Skip To Main Content

Online Safety

Be Safe While Online

Always be careful when online...

  • Don't get scammed. Crooks are good at fooling people. They create fake emails and web pages that look real in a practice called phishing. Don't trust links or web pages sent by email. Instead, open a new browser window and type in the address yourself.
  • Don't get spammed: Spam is unwanted advertising sent by email. Never reply to spam and never do business with a company that sends spam. Use the "report spam" button to get rid of spam.
  • Treat others with respect: It hurts to get a mean email just like it hurts when someone is mean in the school hallway. When using email or making a post on a forum or web page, be kind. Everyone will see what you write, so think before you type. Be careful with what you say about others and yourself.
  • Respect the rights of copyright owners: Copyright infringement occurs when an individual reproduces a work without permission that is protected by a copyright. If a work contains language that specifies acceptable use of that work, the user should follow the expressed requirements. If the user is unsure whether or not they can use a work, they should request permission from the copyright owner. This also includes pictures that you find on the Internet.
  • Students have First Amendment rights to free speech: Your rights can be limited in school, though. If you post something via email or on a school web page that disturbs the learning environment in your school, your right of speech may be limited. School websites, email, and groups are for educational use and are not considered public forums for debating ideas. This means that a school has the right to limit student speech that disturbs the learning process in these areas.

These are the laws and policies that help to protect our students online:

  • Child Internet Protection Act (CIPA) ~ The school is required by CIPA to have technology measures and policies in place that protect students from harmful materials including those that are obscene and pornographic. This means that student email is filtered. Mail containing harmful content from inappropriate sites will be blocked. http://fcc.gov/cgb/comsumerfacts/cipa.html
  • Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) ~ FERPA protects the privacy of student education records and gives parents rights to review student records. Under FERPA, schools may disclose directory information (name, phone, address, grade level, etc...) but parents may request that the school not disclose this information.
    • The school will not publish confidential education records (grades, student ID #, etc...) for public viewing on the Internet.
    • The school may publish student work and photos for public viewing but will not publish student last names or other personally identifiable information.
    • Parents may request that photos, names and general directory information about their children not be published.
    • Parents have the right at any time to investigate the contents of their child’s email and Apps for Education files. - FERPA - http://www2.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/fpco.ferpa