Freetown and Lakeville Public Schools
INTERNET SAFETY/ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY – TECHNOLOGY

Purpose:
The Freetown and Lakeville Public Schools shall provide access for employees and students to the
computer network, including access to external networks, for limited educational purposes. Educational
purposes shall be defined as classroom activities, career and professional development, and high quality
self-discovery activities of an educational nature. The purpose of the computer network is to assist in
preparing students for success in life and work by providing access to a wide range of information and
the ability to communicate with others. The computer network will be used to increase communication
(staff, parent, and student), enhance productivity, and assist staff in upgrading existing skills and
acquiring new skills through a broader exchange of information. The computer network will also be
used to provide information to the community, including parents, governmental agencies, and
businesses.

Availability:
The Superintendent or designee shall implement, monitor, and evaluate the district’s computer network
for instructional and administrative purposes.
Access to the computer network, including external networks, shall be available to employees and
students for instructional and administrative purposes and in accordance with administrative regulations
and procedures.
The Freetown and Lakeville Public Schools use Child Internet Protection Act (CIPA) certified upstream
filtering to block sites that have no educational value, or may contain visual depictions deemed to be
obscene, child pornography, or harmful to minors. For adult usage, the filtering may be disabled for
bona fide research or other lawful purposes.
Access to the computer network is a privilege, not a right. All users shall be required to acknowledge
receipt and understanding of all administrative regulations and procedures governing use of the system
and shall agree in writing to comply with such regulations and procedures. Noncompliance with
applicable regulations and procedures may result in suspension or termination of user privileges (other
than in connection with directly supervised use during classroom instruction) and other disciplinary
actions consistent with the policies of the Freetown and Lakeville Public Schools. Violations of law
may result in criminal prosecution as well as disciplinary action by the Freetown and Lakeville Public
Schools.

Acceptable Use:
The Superintendent or designee shall develop and implement administrative regulations, procedures, and
user agreements, consistent with the purposes and mission of the Freetown and Lakeville Public Schools
as well as with law and policy governing copyright.
Freetown Public Schools/Lakeville Public Schools/
Freetown-Lakeville Regional School District
Monitored Use:
Electronic mail transmissions and other use of electronic resources by students and employees shall not
be considered confidential and may be monitored at any time by designated staff to ensure appropriate
use for instructional and administrative purposes. Copies of all information created, sent or retrieved are
stored in the school’s backup/archive files. While the administration does not intend to review back-up
files on a regular basis, it reserves the right to access and monitor all messages and files on the computer
system as it deems appropriate in the ordinary course of its business, including but not limited to
ensuring proper use of resources and conducting routine maintenance. Where appropriate,
communications including text and images may be disclosed to law enforcement and other third parties,
without prior consent of the sender or receiver.

Liability:
The Freetown and Lakeville Public Schools shall not be liable for users’ inappropriate use of electronic
resources or violations of copyright restrictions, user’s mistakes or negligence, or costs incurred by
users. The Freetown and Lakeville Public Schools shall not be responsible for ensuring the accuracy or
usability of any information found on external networks.

ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURES
1. The district will provide each user with copies of the Acceptable Use Policy and Procedures.
2. The district will provide training to users in the proper use of the computer network.
3. Access will be granted to employees with a signed access agreement and permission of their
supervisor.
4. Access will be granted to students with a signed access agreement and permission of the building
administrator or their designee(s).
5. Account names will be recorded on access agreements and kept on file at the building level.
6. Passwords shall be issued when a network account is created. For staff accounts, the password can
be changed at any time by the staff member. For student accounts, the password cannot be changed
by the student. Only a network administrator may reset a student account password.
7. Passwords are confidential. All passwords shall be protected by the user and not shared or displayed.
8. Students completing required course work will have priority for after hour’s use of equipment.
9. Principals or their designee will be responsible for disseminating and enforcing policies and
procedures in the building(s) under their control.
10. Principals or their designee will ensure that all users complete and sign an agreement to abide by
policies and procedures regarding use of the computer network. All such agreements are to be
maintained at the building level.
11. Principals or their designee shall be authorized to monitor or examine all system activities, including
electronic mail transmissions, as deemed appropriate to ensure proper use of electronic resources.
12. Principals or their designee shall be responsible for establishing appropriate retention and backup
schedules.
13. Principals or their designee shall be responsible for establishing disk usage limitations, if needed.
14. Individual users shall, at all times, be responsible for the proper use of accounts issued in their name.
15. System users should purge electronic information according to district retention guidelines.
Freetown Public Schools/Lakeville Public Schools/
Freetown-Lakeville Regional School District
16. System users may redistribute copyrighted material only with written permission of the copyright
holder or designee. Such permission must be specified in the document or in accordance with
applicable copyright laws, district policy, and administration procedures.
17. System administrators may upload/download public domain programs to the computer network.
System administrators are responsible for determining if a program is in the public domain.
18. Commercial use of the computer network is prohibited
19. Copyrighted software or data shall not be distributed or placed on the district computer network
without permission from the holder of the copyright and the system administrator.
20. The computer network may not be used for illegal purposes, in support of illegal activities, or for any
activity prohibited by district policy.
21. System users shall not use another user’s account.
22. Any malicious attempt to harm, improperly access, or destroy equipment, material data, or programs
is prohibited.
23. Deliberate attempts to degrade or disrupt system performance may be viewed as violations of district
policy and/or as criminal activity under applicable state and federal laws. This includes, but is not
limited to, the uploading or creation of computer viruses.
24. Vandalism will result in the cancellation of system privileges and will require restitution for costs
associated with hardware, software, and system restoration.
25. Forgery or attempted forgery is prohibited.
26. Attempts to read, delete, copy, or modify the electronic mail of other users or to interfere with the
ability of other users to send/receive electronic mail is prohibited.
27. Use appropriate language; swearing, vulgarity, ethnic or racial slurs and other inflammatory language
is prohibited.
28. Pretending to be someone else when sending/receiving messages is prohibited.
29. Transmitting or viewing obscene material or vulgar material that lacks education value is prohibited.
30. Unauthorized disclosure, use and dissemination of personal identification information (address,
telephone number, photographs, etc.) regarding minors is prohibited.
31. The district will cooperate fully with local, state, or federal officials in any investigation concerning
or related to misuse of the district’s computer network.
A user who violates district policy or administrative procedures will be subject to suspension or
termination of computer network privileges and will be subject to appropriate disciplinary action and/or
prosecution.

Adoption date: 2/28/08 – Lakeville School Committee
2/28/08 – Freetown Lakeville Regional School Committee
2/28/08 – Freetown School Committee