Media Center Conduct Code

Behavior Expectations

Students are expected to conduct themselves in a manner that promotes the media center as a positive teaching and learning environment at all times. This implies

treating media center personnel, teachers and other students courteously and respectfully,

cooperating with media center personnel in maintaining an atmosphere favorable to teaching and learning,

respecting the right of other users to a clean, orderly and tranquil media center, and

complying with all school rules as set out in the Student Handbook.

RESPONSIBILITIES AND BEHAVIOR GUIDELINES

Individual students (i.e. students not part of a class using using the media center and/or not chaperoned by a teacher) must

have with them an acceptable means of verifying identity, e.g. Park Center Registration Card,

show the media personnel a media pass signed by a teacher when using the media center during school hours, and

sign the register on the counter when entering the media center.

Students

should not disturb other students using the media center,

are not permitted to use personal audio equipment such as walkman recorders and radios with headphones in the media center, and

may not bring to and/or consume any beverages, candy and/or food in the media center.

Computer Use Guidelines

INTRODUCTION

District 279 is doing its best to bring state-of-the-art technology to students and teachers, but providing technology and technology support to schools such as Park Center is expensive. Furthermore, it is important for students and teachers to have continual and unhampered access to this technology at all times to learn and/or teach effectively. Consequently Computer Use Guidelines are crucial to ensure responsible use of the school’s computer facilities by all users. The Park Center Computer Use Guidelines provide students and teachers with guidelines regarding the use of any computer within the school, regardless of where the computers are situated or whether they allow access to the Internet or not.

GUIDELINES

Access to the school’s computer facilities is a privilege and not a right. School computers may therefore not be used for any purpose other than educational. Responsible usage implies the correct application of information skills, including the examination of all material for authority, credibility, impartiality, relevance, reliability and suitability. Users may not use the Internet access for recreational browsing and/or "surfing the net".

Students are responsible for their own actions at all times and will therefore assume full liability, financial (reimbursing the district/school for damage incurred during use of the system), legal or otherwise, for all their actions while using the school’s computer facilities. Neither Park Center nor District 279 are liable for the action or actions of any user when connecting to the Internet using the school’s computer facilities.

The school does not guarantee that the computer technology system will meet any specific requirements, nor that it will be clear of errors, nor shall it be accountable for any damage such as loss of data, information and/or time incurred with use or inability to use the system. As the accuracy and/or quality of information obtained through the Internet can not be guaranteed, use of information obtained via the Internet is at risk of the user.

Parents/guardians have the right to request that their child not be allowed access to the Internet. It is the parent/guardian’s responsibility to inform the school of this decision in writing.

When using the school’s computer facilities, students are required to have their school ID’s with them and keep a record of sites visited while using the Internet.

CONDITIONS, GUIDELINES AND RULES

1. Educational use of the school’s computer technology

The school’s computer technology may not be used for activities inconsistent with curricular needs and/or in any way that would disrupt, intrude upon and/or obstruct the use of these facilities by others. This includes, but is not limited to personal use, gambling or simulated wager games, political lobbying, and/or promotion of products and/or services for the intents of financial or other gain for individuals, employers, companies and/or any other enterprises.

2. Respecting other users’ rights

Users are required to be considerate of and courteous and polite toward other users when using the school’s computer technology. The following are strictly prohibited:

Wasting technology resources such as file space, printers and printing supplies etc.

Accessing bulletin boards and/or any graphic programs containing distasteful, erotic, obscene, off-color, perverted, pornographic, sexually explicit, vulgar and/or in any other way offensive and/or suggestive materials inappropriate to the school environment.

Using unacceptable (blasphemous, coarse, impolite, lewd, rude or vulgar) language in communications with others.

Creating, downloading and/or transmitting fraudulent, harassing, impolite, obscene, threatening and/or any other way inappropriate messages that could offend individuals and/or groups because of age, gender, physical attributes, political convictions, race, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, etc.

NOTE: Users should not respond to abusive, derogate, insulting and/or suggestive messages received using the school’s computer technology. Such incidents should be reported to the teacher or media personnel immediately.

3. Confidentiality, Safety and Privacy

Users should present themselves accurately when using the school’s computer technology, but in doing so should not include confidential, protected, personal and/or family information such as last names, addresses, home phone numbers and credit card numbers. They should respect the privacy of other users at all times and may therefore not seek out, obtain copies of and/or modify data, files and/or passwords belonging to others without their consent, and/or allow others to have access to their accounts and/or passwords.

4. Plagiarism and Copyright

Copyright laws and/or licensing agreements may not be contravened by the making of unauthorized and/or illegal copies of licensed software. Information obtained through the use of the school’s computer technology and/or the Internet may not be plagiarized and/or used without the source being properly credited.

5. Abuse and Vandalism

The school’s computer facilities may not be abused and/or vandalized in any way, vandalism being defined as any deliberately malicious/vindictive attempt to harm or destroy data of another user, the computers and/or the networks that are linked to the school’s computer system. This includes, but is not limited to the creation and/or uploading of computer viruses and/or the use of "loopholes" to bypass or "hack into" computer security systems. Users may not access or attempt to access computer software, data or systems that they are not authorized to access nor install or attempt to install software on school computers.

PROCEDURE FOR HANDLING COMPLAINTS

All complaints from parents and/or guardians (verbal or written) should be reported to the building principal. The principal will contact the complaintant to discuss the complaint and attempt to resolve it informally. If the complaint is not resolved informally, the complaintant will be requested to put his/her objections in writing, and follow the procedure explained in the School District Policy with regard to challenged material.