Technology and Social Media Acceptable Use Policy

Oakwood offers its entire community a wide range of electronic communications resources and technologies to support its educational objectives. Their use is a privilege, not a right. Failure to adhere to the rules and standards set forth in this policy will result in having the privilege to use these resources suspended or revoked. Additionally, it may result in discipline up to and including expulsion. 

The following policy is meant to provide students and their families with examples of prohibited conduct, but are not intended to serve as an exclusive list. Students may be disciplined for engaging in other conduct deemed, in the sole discretion of the school, as detrimental to the school, its mission, a violation of school policies, or harmful to other students.

Proper online conduct

Students’ actions on the Internet and social media, even outside of school, are a reflection on our school and impact our community.  Therefore, students agree never to engage in the following conduct on the internet, via electronic messages, or on social media: 

• To send messages using abusive, or otherwise objectionable language. 

• To engage in personal attacks, including prejudicial or discriminatory attacks. 

• To harass another person. Harassment is defined as persistently acting in a manner that distresses or annoys another person. If you are told by a person to stop sending those messages, you must stop. 

• To knowingly or recklessly post false or defamatory information about a person or organization. 

• To post chain letters or engage in “spamming.” Spamming is sending an annoying or unnecessary message many times or to a large number of people.
   

Acceptable usage of school technology resources

School technology resources are provided to promote educational excellence. Technology that may be provided by the school includes, but is not limited to, Internet access, E-mail, student information systems/Veracross, computing devices, telecommunication devices, video and audio equipment, wireless networks, servers, networks, software, and other equipment that supports the school’s electronic communications services.

Students and their families and guests are expected to follow the entirety of this policy when using resources provided by the school, even when they are off campus, and with personal devices while they are on campus. School technology resources may never be used for other purposes, such as the following:

• To post, send or download copyrighted material without permission. Users are to respect the rights of and the intellectual property of others in accordance with state and federal copyright laws. Sending or receiving copyrighted material without the express permission of the owner is a violation of federal law. 

• To access, send, or retrieve pornographic material. 

• To disclose personal information about themselves or others, such as address, phone number or age to third parties unless the student has parental consent, or to agree to meet with someone online.

• To access games or download any software without faculty permission, or to gamble. 

• To engage in contests, advertising, political lobbying, or personal commercial activities including online purchasing on sites such as eBay or craigslist, or to communicate any credit card number, bank account number, or any other financial information. 

• To engage in any illegal act (such as arranging for a drug sale or the purchase of alcohol, engaging in criminal gang activity, threatening the safety of a person, etc) or to violate any other school policy. 

If a student mistakenly accesses inappropriate information, the student must immediately tell his or her teacher or an administrator.

If parents inform the student that there is additional material that they think would be inappropriate for the student to access, Oakwood expects that the student will follow his or her parent’s/guardian’s instructions in this matter.  

Communication is not private 

The school may monitor, search or read any messages, electronic mail, or internet activity without prior notice. However, the school is not obliged to monitor any communications.  Students have no right to privacy in their school email accounts or when using school technology resources.

Safety, security, and vandalism 

It is essential that Oakwood have a secure and safe technology environment. Therefore, students agree to promptly report any activity that is inappropriate or makes them feel uncomfortable.

Students agree to not open emails or download files or attachments from unknown sources. The school highly recommends installing appropriate security software on student computers to prevent computer viruses and malware.

Students agree to not circumvent any technological mechanism used for security by the school.  Specifically, students agree never to:

• Access the files or folders of others without appropriate permission.

• Attempt to use another student’s computer without permission from both the student and school staff.

• Reveal passwords to others or attempt to guess passwords, or use a password belonging to another person.

• Install, remove, or copy software or data files from school computers, or change any hardware connections, cabling, or settings without permission.

• Install software or use technology measures intended to circumvent security and filtering technologies employed by the school, such as the use of Virtual Private Networks or proxies.

Students are responsible for securing their own electronic devices, including laptops, cell phones, and tablets. Oakwood is not liable for any loss or damage that occurs on campus. If a student believes a personal device has been lost or stolen, he/she should immediately inform the Principal. 

Plagiarism 

Students are responsible for producing their own work in school assignments. Using anyone else’s work, including resources found on the internet, without crediting the author is plagiarism.

Social media 

Part of learning to be an ethical and responsible digital citizen and Oakwood community member includes understanding that social media and digital communication are essential parts of our world today. It is important to recognize that access to information can result in tremendous advantages, but it can also create new responsibilities of which students should be aware. Social media is any form of online publication or presence that allows interactive communication, including social networks, blogs, photo sharing platforms, Internet websites, Internet forums, and wikis. Examples of social media include, but are not limited to, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, Discord, YouTube, Flickr, etc. 

Students should understand the following principles in order to create the kind of digital footprint and record with which they can feel comfortable. Many colleges and employers will search social media before making hiring and admissions decisions, and it is important to remember that online actions leave a permanent record. 

• Social media websites, apps and platforms are typically restricted to users 13 years of age and older. 

• Be your best self online – post accurate information and be accountable for what you say. 

• Get your parents’/guardian’s input about what information they feel should remain private and what is fine to post publicly. Your parents/guardians may provide guidance and supervision of your activities online. Please keep in mind that parents may be liable for your actions or misconduct online while you are a minor. 

• When you use social media for academic purposes, such as for a school assignment, treat the platform as a digital extension of your classroom – the same rules apply online as they do at school. 

• Take a few extra minutes to think about whether a post will be hurtful or embarrassing to you or others or whether it could negatively affect a future opportunity. 

• While at times, it is easy to tell whether a social media use is school-related or personal, at other times, it may be difficult to distinguish fully between different uses. Sometimes, personal social media use, including off-hours use, may result in disruption at school, and the school may need to get involved. This could include disciplinary action such as a parent conference or suspension. It is important to remember that school rules prohibiting certain types of communication, like bullying and harassment, also apply to electronic communication. 

• Privacy settings are automatically set by social media providers governing who can see your posts, how information is linked, and what data is available to the public. Each social media platform has different privacy setting defaults, and some change those settings without making it obvious to you. As a user of social media, you should determine whether to change the default settings to make access to postings more or less private. 

• Protect yourself online. Try not to post too much identifying information that could risk your safety or increase the chance of identity theft. 

• Take cyberbullying seriously.  If you are being cyberbullied or hear about/observe someone else being cyberbullied, report the behavior and get help. You can tell a parent, school staff, another adult family member, or a trusted adult. If no adult is available, and you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 911. It is not helpful to respond to, retaliate against, or forward any harassing, intimidating, or bullying content. “De-friend,” block, or remove people who send inappropriate content. It may also be a good idea to save harassing messages, as this evidence could be important to show an adult if the behavior continues. If the behavior is school-related, print out the messages and provide them to the school when you report the incident.