Example of Permission Form for Acceptable Use Policy for parents

Permission Form for Acceptable Use Policy for parents

Name of Student ______________________

I__________________ the parent/legal guardian of ________________ have read the Pinelands Primary School Acceptable Use Policy. I grant permission for my son/daughter/ward to access the internet as outlined in the school’s A.U.P. I understand that the internet access is for educational purposes. I understand that though reasonable precaution has been taken to ensure online safety the school cannot be held responsible when my son/daughter/ward accesses unsuitable websites.

I grant permission for my son/daughter/ward’s schoolwork and artwork to be displayed on the school’s website. I understand and accept the terms of the Acceptable Use Policy as it relates to publishing student’s work on the school’s website.

PLEASE PRINT NAME__________________________

Signature___________________________________

Date_______________________________________

Telephone number___________________________

Legislation and Sanctions

Legislation and Sanctions

The following Acts of Barbados will be adhered to and used as guidelines.  Parents and children should familiarize themselves and be guided accordingly with:

The Computer Misuse Act 2005

The Protection of Children Act 1990

Users must comply with all software requirements. Kindly refrain from copying software from or by using the school’s computers.

Sanctions

The misuse of the internet may result in disciplinary action depending on the severity of the infraction as determined by the school’s management team. Disciplinary action can take the form of verbal warnings, written warnings, withdrawal of access privileges and suspension. The school reserves the right to report illegal activities to the authorities.

Cyber-bullying and Prevention

Cyber Bullying

What is Cyber Bullying: - Cyber bullying is the use of ICT (usually a mobile phone, personal computer and/or the internet) to abuse another person. - It can take place anywhere and can involve many people. - Anybody can be targeted, including students, school staff, and members of the wider school community. - It can include threats, intimidation, harassment, cyber-stalking, vilification, defamation, exclusion, peer rejection, impersonation, and unauthorized publication of private information or images.

There are many types of cyber-bullying. The more common types are:

Text messages – can be threatening or cause discomfort

Picture/video-clips via mobile phone cameras – images sent to others to make the victim feel threatened or embarrassed.

Mobile phone calls – silent calls, abusive messages or stealing the victim’s phone and using it to harass others, to make them believe the victim is responsible.

Emails – threatening or bullying emails, often sent using an alternate name or somebody else’s name.

Chat room bullying – menacing or upsetting responses to children or young people when they are in a web-based chat room.

Instant messaging – unpleasant messages sent while children conduct real-time conversations online using Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or other IM tools.

Bullying via websites – use of defamatory blogs (web logs), personal websites, gaming websites, and online personal ‘own web space’ sites such as You Tube, Facebook, Twitter, SnapChat, to name a few.

Procedures for preventing Cyber Bullying

Staff, students, parents will be made aware of issues surrounding cyber bullying.

Students and parents will be urged to report all incidents of cyber bullying to the school.

Students will learn about cyber bullying through I.T sessions, General assembly (Corporate Worship)

Students, parents, and staff will be involved in reviewing and revising this anti-bullying and anti-cyber bullying policy as school procedure.

All reports of cyber-bullying will be noted and investigated, in accordance with the school’s Anti-Bullying and School’s Positive Behaviour and Management Policies (SPBMP), where applicable.

The school’s ITC will facilitate a workshop on Internet Safety for Classes 1-4 and mark Cyber Safe Day (CSD) on the school's annual calendar.

Pinelands Primary School A.U.P – Acceptable Use Policy - Introduction

Pinelands Primary School

A.U.P – Acceptable Use Policy

Introduction

The use of the internet is an essential component of education and learning. The aim of the school’s A.U.P which will govern internet use at the Pinelands Primary School is to promote student learning and achievement, to support research and professional work of staff: teaching and ancillary and to enhance the school’s management and information systems.

Therefore the benefits of internet use are but are not limited to:

Access to resources and research materials

Access to experts and professional journals

Student development via online tutorials

Professional development of staff via online training modules

Communication between staff and parents, support services, professional associations e.g. N.C.P.T.A and other colleagues.

The A.U.P will be reviewed annually as technology is always evolving; before the consent forms are signed, please read carefully and ensure that the conditions within are acceptable to you and your child/ward.

General Internet Use and Consent

General Internet Use and Consent

The school will offer opportunities to maximize learning opportunities and reduce risks associated with the internet. These opportunities are:

Supervised internet access for all students.

Students and teachers will be given training opportunities in the area of internet safety.

Filtering of software, websites and apps to minimize exposure to inappropriate material. 

The school’s internet is protected by the firewalls provided by the service provider FLOW and The technical team at the Ministry of Education Barbados.

Virus protection software will be updated regularly.

The use of flash drives will be prohibited. Information must be emailed or saved on the computer system.

Students and staff must observe good netiquette and not engage in online misbehavior that could bring themselves or the school into disrepute.

Students and staff must be familiar with copyright issues as it pertains to accessing online resources.

Students and staff must be aware that usage whether receiving or distributing information, academic or personal may be monitored for security and network management reasons

Students and staff will not visit internet sites that contain obscene or illegal materials.

 

Email

Students will not have access to personal email facilities at school. Emails will be sent using the school’s email address.

Chat – Instant Messaging

Staff and students will have access to chat rooms approved by the school. Chat rooms, discussion forums and any other mediums for chat i.e. Instagram, Twitter, Skype, Facebook.

Usernames will be used in online discussions to avoid disclosure of student identity.

Face to Face meetings with persons contacted online is strictly prohibited.

Mobile Devices

Students are not permitted to bring mobile phones or tablets/laptops to school. There are currently forty working laptops in the school’s information technology lab and class sizes do not exceed 30 at any given time. Each laptop has been configured for student use; parental control has been enabled and student accounts have been granted limited access and control. Each laptop has Microsoft Family Safety installed and this allows the ITC to monitor student online activity.

Intellectual Property

Students and teachers alike will be given the opportunity to publish all academic work and artwork on the school’s website. The publication of such work by a student shall be coordinated and published by a teacher. Personal contact information such as home addresses and telephone numbers will not be published. All students and teachers will retain the copyright on any work published.

Login and Password

All students will be given login credentials. They will be expected to create their own passwords and keep this information private. Students will not be allowed to access confidential school files of any sort.

If a student believes that their password has been compromised they are expected to inform the school’s ITC as soon as possible.