THE GATEWAY REGIONAL SCHOOL DISTRICT

WEB PAGE POLICY

The availability of Internet access in Gateway schools provides an opportunity for students and staff to contribute to the school district's presence on the World Wide Web. The district's Web sites provide information to the world about school curriculum, instruction, school-authorized activities, and other general information relating to our schools and our district's mission. Internet access for the creation of Web pages is provided by the district's Technology Department. Creators of Web pages need to familiarize themselves with and adhere to the following policies and responsibilities. Failure to follow these policies or responsibilities may result in the loss of authoring privileges or other more stringent disciplinary measures.

The intention of this policy is to create an environment for creative publishing at Gateway through the medium of the World Wide Web. As with the printed media, state and federal laws govern the use of trademark and copyright material. Furthermore, Web publishing at Gateway takes place in a context subject to some additional regulations.

Subject Matter

All subject matter on Web pages should relate to curriculum, instruction, school-authorized activities, general information that is appropriate and of interest to others, or it should relate to the school district, or the schools within the district. Therefore, neither staff nor students may publish personal home pages as part of the district Web sites, or home pages for other individuals or organizations not directly affiliated with the district or the Community Access Network. Staff or student work may be published only as it relates to a class project, course, or other school-related activity.

Quality

All Web page work must be free of spelling and grammatical errors. Documents may not contain objectionable material or point (link) directly to objectionable material. Objectionable material is defined as material that does not meet the standards for instructional resources specified in the district's Selection Policy. Regarding the question of quality or propriety of Web page material, appearance, or content, the judgment of the Web Specialist, building or district administrators will prevail.

Ownership and Retention

All Web pages on the district's server(s) are property of the school district. Web pages will be deleted when a student graduates or moves, unless prior arrangements have been made with the Web Specialist.

Student Safeguards

1. Documents may not include a student's phone number or address.

2. Published email addresses are restricted to staff members or to a general group e-mail address where arriving e-mail is forwarded to a staff member.

3. Decisions on publishing student pictures (video or still) and audio clips are based on the building Web Master's judgment. The Webmaster must first check with the school office or the district's Information Technology coordinator to determine if the student's parents/guardians have objected to such publication through the regular data privacy restriction process.

School Board Policies

All documents on the Gateway Web server(s) must conform to School Committee Policies and regulations as well as established school guidelines. Persons developing or maintaining Web documents are responsible for complying with these and other policies. Some of the relevant issues and related Committee Policies include the following:

1. Electronic transmission of materials is a form of copying. As specified in the district's Computer Network and Internet Use Policy, no unlawful copies of copyrighted materials may be knowingly produced or transmitted via the district's equipment, including its Web server(s).

2. Documents created for the Web and linked to district Web pages will meet the criteria for use as an instructional resources.

3. Any links to district Web pages that are not specifically curriculum-related will meet the criteria established in the district Computer Network and Internet Use Policy. Any other non-curricular materials should be limited to information about other youth activities, agencies, or organizations which are known to be non-sectarian, exclusively devoted to community interests or child welfare, are non-profit, and non-discriminatory. Web page links may not include entities whose primary purpose is commercial or political advertising.

4. All communications via the district Web pages will comply with the district Computer Network and Internet Use Policy (AUP) and the district's Student Discipline Policy. Offensive behavior that is expressly prohibited by this policy includes religious, racial, and sexual harassment and/or violence.

5. Any student information communicated via the district Web pages will comply with Gateway's policies on data privacy and public use of school records.

6. Any deliberate tampering with or misuse of district network service or equipment will be considered vandalism and will be handled in accordance with the district Computer Network and Internet Use Policy, the district Student Discipline Policy, and other related policies.

Disclaimer

Material on Web pages reflect an individual's thoughts, interests, and activities. Such Web pages do not, in any way, represent individual schools or the Gateway Regional School District, nor are they endorsed or sanctioned by the individual school or the district. Concern about the content of any page(s) created by students or staff should be directed to the district Information Technology Coordinator. Given the rapid change in technology, some of the technical standards outlined in this policy may require change. Such changes will be made by the district Technology Coordinator with approval of the Superintendent.