(STAFF MEMBER)

Purpose;Scope

Access to Information Systems is provided to authorized staff members to assist them in carrying out and performing the educational activities and business of the Dearborn Public Schools (the “District”). The term “Information Systems” includes, but not limited to, computer hardware, software, communications equipment (such as telephones, pagers, computers, palmtops, scanners, digital cameras, and photocopy and facsimile machines), and all communications and information communicated thereby, including e-mail and voice-mail and all communications and information transmitted by, received from, entered into, or stored in these systems. Access to Information Systems will: (1) assist in the collaboration and exchange of information, (2) facilitate personal growth in the use of technology, and (3) enhance information gathering and communication skills. This Information Systems Acceptable Use Policy Guidelines (“Guidelines”) document applies to all Dearborn Public Schools staff members (“Staff Users”) using any District Information System.
The primary use of the District’s Information Systems is to support the academic programs of the District to allow bona fide research and to support school related activities. Other important uses are to facilitate communication and the dissemination of information by, between and among Staff Users to further the academic programs of the District. Through this and prior versions of its Information Systems Policy Guidelines, the District has restricted the use of Information Systems to appropriate school related educational and/or business purposes. However, Staff Users may engage in incidental de minimis personal use if, and only if, such use does not affect or interfere with the Staff User’s performance of his / her job, compromise the District’s business interests, result in added costs to the District, or otherwise impair operations of the District’s Information Systems in any way. At all times and in all instances, Staff Users must adhere to the District’s Acceptable Use Policy.

No Expectation of Privacy ; Monitoring

All usage of any Information System, and any electronic data created, sent, received or stored in the system are, and remain the property of, the Dearborn Public Schools. The District treats ALL electronic data sent, received, or stored over its Information Systems as its business information. As a result, the District has the right to and will periodically assess whether specific Staff Users are using the District’s Information Systems for authorized purposes. Because the Information Systems and all electronic data generated by it and stored in it are the property of the District, Staff Users should understand the they have NO expectation of privacy in their access and use of the District’s Information Systems. Individual requests for unfiltered access to the Internet will be requested through the building media specialist and decided upon by a committee consisting of the building media specialist, principal, district media coordinator, and district computer services supervisor.
To safeguard and protect the District’s proprietary, confidential, and business-sensitive information, and to ensure that the use of the District’s Information Systems is consistent with the District’s educational purposes, the District reserves the right to monitor the use of its Information Systems. This may include the monitoring of a Staff User’s computer or Internet usage, printing and/or reading of e-mail, listening to voice-mail messages, and viewing of any other electronic data on its Information Systems. Accordingly, the District reserves the right to monitor and log each Staff User’s computer and Internet usage to maximize e-mail and fileserver space utilization.

Protection, Safety, Security; Review, Deletion and Disclosure of E-Mail ; Remote Access

Staff Users should be aware that e-mail messages, chat room discussions, instant messaging, and any other form of direct electronic communication, including District correspondence, may be read by other District employees or outsiders under certain circumstances. The District has the capability to access, review, copy, delete or block any form of direct electronic communication sent, received or stored on the District’s Information Systems. The District may be required to produce, and thus reserves the right to access, review, copy, delete, or block all such messages for any purposes and to disclose them to any party (inside or outside the Dearborn Public Schools) that it deems appropriate or necessary.
Should Staff Users make incidental use of the e-mail system to transmit personal messages, such messages will be treated no differently than other messages; the District reserves the right to access, review, copy, delete or disclose such messages for any purpose.
Access to the District’s Information Systems shall be from the Staff User’s workspace and no remote tie-in to the District’s Information Systems shall be allowed without the prior written approval of the District. Any problems or unauthorized charges, which arise from the use of a Staff User’s remote access account, are the responsibility of the Staff User.

Passwords ; User Responsibilities

All pass codes, passwords; ID.’s and encrypted information are the property of the Dearborn Public Schools. No Staff User may use a pass code, password, I.D. or method of encryption that has not been issued specifically to that Staff User by the Dearborn Public Schools. In other words, no Staff User may give, even on a temporary basis, his or her pass code, password, or I.D. to another Staff User or Student without prior written approval by the District. Every Staff User is responsible for, and should take all reasonable precautions to protect, his or her pass-code, password, and I.D.
Each Staff User is advised that transferring files, shareware, and other software can transmit computer viruses and should exercise extreme care and caution in doing so. The Staff User will be liable to pay the cost or fee of any file, shareware or software transferred or affected, whether intentional or accidental.

