STS. JOAN OF ARC AND PATRICK SCHOOL TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR IN-SCHOOL USE OF INTERNET RESOURCES The following is a copy of the Internet License for 3rd to 8th Grade. Both campuses of Sts. Joan of Arc and Patrick School have the ability to provide World Wide Web Internet access to your child. This access offers vast, diverse, unique resources and is provided to students and school personnel to promote educational excellence. The purpose of this document is to inform parents, guardians and students of the availability of Internet resources. It also presents the rules governing its use and requests parental / guardian permission for an individual student to use the Internet while at school. The Internet is an electronic highway, which can give students and the teachers access to a variety of rich, educational resources. The World Wide Web, a portion of the Internet that your student can use, includes some information specifically designed for children, up-to-the-minute scientific information, Supreme Court documents and other information that is traditionally difficult to obtain in the school environment. To access the World Wide Web at school, students will be using a browser (a piece of software) called Netscape Navigator or Internet Explorer. This allows students to navigate through the “web” information by pointing and clicking the mouse. Information is presented richly in text, pictures, sound and some video. The educational value of appropriate information on the Internet is substantial. The Internet is composed of information provided by institutions, organizations and people all over the world and thus, also includes material that is not of educational value in the context of the school setting. There is information that may be judged as inaccurate, abusive, profane, sexually oriented or illegal. The School does not condone or permit the use of this material. School personnel and the parent or guardian of each student are to educate the student about his or her responsibility when using the Internet. To help insure that the Internet is used properly, the school will use an Internet filtering system. This will limit the possibility of access to inappropriate sites and makes objectionable material unavailable. This is accomplished by blocking searches for inappropriate words and by blocking access to inappropriate sites that contain pornography, drug culture, illegal activities, gambling, nudity, graphic violence, profanity, and satanic and cultic information. One of our school’s goals is to support students in reasonable use of the vast reservoir of information. Anytime students use the Internet, they will be working under the direction and supervision of a teacher. This helps to insure that the Internet is being used appropriately as per the school’s expectations. At times, individual or smaller groups of students may be allowed with teacher permission, supervision and parent consent (see attached agreement) to go to the Computer Lab to access the Internet for research purposes or to complete other written projects. On such occasions the student will have a specific purpose for going to the Computer Lab, which will have been discussed with the teacher. Students are expected to use the resources in a manner consistent with this contract and will be held responsible for their use. Additionally, parents should discuss with their child their own expectations for their child’s Internet use. PROPER & ACCEPTABLE USE The use of the Internet in the school must be in support of education and academic research and consistent with the educational objectives of the school. Internet activities that are permitted and encouraged are those related to the investigation of topics being studied in school. Internet activities that ARE NOT PERMITTED: · Searching, viewing or retrieving materials that are not related to school work including material that is sexually explicit, profane, violence promoting or illegal; games with violence, music sites, clothing sites, personal websites, checking personal e-mail, chat rooms and instant messaging. · Subscription to any services or ordering of any goods or services. If a student has any question about whether a specific activity is permitted, he/she is to ask the teacher. If a student accidentally accesses inappropriate material he/she is to back out of the information at once. MISUSE Violation of the terms of this agreement may result in suspension or revocation of a student’s access to the Internet. Any action taken by a student who is in violation of a school rule will be subject to the usual disciplinary actions. Your signatures on the attached agreement indicate you have read the terms and conditions carefully and understand their significance. Parents, please keep this portion of the Terms and Conditions of In-School Use of Internet Resources for your records. The attached agreement is to be signed and returned to the school to permit the student’s use of the Internet. If you have any questions, please contact me at either school.