Internet access is now available to students and teachers in the Tangipahoa Parish School System. We are very pleased to bring access to our school system, and we believe that the Internet offers vast, diverse, and unique resources to both students, teachers, and administrators.

Our goal in providing this service to our students is to enhance innovative education for students through access to unique resources and collaborations. Furthermore, teachers will improve learning and teaching through research, teacher training, collaboration, and dissemination of successful educational practices, methods, and materials.

The Internet is an electronic highway connecting thousands of computers and millions of individual subscribers all over the world. Students and teachers will have access to:

1. Electronic Mail Communications (E-Mail) with other people.

2. Information and news from NASA as well as the opportunity to correspond with the scientists at NASA and other research institutions.

3. Access to the Library of Congress, government agencies, and Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC), and many universities and other public library catalogs locally as well as from other states and countries.

Guidelines are provided so that Internet users are aware of the responsibilities they are about to assume. Responsibilities include efficient, ethical, and legal utilization of network resources. The student and parent or guardians signature on the attached contract is legally binding and indicates that he/she has read the terms and conditions carefully and understands their significance.

1) Acceptable Use - The purpose of INTERNET in our school system is to support research and education in and among academic institutions in the United States by providing access to unique resources and opportunities for collaborative work. Transmission of any material in violation of any U.S. or state regulation is prohibited. This includes, but not limited to, copyrighted material, threatening or obscene material, or material protected by trade institutions. Use for product advertisement, political lobbying, or illegal activities is strictly prohibited. Subscriptions to list servers, bulletin boards, and on-line services must be pre-approved.

2. Privileges - The use of the Internet is a privilege, not a right, and inappropriate use will result in a cancellation of those privileges by the administration, faculty, or staff.

3. Netiquette - Users are expected to abide by the generally accepted rules of network etiquette. These include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Be polite. Do not send abusive messages to others.
• Use appropriate language.
• Do not reveal personal addresses or phone numbers of students or

colleagues.

• Note that Electronic Mail (E-Mail) is not guaranteed to be private. People who operate the system do have access to all mail. Messages relating to or in support of illegal activities must be reported to the authorities.
• Do not use the network in a way that would disrupt the use of the network by other users (e.g. downloading huge files during prime time, sending mass E-Mail messages, or annoying other users using the talk or write functions). Hardware or software shall not be destroyed, modified, or abused in any way.
• Malicious use of the network to develop programs that harass other users or infiltrate a computer or computing system and/or damage the software components of a computer or computing system is prohibited.
• Hate mail, harassment, discriminatory remarks, and other anti-social behaviors are prohibited on the network.
• The illegal installation of copyrighted software for use on district computers is prohibited.





• Use of the network to access or process pornographic material, inappropriate text files, or files dangerous to the integrity of the local area network (LAN) is prohibited.

4. Security - Security on any computer system is a high priority, especially when the system involves many users. If you feel you can identify a security problem on the Internet, you must notify the system administrator. Do not demonstrate the problem to other users. Any user identified as a security risk or having a history of problems with other computer systems may be denied access to the Internet.

5. Vandalism - Vandalism will result in cancellation of privileges and/or other disciplinary actions. Vandalism is defined as any malicious attempt to harm or destroy data of another user, LANET, or other networks that are connected to Internet. This includes, but is not limited to, the uploading or creation of computer viruses.

6. Consequences of Misuse - According to the Tangipahoa Parish School Board Policy Manual, school principals may suspend from school any student who accesses, sends, receives, or configures electronically any profane, pornographic and/or obscene language or pictures.

TANGINET Code of Conduct applies to all users of Internet. Honesty, integrity, and respect for the rights of others should be evident at all times. E-Mail shall be limited to teachers and whole classes. Individuals will not have accounts. In no case will photographs be permitted. Students will only be identified by first names.

The INTERNET user is held responsible for his/her actions and activities. Unacceptable uses of the network will result in school suspension or revoking of these privileges. Other examples of unacceptable uses are:

1. Using the network for any illegal activity, including violation of copyright or other contracts.

2. Using the network for financial or commercial gain.

3. Degrading or disrupting equipment or system performance.

4. Vandalizing the data of another user.

5. Wastefully using finite resources.

6. Gaining unauthorized access to resources or entities.

7. Invading the privacy of individuals.

8. Using an account owned by another user.

9. Posting personal communications without the author's consent.

10. Posting anonymous messages.

11. Accessing or transmitting obscene or pornographic material.

By taking responsibility for children's online computer use, parents can greatly minimize any potential risks of being online.

Making it a family rule to:

• Never give out identifying information---home address, school name, or telephone number---in a public message such as chat rooms or bulletin boards. Be sure you are dealing with someone that both you and your child know and trust before giving personal information out via E-Mail. Think carefully before revealing any personal information such as age, marital status, or financial information. Consider using a pseudonym or un-listing your child's name if your service allows it.





• Get to know the services your child uses. If you don't know how to log on, get your child to show you. Find out what types of information the service offers and whether there are ways for parents to block out objectionable material.





• Never allow a child to arrange a face-to-face meeting with another computer user unknown to you without your permission. If a meeting is arranged, make the first one in a public spot, and be sure to accompany your child.





• Never respond to messages or bulletin board items that are suggestive, obscene, belligerent, threatening, or make you feel uncomfortable. Encourage your children to tell you if they encounter such messages. If you and/or your child receives a message that is harassing, of a sexual nature, or threatening, forward a copy of the message to your service provider and ask for assistance.

If you become aware of the transmission, use, or viewing of child pornography while online, immediately report this information to your local law enforcement agency, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children ( 1-800-843-5678), and your local service provider.

• Remember that people online may not be who they seem. Because you can't see or hear the person, it would be easy for someone to misrepresent himself or herself. Someone indicating that "she" is a "12-year-old girl" could in reality be a 40-year-old man.





• Remember that not everything you read online is true. Any offer that is too good to be true probably is. Be careful about offers that involve coming to a meeting or having someone visit your house.
• Set reasonable rules and guidelines for computer use by your children, including the amount of time they spend on the computer, the time of day they access online services, and the areas of online services they visit.





• Discuss these rules and post them near the computer as a reminder. Remember to monitor compliance with the rules, especially when it comes to the amount of time your children spend on the computer. Your child's excessive use of online services or bulletin boards, especially late at night, may be a clue that there is a potential problem.

Remember that personal computers and online services should not be used as electronic babysitters.

• Make online service use a family activity. Consider keeping the computer in a family room rather than in the child's bedroom. Get to know your child's online friends just as you get to know all of his/her other friends.





• There is software available that attempts to filter undesirable information on the Internet. This software sets limits and defines restrictions. You can contact your online service provider for more information as to what software is recommended for this purpose.

Student: Last Name ________________________________

First Name ________________________________

Student I.D. Number _ _ _ - _ _ - _ _ _ _ (SSAN)

Directions: After reading the TANGINET Code of Conduct and Terms and Conditions, please read and fill out the appropriate portions of the following contract completely and legibly. The signature of a parent or guardian is also required. Please return this contract to your teacher.

I have read the TANGINET Terms and Conditions. I understand and will abide by the stated Terms and Conditions for TANGINET. I further understand that violation of the regulations is unethical and illegal. Should I commit any violation, my access privileges may be revoked and/or school disciplinary action or other appropriate actions may be taken.