Purpose:
The Board of Education (the “Board”) believes that the access and use of technology is an integral component of the working and learning environment. Access to computer equipment, communication devices, software, email, internal and external ports and the Internet will be made available to Chilliwack School District (“District”) staff and students.
General Guidelines:
1. Parents, Guardians, or Caregivers, on behalf of their student, must sign an Acceptable Use Agreement (“AUA”) annually. The AUA is sent to parents, guardians, or caregivers at the beginning of the school year for signing through electronic permission form platform (i.e., PermissionClick).
2. All guest users must agree to the on-line AUA prior to accessing District networks, when applicable.
3. Each Principal and site supervisor will clearly communicate with staff, students and parents/guardians/caregivers about the purpose, benefits, and risks associated with the use of technology including the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (“FIPPA”).
4. The AUA will be reviewed and updated every two years by the District Technology Committee chaired by the District Technology supervisor.
5. Consequences for failure to adhere to the conditions of the AUA may include loss of privileges, other disciplinary measures, or legal action.
• For students please refer to the section Consequences for Unacceptable Conduct in Policy 321: Student Code of Conduct for more information.
6. The confidentiality of individual files will be respected and will not be disclosed unless required by law or a District investigation of inappropriate use.
• The system administrator has the authority to inspect the contents of files or email in the event of a complaint regarding email or files which are suspected to contain defamatory, inaccurate, abusive, obscene, profane, sexually oriented, threatening, racially offensive or illegal material.
7. The system administrator will monitor the system for inappropriate use and may suspend the account. The incident will be reported to the account holder’s supervisor or teacher for further action or reinstatement.
Responsibilities for Use:
1. All District technology users are responsible for:
• Complying with all sections of this Administrative Procedure (“Procedure”) when using District technology resources. This includes using personal devices (“Bring Your Own Device” or “BYOD”).
• Complying with the AUA and Administrative Procedure 417: Social Media when using District technology.
• Ensuring the proper care of all computer and technological equipment at all times This includes the restriction of food or drink near computers.
• Exercising caution when releasing any personal information over the internet, particularly when using Artificial Intelligence (“AI”) tools.
• Ensuring that prior consent has been received from parents/guardians/caregivers prior to posting any student work, images or video clips.
• Following all District cybersecurity guidance related to passwords, account security, encryption, etc.
2. Senior Staff, Coordinators, Managers, Facilitators and School Administrators are responsible for:
• All responsibilities mentioned under “Subsection 1: All District Technology Users”
• Reviewing this Procedure with all staff under their supervision.
• Enforcing all sections of this Procedure as it relates to all schools and/or sites for which they are directly responsible.
• Facilitating professional development related to internet access and technology integration to support teaching, learning, effective communications, and professional learning.
3. School Administrators are responsible for:
• All responsibilities mentioned under “Subsection 1: All District Technology Users”
• Ensuring that parents/guardians/caregivers, students, staff, and any other technology users connected to their site are made aware of the purposes, benefits, and risks associated with technology use and are informed about this Procedure prior to providing access to District technology resources.
• Maintaining student records of consent.
• Ensuring that staff are aware that students can only use District technology resources under the supervision of school staff or designated adults.
• Ensuring license agreements are observed.
• Monitoring student use of email and student-created materials.
4. Teachers are responsible for:
• All responsibilities mentioned under “Subsection 1: All District Technology Users”
• Ensuring that this Procedure is fully understood and implemented in the classroom.
• Ensuring that the implications of unacceptable use, including disciplinary action by the school, Board, and/or legal authorities, are communicated to students.
• Previewing and evaluating learning resources including websites prior to recommending them for student use and following in accordance with Policy 380: Learning Resources.
• Follow Administrative Procedure 256: Privacy Impact Assessments to ensure privacy reviews are conducted for new tools and websites. This includes if the use of the tool or website is significantly revised.
• Ensuring that students only use District technology resources under the supervision of school staff or designated adults.
• Instructing students about the dangers of communicating over the internet.
• Monitoring student use of the internet, email, and student-created materials.
• Informing students and modeling good behaviour regarding copyright and intellectual property.
• Advising students that information distributed over the internet and/or intranet may not be secure because electronic messages may be intercepted, read, and modified without the author’s consent or awareness and messages may be forwarded to people other than the intended recipients.
5. Students are responsible for:
• All responsibilities mentioned under “Subsection 1: All District Technology Users”
• Using District technology resources only when under the supervision of their teacher or a designated adult.
• Reporting to their teacher, school administration, or other authority about any inappropriate content or communication.
• Following Administrative Procedure 318: Cell Phone and Digital Device Use.
References: