents and usage of e-mail may be examined by the School or by a third party on the School's behalf. This will include electronic communications which are sent to you or by you, both internally or externally.
2. You should structure your e-mail in recognition of the fact that the School may from time to time have the need to examine its contents.
3. The School's computer network is a business and educational tool to be used primarily for business or educational purposes. You therefore have a responsibility to use these resources in an appropriate, professional and lawful manner.
4. All messages on the School's system will be treated as education or business related messages, which may be monitored. Accordingly, you should not expect that any information or document transmitted or stored on the School's computer network will be private.
5. You should also be aware that the School is able to monitor your use of the Internet, both during school or working hours and outside of those hours. This includes the sites and content that you visit and the length of time you spend using the Internet.
6. E-mails will be archived by the School as it considers appropriate.

1. You are permitted to use the Internet and e-mail facilities to send and receive personal messages, provided that such use is kept to a minimum and does not interfere with the performance of your work duties.
2. However, you should bear in mind that any use of the Internet or e-mail for personal purposes is still subject to the same terms and conditions as otherwise described in this Policy.
3. In the case of shared IT facilities, you are expected to respect the needs of your colleagues and use the Internet and e-mail in a timely and efficient manner.
4. Excessive or inappropriate use of e-mail or Internet facilities for personal reasons during working hours may lead to disciplinary action.

1. E-mail correspondence should be treated in the same way as any other correspondence, such as a letter or a fax. That is, as a permanent written record which may be read by persons other than the addressee and which could result in personal or the School's liability.
2. You and/or the School may be liable for what you say in an e-mail message. E-mail is neither private nor secret. It may be easily copied, forwarded, saved, intercepted, archived and may be subject to discovery in litigation. The audience of an inappropriate comment in an e-mail may be unexpected and extremely widespread.
3. You should never use the Internet or e-mail for the following purposes:

1. E-mail content that may seem harmless to you may in fact be highly offensive to someone else. You should be aware, therefore, that in determining whether an e-mail falls within any of the categories listed above, or is generally inappropriate, the School will consider the response and sensitivities of the recipient of an e-mail rather than the intention of the sender.
2. If you receive inappropriate material by e-mail, you should delete it immediately and not forward it to anyone else. It would be appropriate for you to discourage the sender from sending further materials of that nature.
3. Comments that are not appropriate in the workplace or school environment will also be inappropriate when sent by e-mail. E-mail messages can easily be misconstrued. Accordingly, words and attached documents should be carefully chosen and expressed in a clear, professional manner.
4. You should be aware that use of the School's computer network in a manner inconsistent with this policy or in any other inappropriate manner, including but not limited to use for the purposes referred to in paragraph 4.3 of this policy, will give rise to disciplinary action, including termination of an employee's employment or contractor's engagement.

1. In the course of carrying out your duties on behalf of the School, you may have access to, or handle personal information relating to others, including students, colleagues, contractors, parents and suppliers. E-mail should not be used to disclose personal information of another except in accordance with the School's Privacy Policy or with proper authorisation.
2. The Privacy Act requires both you and the School to take reasonable steps to protect the personal information that is held from misuse and unauthorised access. We stress therefore, that you take responsibility for the security of your personal computer and not allow it to be used by an unauthorised party, which specifically includes anyone who is not an employee of the School.
3. You will be assigned a log-in code and you will also select a password to use the School's electronic communications facilities. You should ensure that these details are not disclosed to anyone else. We suggest that you take steps to keep these details secure. For example, you should change your password regularly and ensure that your log-in code and password are not kept in writing close to your working area.
4. You are encouraged to either lock your screen or log-out when you leave your desk. This will avoid others gaining unauthorised access to your personal information, the personal information of others and confidential information within the School.
5. In order to comply with the School's obligations under the Privacy Act, you are encouraged to use the blind copy option when sending e-mails to multiple recipients where disclosure of those persons' e-mail addresses will impinge upon their privacy.
6. In addition to the above, you should familiarise yourself with the National Privacy Principles ('NPPs') and ensure that your use of e-mail does not breach the Privacy Act or the NPPs. If you require more information on the Privacy Act and how to comply, please contact the School Principal.

1. When distributing information over the School's computer network or to third parties outside the School, you must ensure that you and the School have the right to do so, and that you are not violating the intellectual property rights of any third party.
2. If you are unsure of whether you have sufficient authorisation to distribute the information, we recommend that you contact the School Principal.
3. In particular, copyright law may apply to the information you intend to distribute and must always be observed. The copyright material of third parties (for example, software, database files, documentation, cartoons, articles, graphic files and downloaded information) must not be distributed through e-mail without specific authorisation to do so.