Prohibited Uses ; Filtering; Enforcement

While cognizant of freedom of speech and equal access to information concerns, the use of the District’s Information Systems to engage in any communications that are in violation of District policy or applicable laws, including but not limited to obtaining, transmitting or posting defamatory, discriminatory, obscene, sexually explicit, pornographic, offensive or harassing information, material, or messages or disclosing personal information in the form of visual depictions, text, or sound without authorization from a committee consisting of a building media specialist, principal, district media coordinator and district computer services supervisor is prohibited. Staff Users may not, at any time, access areas of the Internet that the District considers unsuitable for viewing. To actively enforce this guideline, the District has reserved the right to load filtering software on its Information Systems to prohibit access to such sites.
The use of the District’s Information Systems is a privilege, which may be revoked by the District at any time and for any reason. The District reserves all rights to any material stored in files which are generally accessible to others and may remove any information which the District, in its sole discretion, deems to be unauthorized. Any misuse of a Staff Users’ access to the District’s Information Systems or violation of any of the provisions of this guideline may result in the suspension or termination of the Staff User’s access to the District’s Information Systems and/or other disciplinary action as the District may determine.

Disciplinary action may include:
• Banning the staff member from use of school information technology
• Having the staff member make full financial restitution for any unauthorized expenses incurred or any damages caused
• Facing other disciplinary action in keeping with the disciplinary policies and guidelines of the school district up to litigation and / or termination

Each Staff User is responsible for adhering to this guideline as well as any specific security guidelines and procedures issued periodically by duly authorized representatives of the District. Staff users learning of any misuse of the District’s Information Systems or violations of this guideline shall immediately notify the building principal or their supervisor. Any of the following activities shall be deemed violations of this guideline:

A.Unauthorized attempts of hacking or any other unlawful online activities to access any Information Systems, whether belonging to the Dearborn Public Schools or any other institution, organization or individual.

B.Any alteration of the District’s Information Systems without prior written authorization.

C.Introducing viruses, applications, scripts or applets which may harm or impede the operation and functioning of the District’s Information Systems, whether such introduction is in public or private files and/or messages.

D. Authorship, dissemination, or viewing of unauthorized information or material on the District’s Information Systems, in the form of visual depictions, text, or sound including information that is strictly for personal purposes or which is not in the furtherance of the educational purposes of the District; unlawful, obscene, sexually explicit, pornographic, discriminatory, or abusive material; or any material that disparages students or staff material which is for commercial or for-profit purposes including, without limitation, advertising; material consisting of political lobbying; and any other material which the District deems to be unauthorized.

E.Using District time and resources for personal, commercial or for-profit purposes or other non-District related gain.

F.Sending or posting the District’s confidential materials outside the District or inside the District to non-authorized personnel. This includes the non-authorized disclosure of personal identification information of minors.

G. Unauthorized downloading and/or installing of any computer application on the District’s Information Systems, whether purchased, shareware, or freeware.

H. Refusing to cooperate with a security investigation.

I. Using the District’s Information Systems, whether directly or indirectly, for any malicious act.

J. Using the District’s Information Systems to plagiarize, download, forward and/or transmit any form of intellectual property protected by copyright laws.

No Warranty ; No Liability ; Release

The District will neither warrant that the Information Systems will meet any specific requirements the Staff User may have, nor that the Information Systems will be without error or provide uninterrupted service. The District shall not be liable for any direct or indirect, incidental, or consequential damages (including lost data, information, or time) sustained or incurred in connection with the use, operation, or inability to use the Information Systems. The District shall have no liability for any cause of action or other claim arising from the use of the Information Systems, including both authorized and unauthorized uses thereof. By using the District’s Information Systems, each Staff User releases the District and its operations and administrations from any and all claims of any nature arising from any use, or inability to use, the District’s Information System’s resources.

Modification of Guideline
From time-to time, the District may modify or amend its Information Systems Acceptable Use Guidelines including its acceptable use rules and guidelines.