Child Internet Protection Act (CIPA)
The Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) is a federal law enacted by Congress to address concerns about access to offensive content over the Internet on school and library computers. Troup ISD subscribes to Internet services through SuperNet II. In accordance with CIPA, Troup ISD utilizes filtering & firewall tools in an effort to block objectionable materials from user access. Filtering software is not 100% effective; while filters make it more difficult for objectionable material to be received or accessed; filters are not a solution in themselves. Therefore, the rules and regulations in this
document have been developed for the purpose of establishing acceptable and unacceptable use of the electronic communication system and electronic resources within the district. CIPA guidelines are incorporated into this document as required by law.

Child Internet Safety Policy (CIPA) For Troup ISD
Introduction
It is the Policy of Troup Independent School District to:
    • prevent user access over its computer network to, or transmission of, inappropriate material via Internet,
electronic mail, or other forms of direct electronic communications;
    • prevent unauthorized access and other unlawful online activity;
    • prevent unauthorized online disclosure, use, or dissemination of personal identification information of
minors; and,
    • comply with the Children’s Internet Protection Act.

Definitions
Key terms are as defined in the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA):
    • Access to Inappropriate Material: To the extent practical, technology protection measures (or ―Internet
filters) will be used to block or filter the Internet, or other forms of electronic communications, and access to
inappropriate material/information.
    • As required by CIPA, blocking will be applied to visual depictions of material deemed obscene or child
pornography, or to any material deemed harmful to minors.
    • Subject to staff supervision, technology protection measures may be disabled or, in the case of minors,
minimized only for legitimate instructional research or other lawful purposes.

Inappropriate Network Usage
To the extent practical, steps will be taken to promote the safety and security of users of the Troup ISD online
computer network when using electronic mail and other forms of direct electronic communications.
As required by CIPA, prevention of inappropriate network usage includes:
    • unauthorized access, including so-called ―hacking‖, and other unlawful activities; and,
    • unauthorized disclosure, use, and dissemination of personal identification information regarding minors.

Education, Supervision, and Monitoring
It will be the responsibility of all members of the Troup Independent School District faculty and staff to model,
educate, supervise, and monitor appropriate use of computers and other electronic devices, the network and Internet use in accordance with these policies, CIPA, the Neighborhood Children’s Internet Protection Act, and the Protecting Children in the 21st Century Act. Training will include a focus on the education of students regarding appropriate online behavior including interacting with other individuals on social networking websites and in chat rooms in addition to cyber bullying awareness and response. Procedures for disabling or otherwise modifying any technology protection measures will be the responsibility of the technology director of Troup ISD and/or the network
manager of Troup ISD.

TISD Electronic Communications Systems
The use of network and electronic resources is a privilege, not a right. Inappropriate use may result in the cancellation of the privilege. Certain state and federal statutes may apply to the electronic communications system and inappropriate uses may also be unlawful. Unlawful use of district electronic resources will be referred to proper authorities. District authorities, under the rules of the appropriate campus handbook and the Student Code of Conduct, may also initiate other
disciplinary actions.
Should a district user violate any of these provisions listed here, his or her account may be terminated, future access may be denied and disciplinary actions taken under the guidelines of the campus handbook and the 

Student Code of Conduct
In addition, all users are held responsible for understanding that the inappropriate use of the communication system may be a violation of state, federal, and local laws. Violations can lead to investigation and prosecution by law enforcement
agencies.
Each user must attend training on appropriate use of technology and appropriate use of the Internet. Users must also sign an agreement acknowledging the rights and responsibilities of access to the electronic communications system. In those cases in which the user is under 18 years of age, the parent or legal guardian will be required to read and sign the
Technology Handbook form. No student account will be opened until the student and parent have signed the required forms. Parents may sign a form explicitly exempting their minor children from Internet access.
No student will be required to use the Internet to complete assignments when the parent denies access.
Personal information such as home address, home telephone number, or addresses and phone numbers of any other individuals should not be revealed. A personal signature on any Internet message must use the school address only.
Always notify a teacher, campus administrator, or the network administrator immediately if any individual is
encouraging actions that may be wrong or illegal.
The district’s system is provided on an as is, as available basis. The district does not make any warranties, whether expressed or implied, including, without limitation, those of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose with respect to any services provided by the system and any information or software contained therein. The district does not warrant the functions or services performed by, or the information or software contained on, the system will meet the system user’s requirements, or the system will be uninterrupted or error-free or defects will be corrected.
Opinions, advice, services, and all other information expressed by system users, information providers, service providers, or other third party individuals in the system are those of the provider and not the district. The user is responsible and liable for any misuse of the system or system resources. The district will cooperate fully with local, state, or federal officials in any investigation concerning or relating to misuse of the district’s electronic equipment.
Employees supervising students who use the district system will provide training emphasizing the appropriate use of electronic resources to students. Students must be supervised while using district computers and/or the Internet.

Online Harassment
Federal and state laws have been enacted defining online harassment or cyber bullying, as well as the consequences of such. A person commits a third degree felony if that person uses the name of another individual to create a webpage on, or to post one or more messages on a commercial networking site without obtaining the other person’s consent and with
the intent to harm, defraud, intimidate, or threaten any person. A person also commits a class A misdemeanor if the person sends an electronic mail, instant message, text message or similar communication that references a name, domain address, phone number, or other items of identifying information belonging to another individual. This offense is a third degree felony if done with the intent to solicit the response of emergency personnel.
Suspected or known incidents of online harassment or cyber bullying should be reported immediately to the appropriate campus administrators. Anonymous reports of such situations may also be made by completing the electronic forms posted on the district’s website at www.troupisd.org.
For more information about online harassment or cyber bullying visit: stopbullying.gov For additional information on identity theft or electronic fraud visit the Department of Justice website at: https://www.justice.gov/criminalfraud/identity-theft/identity-theft-and-identity-fraud.

E-mail
Student email access is provided for instructional purposes and is subject to monitoring. Not everyone will be issued an email account. The following rules are representative (but not inclusive) of how the e-mail system is to be used as determined by the district.
Note that electronic mail (e-mail) is not guaranteed to be private. District officials who operate the system have access to all e-mail. Email can be miss-routed to accounts other than those to which it is originally addressed. In addition to this, all e-mail is subject to open records requests in accordance with the Public Information Act (a.k.a. Texas Open Records
Act.) Monitoring of e-mail by designated staff may occur on occasion to ensure appropriate use. Messages relating to or in support of illegal activities will be reported to the authorities (school, local, state, or federal).
Student e-mail accounts will be assigned for the sole purpose of completing assignments as required by the classroom teacher. The use of a student e-mail account must be in support of education and/or research as well as remain consistent with the educational objectives of the district.
Sending chain letters or broadcast messages (spamming) to lists or individuals, and any other types of use, which may cause congestion of the network or otherwise interfere with the work of others is prohibited. This includes forwarding junk mail to other users. Transmission of information, which violates or infringes on the rights of any person or any abusive, profane, or sexually offensive information is also prohibited.
In order to conserve system resources, technology staff will conduct regular clean up and maintenance of district computers at least once per school year. Clean up may include removal of all e-mail and sent items. Documents, images, illegal downloads, etc…will be removed from computers. Students are encouraged to back up any items he/she desires to keep. Users will be notified in advance via e-mail regarding this process in order to provide time for backups to be made.

TISD Electronic Resources
The use of computer resources is a privilege, not a right. Inappropriate use may result in the cancellation of the privilege.
Certain state and federal statutes may apply to the electronic communications system and inappropriate uses may also be unlawful. Unlawful use of district electronic resources will be referred to proper authorities. District authorities, under the rules of the Student Handbook, may also initiate other disciplinary actions.
Not following the rules listed here may cause a user’s account to be closed resulting in the loss of electronic resources from school computers. Depending on the offense, other disciplinary actions may also be taken in accordance with campus disciplinary guidelines. In addition, there may be state or federal laws that are broken as a result of some user actions. Students and parents may be liable if laws are broken. Many of the activities that are illegal in using the electronic resources are outlined in this handbook.
Through the use of the Internet, teachers, students, and staff have access to worldwide information resources. Through the utilization of district resources, faculty, staff, and students of the Troup Independent School District have the opportunity to create their information resources in a graphical environment.
The district’s goal in providing these services is to promote educational excellence in the schools by facilitating resource sharing, innovation, and communication. Not all of the Internet capabilities listed above will be immediately available to faculty, students, and staff.
With access to computers and people all over the world comes the availability of materials that may not be considered of educational value in the context of the school setting. The district will strictly enforce rules that restrict access to objectionable material. However, on a global network, it is impossible to control all materials. The district believes that the valuable information available on the Internet far outweighs the possibility that users may see or access materials that
are not consistent with the educational goals of the district.
Internet access is coordinated through a complex association of government agencies, and regional and state networks. In addition, the smooth operation of the network relies upon the proper conduct of the end users who must adhere to strict guidelines. These guidelines are specified here so each user is aware of the responsibilities he or she is about to undertake.
Guidelines are considered the same as rules in this handbook.
The user is responsible and liable for any misuse of the system or system resources. The district will cooperate fully with local, state, or federal officials in any investigation concerning or relating to misuse of the district’s electronic equipment.

Consent
The district will provide all users with hard copies of the TISD Technology Handbook upon request. It is also available electronically at www.troupisd.org All training in the use of the district’s system will emphasize ethical use. Students will be supervised at school when using the district’s computers and while accessing the Internet. Employees supervising the students will provide training to them emphasizing the appropriate ethical use of electronic resources and care of district
equipment.

Availability of Access
Access to the district’s electronic communications system, including the Internet, shall be made available to students, employees, and guests primarily for instructional and administrative purposes and in accordance with administrative regulations. Limited personal use of the system is permitted if the use:
    • Imposes no tangible cost on the district
    • Does not unduly burden the district’s computer or network resources; and
    • Has no adverse effect on a student’s academic performance.

Internet Responsible Use
The following rules are representative (but not inclusive) of how the Internet is to be used as determined by the district.
    • Use of any other organization’s network or computing resources must comply with the rules appropriate for that network.
    • Use for commercial activities is prohibited including entering contests.
    • Use of the district network to purchase products is not permitted for personal use except on a limited basis.
    • Use for product advertisement, including personal property, or political lobbying is prohibited.
Caution should be used with video and audio streaming due to bandwidth limitations. Continual connection to video and audio streaming can cause congestion on the district’s network. Users should avoid engaging in this practice unless it is in direct support of educational goals.
Access to specific resources such as IRCs (Internet Relay Chat) will be limited to activities in direct support of educational goals and only as authorized by the teacher for instructional purposes. Chat Room use and blogging will also be limited to activities as authorized by the teacher for instructional purposes. Posting to personal websites such as Facebook, Twitter, SnapChat, etc… while at school is not permitted.
Transmission of information, which violates or infringes on the rights of any person or any abusive, profane, or sexually offensive information is prohibited.
While software and shareware are available over the Internet, the quality of the software and impact on the system cannot be guaranteed. These programs may also contain viruses. Software, freeware, and shareware shall not be downloaded to individual user accounts or computers. Shareware and freeware may not be downloaded to any district owned equipment.
The district will not be responsible for shareware downloading and fees. Such software may not be stored on district equipment.

Netiquette (Network Etiquette)
Netiquette is a term describing the generally accepted rules of behavior digital users. District staff and students are expected to abide by these rules. Access may be revoked for violation of these rules.
    • Be polite. Never be abusive to others.
    • Use appropriate language. Do not swear, use vulgarities, or any other inappropriate language.
    • Illegal activities are strictly prohibited.
    • Never reveal personal addresses, and phone numbers or those of any other students, teachers, or staff members.
    • Be brief. Few people will bother to read a long message.
    • Minimize spelling errors. Be sure messages are easy to understand and read.
    • Use accurate and descriptive subject titles for messages and articles.
    • Cite references for any facts presented.
    • Forgive the spelling and grammar errors of others
    • Do not attempt to access teacher tools such as e-mail, grade book, or attendance. Students who access these programs will lose all computing privileges and be referred to campus principals for further disciplinary actions.
    • Do not use the network in such a way as to disrupt the use of the network by other users.

Security
Security on any computer system is a high priority, especially when the system involves many users. If a security problem on the district’s network can be identified, notify a principal or technology personnel. Do not demonstrate the problem to other users.
A student who reveals his/her personally identifiable information or the personal information of others will lose computing privileges. Personal signatures on any e-mail must use the school address only. Parent(s)/guardian(s) and system administrators must be notified immediately if any individual is trying to contact a student for illicit or suspicious activities.
Using another individual’s account and password is prohibited. Any user who allows another to use his/her account and password will lose his/her network privileges. Students are responsible for the protection of account passwords. Account names and passwords should not be shared with others. If you suspect someone is using your account information, notify
technology personnel, a teacher, or principal immediately.
Attempts to log on to the Internet as a network administrator or to perform network admin tasks will result in cancellation of user privileges. Any user who is a security risk or having a history of security problems with other computer systems may be denied access to district network resources.
Anyone illegally obtaining and using access to other computer systems may be the focus of state or federal investigation and prosecution. If unacceptable or illegal activities take place while a user account is active, the account owner may be held responsible, regardless of whether that owner personally took the actions. Such activities may result in loss of access to computers and the Internet or other disciplinary actions.
Anyone knowingly having, transporting or distributing computer viruses will immediately lose access to the Internet and all district computer resources.
Utilization of a VPN, proxies or other means of bypassing the network’s firewall or content filter is prohibited. Attempts to do so may result in removal of district owned device from the student. Disciplinary action may also be warranted in such situations.