1. When e-mail is sent from the School to the network server and then on to the Internet, the e-mail message may become public information. Encryption will reduce the risk of third parties being able to read e-mail and should be used in cases where you feel additional security is required. If you require more information in relation to encrypting messages, you should contact the IT co-ordinator.
2. As mentioned above, the Internet and e-mail are insecure means of transmitting information. Therefore, items of a highly confidential or sensitive nature should not be sent via e-mail. You should note that there is always a trail and a copy saved somewhere, not necessarily only on the School's network server.
3. This confidentiality requirement applies even when encryption is used.
4. E-mail sent over the Internet may be truncated, scrambled, or sent to the wrong address. There is a possibility that outgoing e-mail sent over the Internet may arrive scrambled or truncated, may be delayed, may not arrive at all, or may be sent to the wrong address. Where outgoing e-mail is important or urgent, you should verify that the recipient has received the e-mail in its entirety.
5. You must ensure that all e-mails that are sent from your e-mail address contain the School's standard disclaimer message, which will read as follows:

   The contents of this e-mail are confidential. Any unauthorised use of the contents is expressly prohibited. If you have received this e-mail in error, please advise by telephone (reverse charges) immediately and then delete/destroy the e-mail and any printed copies. Thank you.

   [This message will be set to appear automatically on each outgoing e-mail. Please contact the IT co-ordinator if this feature is not working]

6. There is a risk of false attribution of e-mail. Software is widely available by which e-mail messages may be edited or 'doctored' to reflect an erroneous message or sender name. The recipient may therefore be unaware that he or she is communicating with an impostor. Accordingly, you should maintain a reasonable degree of caution regarding the identity of the sender of incoming e-mail. You should verify the identity of the sender by other means if you have concerns.
7. Please delete old or unnecessary e-mail messages and archive only those e-mail messages you need to keep. Retention of messages fills up large amounts of storage space on the network server and can slow down performance. You should maintain as few messages as possible in your in-boxes and out-boxes. If there are items in your e-mail which you require at later date, please ensure that these are saved in your network directory so that appropriate backups are made School wide.

1. All external files and attachments must be virus checked using scanning software before they are accessed. The Internet is a potential host for computer viruses. The downloading of infected information from the Internet is potentially fatal to the School computer network.
2. A document attached to an incoming e-mail may have an embedded virus.
3. Virus checking is done automatically through the [ virus protector software ] installed on the [network server] and [any other virus protective action?]. If you are concerned about an e-mail attachment, or believe that it has not been automatically scanned for viruses, you should contact the IT co-ordinator.

1. In cases where you are likely to be absent from work for any period of time, you should make arrangements for your e-mails to be accessible by the School or ensure that an 'out of office reply' is automatically set. This automatic reply will alert those trying to contact you that you are away from work and that important queries should be directed to a nominated colleague. If you require assistance in installing this feature, please contact the IT co-ordinator.

1. This policy may be updated or revised from time to time. The School will not notify you each time the Policy is changed. If you are unsure whether you are reading the most current version, you should contact the School Principal.

[Back to Top] [Policy (Students)] [Use of Electronic Facilities (employees of the School)]

1. Use material in a way that adheres to Australian copyright laws.

   (Do not copy anything that belongs to someone else without asking permission.)

2. Use the Internet for doing good things, like finding information about an important topic or sending a message of friendship to someone far away.

   (Do not look at or send messages or pictures that your parents and teachers would not like.)

3. If you find something that you think is unacceptable, tell the supervising teacher straight away.

   (It is your responsibility to make sure that other children do not see things you find by mistake. You should turn the monitor off until the teacher can help you.)

4. You are responsible for having good computer manners. This includes respecting the privacy of folders and files belonging to other computer users.

   (Do not open anything that is not your business, including system and/or management files and folders.)

5. As an Internet user you are responsible for your own actions. Failure to comply with St Joseph's Acceptable User Policy will result in the loss of privileges related to Internet usage.

I have read the code of ethics statement above and I understand its contents. My signature below means that I agree to follow the guidelines of the code of ethics. If I chose to ignore the code of ethics guidelines I will have my right to Internet access suspended for a period of time determined by my teacher.

Name of student: __________________________________ Grade: _____________

Student signature: __________________________________ Date: _____________

Teacher's name: __________________________________

Dear Parent

Your son or daughter has access to the Internet. The reason for using the Internet is so your child can use it as a learning tool and to participate in curriculum projects developed by his/her teacher. A code of ethics has been drawn up by the school outlining the correct use of the Internet, you child's teacher has already discussed the code of ethics statement with your child and he/she has agreed to adhere to it.

If you wish to read the code of ethics please contact the school for a copy.

Parent Signature: ____________________ Date: _____________

[Back to Top] [Policy (Students)] [Use of Electronic Facilities (employees of the School)] [Code of Ethics for Students]

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