General User Policy



Network and Internet

To access Huffman ISD board approved local policy concerning network/Internet usage, refer to www.huffmanisd.net. Click on User Policy.

 

Huffman ISD Employee Acceptable Use Terms and Conditions

 

Access and Privacy

Use of Huffman ISD’s network is a privilege, not a right.  Accounts will only be issued to approved Huffman ISD teachers, staff and students and will be monitored by designated district staff to ensure appropriate use for educational purposes. If you access illegal material or material that is harmful or inappropriate to possess in a school, you may be subject to employment action, including written reprimands or more severe consequences. When an employee uses a district computer, he or she has no reasonable expectation of privacy. Federal law clearly states that the computer system is the property of the employer and as such, the employer has the right to monitor all email, system and Internet activity.

 

All users shall be required to acknowledge receipt and understanding of all administrative regulations governing the use of the system and shall agree in writing to allow monitoring of their use and to comply with such regulations and guidelines.

 

Terms and Conditions for System Use

 

·         System users are assigned an individual account and are responsible for not sharing the password for that account with others.

·         System users are to use the account only for identified educational purposes and are not to use the account for income-generating or “for-profit” activities, product advertisement, fundraising, promotional material or political lobbying. System users may not disable or attempt to evade any Internet filtering device on the district’s electronic communication system.

·         System users should avoid actions that are likely to increase the risk of introducing viruses to the system.

·         System users may not waste school resources related to the electronic communication system. Be conservative with all network related resources. Users should avoid printing graphics and large documents. District printers are not intended for such use.

·         System users may not gain unauthorized access to restricted information or resources.

·         System users may not add software or hardware devices to the system without express permission from the technology department.

·         Student work may be published to the Internet only with principal and parental permission.

·         System user accounts are subject to examination by district personnel for inappropriate use. This examination may include activity logging, virus scanning and content scanning.

·         Systems users are prohibited from streaming audio, radio, video unless give express permission.

 

Email Guidelines

Electronic mail transmissions and other use of the electronic communications system by employees shall NOT be considered private and confidential. Designated district staff shall be authorized to monitor such communication at any time to ensure appropriate use. All e-mail is recorded and stored along with the source and destination. Management has the ability and right to view employees’ e-mail. Recorded email messages are the property of the agency and therefore the taxpayers of the State of Texas. Thus, they are subject to the requirements of the Texas Public Information Act and the laws applicable to State record retention

·         DO NOT send junk mail (internal or external), jokes or chain letters in or out of district

·         DO NOT attach large documents or files, i.e. power point presentations in particular which may stop system from functioning.

·         DO NOT open e-mail messages and attachments from unknown senders to avoid the risk of virus infection.

·         DO NOT send campus wide email without the express permission of the campus principal before distribution.

·         Email users should be mindful that use of school-related electronic mail addresses may cause some recipients or other readers of said mail to assume they represent the district or school, whether or not that was the user’s intention.

 

Policy and Procedures for Copying Software

Unless otherwise provided in the purchase agreement, a purchased computer program shall not be software used as a “master” to make copies. A computer program may be legally copied only if:

1.       Making a copy is an essential step in using the program (such as automatic

copying into memory when a program is loaded); or

2.       The new copy is a backup. Backup copies cannot be used simultaneously

with the original and must be erased if the original is resold.

 

District employees shall not use networking and booting (defined below) to accomplish multiple simultaneous use of a program without permission or unless the purchase agreement allows a specified multiple use of the single copy.

 

Networking” is the process of using a single program in a single terminal that 

is connected to other terminals, permitting the program to be used simultaneously  in more than one computer

.

 “Booting        is the process of loading a program into a computer workstation.

                        multiple use can be accomplished by loading the same program

                        into several different workstations.

Security

Huffman ISD technology department is committed to protecting the integrity of our network which holds our district’s valuable data.  As students become more and more sophisticated in their computing knowledge, it is vital that we do every thing possible to keep one step ahead. There fore it is absolutely essential that employees protect their passwords and that they NEVER allow a student to access a teacher’s computer. Students who sit down at teacher machines have easy access to the district’s most sensitive data stored in our data management program, Win School.

Illegal Internet Activity

It is illegal to access via the Internet any material that violates state or federal laws. Each person using the Internet computers of Huffman ISD is liable for any infringement and is subject to criminal prosecution for illegal use. Huffman ISD monitors individual access on the Internet. All transactions are logged, and any illegal use will be recorded. Transmission of any material in violation of any U.S. or state law is prohibited. This includes, but is not limited to: copyrighted material, threatening, harassing, or obscene material; or material protected by trade secret. Any attempt to break the law through the use of any Huffman ISD Internet account may result in litigation against the offender by the proper authorities.