Overview
Network and internet access is now available to students and teachers in the New Hartford Central School District. The Internet offers vast, diverse, and unique resources to both students and teachers. The district’s goal in providing this service to teachers and students is to promote educational excellence in schools by facilitating resource sharing, innovation and communication. The internet is an electronic highway connecting thousands of computers all over the world and millions of individual subscribers.
Authorized users have access to:
- Electronic mail communication
- Online learning classrooms
- Social media
- Information and news on the world wide web/internet
- Discussion groups
- University Library Catalogs, the Library of Congress, and informational databases
With access to computers and people all over the world also comes the availability of material that may not be considered to be of educational value in the context of the school setting. On a global network, it is impossible to control all materials and an industrious user may discover controversial information. The New Hartford Central School District firmly believes that the valuable information and interaction available on this worldwide network far outweighs the possibility that users may procure material that is not consistent with the educational goals of the district.
Protection of Network Resources
The purpose of the New Hartford Central School District’s computer network is to support the educational activities of the school, not to provide an experimental playground for users interested in tampering with the system. Nor is it our purpose to provide an uncontrolled environment in which users can explore all areas of the Internet.
- Users who wish unlimited, unsupervised access to the Internet and all of its areas (IRC chat, FTP, telnet, etc.) are reminded that Internet access is commercially available from several providers for reasonable monthly fees.
- Parents and taxpayers have the right to know that students are not finding their way into inappropriate areas of the Internet using taxpayer-funded equipment and software.
- Users are reminded that use of the network is a privilege, not a right.
The Superintendent will promulgate regulations to implement this policy. View district policies in complete detail:
- 7103 STUDENT USE OF COMPUTERIZED INFORMATION RESOURCES
- 7102 STAFF USE OF COMPUTERIZED INFORMATION RESOURCES
- 5307 SOCIAL MEDIA & ELECTRONIC DEVICE POLICY
Sanctions
- Violations may result in a loss of access. Users involved will be informed of the nature of these violations and will have an opportunity to respond to them.
- Additional disciplinary action may be determined at the building level in line with existing practice regarding inappropriate language or behavior.
- Users may be required to make full financial restitution.
- When applicable, law enforcement agencies may be involved.