Technology is changing many aspects of life as well as the information available to
students. Diversity of information and opinions is valuable to students and teachers.
Within the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, telecommunications, electronic resources,
and network infrastructures supplement the instructional needs of the student. By
providing such access to students, Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools provides students and staff with many more resources than would otherwise be possible. Traditional
resources such as books, print materials and other media have been evaluated by schools
and school-based committees in the past according to a selection process. Administrative regulation IFAB-R describes this process. Yet, information available electronically
cannot effectively be evaluated in the same manner. Electronic information changes
rapidly, with the infrastructure designed to be as open as possible - and as public.
Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools' staff are expected to make thoughtful use of electronic
resources, considering the quality of the content, the skills required to access
information and the ability of students to evaluate the information. In this light, staff should consult Board Policy IFAB regarding instructional materials and apply
the same criteria for selecting electronic materials.
Students themselves are responsible for their actions when using networked computers
or telecommunications, much as they are in a classroom. Access to networks is available
to any student willing to act responsibly and courteously. Use of networked resources in a manner harmful to others will not be tolerated. Chapel Hill-Carrboro City
Schools network spaces are analogous to student desks or lockers and may be inspected
when network maintenance becomes necessary or if students abuse access rights.
Supervised access to the Internet will be granted to all students. Supervised access
to the Internet is defined as access to the Internet when a CHCCS staff member either
is present with the students or has provided an Internet related assignment for students to complete. Examples of supervised access include all classroom settings with
a staff member present, computer labs with a staff member present, and media centers
when a staff member or trained volunteer is circulating or otherwise monitoring student use of the Internet. Unsupervised access is defined as student access without a
specific assignment when an adult cannot continuously be present, for example, in
the media center when students are present without teachers and other staff are not
available to monitor Internet use. Parents may also grant unsupervised access privileges
to their children by signing the Unsupervised Use Agreement
form.
Page 2: Policy IFAD: Internet Usage by Students
Since the Internet is a global network, it is impossible for CHCCS to control all
materials which may appear. Families should be warned that users may encounter materials
which are inaccurate, defamatory, illegal or offensive, but that the potential of
the Internet far outweighs the possibility that users may come across inappropriate
material.