Vandalism
Any malicious attempt to harm or destroy district equipment or materials, data of another user of the district’s system, or any of the agencies or other networks that are connected to the Internet is prohibited. Deliberate attempts to degrade or
disrupt system performance will be viewed as violations of district policy and administrative regulations and possible criminal activity under applicable state and federal laws—this includes, but is not limited to the uploading or creation of computer viruses. Unauthorized technical work on district equipment will be considered vandalism. Vandals will lose computing privileges.

Disclaimer of Liability
The district shall not be liable for users’ inappropriate use of electronic communication resources or violations of copyright restrictions or other laws, user’s mistakes or negligence, and costs incurred by users. The district shall not be responsible for ensuring the accuracy, age appropriateness, or usability of any information found on the Internet.

Information/Data Storage
Users are granted storage space on Microsoft One Drive and Google’s G-Suite. However, users are cautioned about the information/data stored in the cloud. Students should use these storage resources for school projects and assignments. The district is not liable for lost, damaged, corrupt data or data stored in the cloud.

Guidelines for Safe Use of Computer Resources at School
The possibility of encountering objectionable material does exists and the district is unable to completely prevent access to such material. Efforts are made on a regular basis to block such objectionable sites. However, if a student accesses a site with information that contains objectionable material, he or she is to exit from the site immediately and inform a teacher.
Using electronic information resources can be of great educational benefit and allow students to meet people from all over the world—ranging from scientists to students from other countries. Remember other Internet users may or may not be seen. People may misrepresent themselves. TISD faculty and staff will take every precaution to supervise use in order to
ensure that Internet access is an appropriate and positive educational experience.

Responsible use of computing and communications facilities and services requires the user to:
    • Respect the legal protection provided by copyright and license of programs and data.
    • Respect the rights of others by complying with all policies regarding intellectual property.
    • Respect the rights of others by complying with all policies regarding sexual, racial, or other forms of harassment, and by preserving the privacy of personal data.
    • Respect the privacy of others by not tampering with their files, passwords, or accounts, or representing others when messaging or conferencing.
Many students will have the privilege of using school-issued devices. Other students will have access to iPads and workstations in computer labs, campus libraries, and in classrooms. For security purposes and confidentiality, students are not allowed to use computers designated for district employees, including teacher computers. To access these devices,
students should use only network IDs or accounts and communications facilities authorized for student use and use them for the purposes for which they were intended.
Students should respect the integrity of computing systems and data. For example, users should not intentionally develop programs (such as viruses) or make use of already existing programs that harass other users. Infiltrating a computer or computing system, and/or damaging or altering the software components of a computer or computing system, or gaining
unauthorized access to other facilities accessible via the network is prohibited. Additionally, personal computers/schoolissued devices or other computing devices such as MiFi Hotspots or similar devices, tablets, iPads, etc.… may not be utilized at school due to potential security issues, filtering requirements, computer viruses, and/or theft. Personal jump
drives or flash drives must be scanned for viruses on a regular basis.
Chat rooms are specifically not to be accessed over the district’s Internet connection unless it is for instructional purposes and is monitored by the teacher.

Copyright
Many people don’t realize the legal ramifications of copyright violations. According to the Texas Association of School Boards, ―the law no longer requires the owner of a work to put a © on it to give notice of the copyright; therefore, one should probably assume that use of anything on the internet is restricted unless the author gives notice that it’s not copyrighted. If uncertain about whether copyright rules apply, don’t copy it.

Copyright Do’s and Don’ts
    • Do think twice before copying a product. If uncertain about copyright issues, ask a teacher, campus librarian, or check with the technology director.
    • Do copy personal work to insure that a backup copy of files and records is available.
    • Do make use of electronic resources on the network always giving credit where credit is due.
    • Don’t load unauthorized software on any computer or on the network. Contact the technology director if unsureabout the appropriateness of software. Campus principals along with the technology director will approve software titles. Unauthorized software will be removed and problems created by such software may not be supported and assistance may not be provided. In situations regarding the network, all technology privileges will be lost.
    • Don’t make illegal copies of software to share with friends or for home personal use. Most software publishers will allow an owner to make one backup copy to be used only if the original is damaged or destroyed. Additional copying and distribution of software is not permitted without the written permission of the publisher. Renting of school owned software is also prohibited. This type of illegal distribution or copying is called software piracy and is punishable by law even if financial profit is not involved.

