Policy Handbook 2022-23 | Page 56

conform to district design standards and be up to date .
• Web announcements promoting a business are prohibited by district Solicitation Policy . The Superintendent / Associate Superintendents may make exceptions if benefits are judged sufficient to merit exception .
Student Internet Use :
Under the Children ’ s Internet Protection Act ( CIPA ), districts are required to restrict minors ’ access to internet-based materials . The District has licensed a commercial internet filtering package that meets or exceeds the CIPA requirements for student protection .
Students using district-provided Internet access must first have the permission of and must be supervised by the district ’ s professional staff . Students using district-provided Internet access are responsible for good behavior online just as they are in a classroom or other areas of the school . If students use their personal device using their own data plan ( 3G / 4G ), they will not be filtered by the district Internet filter . Inappropriate use of the Internet using a personal data plan will be subject to discipline .
The same general rules for behavior and communications apply . COMMUNICATION TOOLS Staff email
The district manages an email system for staff business / communications purposes . All email messages are retained on the system until deleted by the staff member .
Electronic messages stored on district servers are treated like any other school property . That said , system administrators will not intentionally inspect the contents of a user ’ s email account or disclose such contents to other than the sender or intended recipient without the consent of the sender or intended recipient , unless required to do so by law or District policies , or to investigate complaints regarding email which is alleged to contain material contrary to District policies .
Staff members are provided with district email accounts to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of communication , both within the organization and with the broader community .
Staff using email to correspond with parents and students must adhere to the following :
• Staff must use a school-provided email account for all parent and student communications . Use of a staff personal email account for parent / student communication is not authorized .
• Email is not an effective medium for contentious , emotional , or highly confidential issues . These issues are more effectively dealt with through a phone call or personal meeting .
• Email messages to parents should be consistent with professional practices used for other correspondence . This includes grammar , format , and salutation .
• Email to students should be consistent with professional practices for other correspondence and may not include content of a personal nature .
• All emails that reside on the District servers are not confidential . Email messages may be requested by the public under the Rightto-Know Law and may , unless they are exempt under the law , be open to public inspection .
• Emails should be short and directional in nature and include only the facts .
• Communicate only with parents at email addresses listed in the Student Information System ( SIS ) unless steps have been taken to verify that the communication is occurring with a parent / guardian that has educational rights for the student .
• Communicate with students using only the email address listed in the SIS . That email address is the official , district-provided student email account .
• Carbon copy parents on emails to students .
• Care should be given when using student names . Refer to students by first name , initials , or “ your son / daughter ,” depending on the content . Do not discuss nonrelated students .
Staff are required to :
• Check email at least daily
• Respond to email messages in a timely fashion , usually considered to be within 2 working days .
• Subscribe only to list services that are critical to your job responsibilities .
• Do not forward or otherwise respond to “ chainmail ” type communications .
• Do not respond to spam or phishing attempts by clicking on any links or providing any account information . Know that district network / communications staff will NEVER ask for account information via email .
• Do not send email messages to all staff . Messages you would like to send to all staff should be sent to the Communications and Public Relations Department for inclusion in staff e-newsletter if appropriate .
Student email :
Secondary ( grades 6 through 12 ) students will be provided district email accounts through our Anoka-Hennepin Apps system to promote effective communication . District-provided student email accounts are a privilege and district guidelines regarding the use of student email must be strictly followed . Student email accounts must be used for educational purposes only . If a student receives email with libelous , defamatory , offensive , racist , or obscene remarks , they are required to retain the mail and report it to a teacher immediately .
Acceptable use of student email includes :
• Email should be used to communicate with a teacher regarding assignments , class projects , and class activities .
• Email should be used to include links to share homework documents created in Google Docs with the teacher or fellow students . Enclosing documents in an email is discouraged .
• Email communication between students should be used to facilitate collaboration , planning , and research for schoolrelated projects and activities .
• Email is not confidential or private and can be ready by teachers or district personnel .
Unacceptable use of student communication includes :
• Email must not contain libelous , defamatory , threatening , offensive , racist , or obscene remarks .
• Email should not be forwarded without the senders ’ permission .
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