Internet Policy

The Internet is an electronic highway connecting thousands of computers all over the world and millions of individual subscribers. It allows students and teachers access to a wealth of information and research materials and offers vast, diverse, and unique resources. Teachers and staff are encouraged to integrate educationally appropriate resources available on the internet into their curricula. The school’s goal in providing this service is to promote educational excellence in schools by facilitating resource sharing, innovation, and communication.

Internet Guidelines:

Users shall take personal responsibility for their behavior while on-line. It is expected that PACE Career Academy users will conduct their Internet activities under the following guidelines:

1. All use of school resources to access the Internet shall be in support of and consistent with the educational objectives of PACE Career Academy.
2. Transmitting any material in violation of any U.S. or state regulation or school board policy is prohibited. This includes, but is not limited to, copyrighted material and threatening or obscene material.
3. Hate mail, harassment, discriminatory remarks and other antisocial behaviors are unacceptable in Internet communication including, but not limited to, posting, downloading and printing.
4. All information accessible via the Internet shall be assumed to be private property and subject to copyright laws.
5. Users have a responsibility to respect the privacy and property of other users. Users shall not intentionally seek information about, obtain copies of, or modify files, data or PACE Career Academy’s passwords of other users.
6. For their own safety, users shall not reveal any personal information regarding themselves or others, such as addresses or phone numbers on the Internet except when approved by a staff member of PACE.
7. Employing the Internet for any commercial purposes not formally approved by the school is prohibited.
8. Users shall not expect that files stored and/or messages processed (e-mail) on PACE servers will always be private. School and network administrators may review files and communications to maintain system integrity and to ensure that the network is being used responsibly.
9. All downloaded files must be screened for viruses, following established procedures, before they can be executed on school computers and/or servers.

Penalty for Violation of Responsibilities

If users violate any PACE Career Academy part of this policy or engage in any other activity which school authorities deem inappropriate, they will be subject to disciplinary action consistent with due process procedures.

Upon the first violation during a given school year, the student’s computer privileges will be suspended for one week – even if the student is enrolled in a computer-intensive class.  The student is responsible for making up any work that is missed due to the computer suspension.

A second offense during the same school year is cause for dismissal from the school since technology and its responsible use are core components of the educational program at PACE.

Parents will be notified of violations of this policy in writing, including any disciplinary action to be taken, requiring their acknowledgment.

Any violation of law will be reported to the appropriate authority.

Right and Responsibilities of PACE Career Academy

For the purpose of this policy, user means any person authorized to access the school’s computer systems or networks including, but not limited to, the Internet.

The Internet is supplied for use on an “as is, as available” basis. The PACE Career Academy does not imply or expressly warrant that any information accessed will be valuable or fit for a particular purpose or that the system will operate error-free.

The PACE Career Academy is not responsible for the integrity of information accessed or software downloaded from the Internet.

The PACE Career Academy will not be responsible for any liability or expense incurred in connection with use of the system. Users agree to indemnify the school for any expenses, including legal fees, arising from use of the system in violation of this agreement.

The system administrators reserve the right to refuse posting of files and to remove files. The system administrators further reserve the right to immediately terminate the account or access of a user who misuses the network resources.

Equipment Contract

Every student and parent will be required to sign a standard equipment contract that outlines the cost of any repair or replacement as a result of misuse of the equipment.