For more information on copyrights and wrongs, visit CopyRightKids (copyrightkids.org).

Intellectual Property Rights
District personnel may utilize any computer product created by an employee, for use within in the district, during and after the term of employment for that person.
Other works created by students and district employees may not be posted or published on the districts web pages without written consent. This may include, but is not limited to letters, poems, art work, song lyrics, music, etc… All materials posted on district web pages that were created by students and district employees may not contain personal information about that person or persons other than information considered directory information.

Web Publishing Guidelines
The purpose of the Troup ISD web site is to promote educational excellence in Troup Schools by facilitating resource sharing, innovation, and communication. Not all of the Internet capabilities listed above will be immediately available to faculty, students, and staff via the district’s Web server. Campus personnel assist with the creation and development of campus and organizational web pages by providing information to the webmaster.

Below are guidelines that will aide in the construction of all web pages posted on the District web server or on district sanctioned sites. These guidelines do not replace the Troup ISD Responsible Use Policy. The personal information of students may not be published on the District web pages without a signed release form or written statement. This information includes but is not limited to names, e-mail addresses, photos, personal addresses, fax numbers, phones numbers, and cell numbers, etc.

I. The District has established a web site for the purpose of promoting positive information about Troup ISD.
Additional pages will be made available to the following individuals and organizations:
     a. Teachers desiring to publicize their class projects and success stories
     b. District organizations whose purpose is to promote organizational information and positive student
outcomes
     c. Students, under the direct instruction of a teacher, for the purpose of fulfilling a class assignment
     d. Alumni Association for the purpose of gathering information about TISD graduates and posting
reunion notices

     a. Web pages produced for campuses, classes, and organizations can present information about the
specific school, class, or organization’s activities and may not be published on off-site servers without
approval from the campus principal.
     b. Principals are responsible for approving the content of their school based web pages and gathering staff release forms
     c. Teachers are responsible for the content of all student created web pages and for acquiring the
appropriate parental/guardian signed release forms
     d. Organizational sponsors are responsible for the content of their organization’s web page and for
acquiring the appropriate parental/guardian signed release forms for students
     e. All web pages are subject to review at any given time and may be rejected if deemed inappropriate by
the webmaster

III. Student web pages:
     a. A release form must be signed by parent(s) and/or legal guardians
     b. The form must be on file with the technology department and sponsoring teachers will maintain a copy for their own records
     c. Students may publish web pages only in conjunction with specific class projects
     d. Students must have the approval of the campus principal and follow the appropriate web publishing
guidelines before posting a web page
     e. All student web pages will contain the following statement: ―This is a student web page. The opinions
and ideas expressed here are attributed to the student and not to Troup ISD.
     f. All student web pages are subject to review at any given time and may be discarded if deemed
inappropriate by the campus principal and the webmaster

IV. Teacher and sponsor responsibilities:
     a. Teachers and sponsors are responsible for gathering signed release forms for students publishing webpages and using the internet in conjunction with class assignments or for the promotion of an organization
     b. One copy of the form is to be maintained by the teacher or sponsor and the original forms will be held
on file by the Technology Director.
     c. Teaching HTML to students when requiring web construction as part of a class assignment
     d. Requiring students to research ALL links to other pages and sites to ensure that linked sites are
appropriate and not objectionable
     e. Testing all links
     f. Editing and proofing student submitted web pages
     g. Approving student web pages to be placed on the District WEB server - final approval rests with the
webmaster
     h. Determining a time limit for the page to reside on the web server – not to exceed the length of one
school year
     i. Notifying the webmaster of expired web pages
     j. Students, faculty, & staff are to follow copyright and permission laws when producing web pages.
Appropriate language and grammar is to be used at all times.

*If you have read all of the information above please type in the blank "I understand" *

I understand that there will be no financial or other remuneration for use of my child’s work and/or recordings, either for initial or subsequent transmission or playback, and I hereby release TISD from any liability resulting from or connected with the publication of such work. Permission is granted for the duration of the media. I further understand that my permission or consent may be rescinded; however, in order for the
revocation of permission/consent to be effective, it must be made in writing and said revocation will not affect the publication or work that has already been produced.