Internet Policy
Acceptable Use Policy for Internet Access
We believe the Internet offers vast, diverse and unique resources therefore, St. Thomas More School provides access to the Internet for all students, administrators, teachers and staff. Our goal in providing this service is to promote educational excellence 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. Administrators, teachers, and students have access to many resources such as Academy of Reading and Math, Imagination Station, Compass Learning, various search engines and other vast online educational resources.
With access to computers all over the world also comes the availability of material that may not be considered to be of educational value in the school setting. St. Thomas More has taken precautions through the use of IP Cop Firewall to help restrict access to controversial information. In addition, students must have permission from a faculty member to research specific information and access to the Internet will be provided only with adult supervision.
In addition to precautions taken on behalf of St. Thomas More, the smooth operation of the Internet relies upon the proper conduct of the end users who must adhere to strict guidelines. If a user violates any of these guidelines, his or her use will be terminated and future access could possibly be denied. Disciplinary or legal action may also be taken. The signatures at the end of this document are legally binding and indicate the parties who signed have read the terms and conditions carefully and understand their significance.
Internet Access - Terms and Conditions
1) Acceptable UseThe use of the Internet must be in support of education and research and consistent with the educational objectives of St. Thomas More School. Each user is personally responsible for this provision at all times when using the Internet.
a. Accessing any material in violation of local, state, and/or federal statutes or regulations is strictly prohibited. This includes, but is not limited to: copyrighted material, material protected by trade secret, threatening or obscene material, and criminal activity.
b. NEVER reveal personal information, such as your address, phone number, or social security number. This also applies to the personal information of others or that of organizations.
c. NEVER reveal any user names or passwords for the St. Thomas More network.
The use of the Internet is a privilege, not a right, and inappropriate use will result in a cancellation of those privileges. Each student will be a part of a discussion with the computer education instructor pertaining to proper use of the Internet. The computer education instructor, library personnel and classroom teachers have the authority to determine what inappropriate use is and that decision is final. The computer education instructor, faculty member or staff member of St. Thomas More has the right to request, for cause, that specific privileges may be denied, revoked, or suspended.
Student use is limited to the educational activities that are directed by the St. Thomas More faculty. Activities such as e-mail, chat rooms and instant messaging, etc. are prohibited.
Vandalism by a user will result in cancellation of his or her privileges. Vandalism is defined as any malicious attempt to harm or destroy property of another user or any other agencies or networks that are connected to the Internet or school network. Vandalism includes, but is not limited to, uploading, downloading, creation of computer viruses, tampering with files and or programs, physical damage to the computers and lab itself.
5) Services