7540.03 - STUDENT TECHNOLOGY ACCEPTABLE USE AND SAFETY / PRIVACY POLICY
Technology has fundamentally altered the ways in which information is accessed, communicated, and transferred in society. As a result, educators are continually adapting their means and methods of instruction and the way they approach student learning to incorporate the vast, diverse, and unique resources available through the Internet. The Board of Education provides Technology Resources (as defined in Bylaw 0100) to support the educational and professional needs of its students and staff. With respect to students, County Technology Resources afford them the opportunity to acquire the skills and knowledge to learn effectively and live productively in a digital world. The Board provides students with access to the Internet for limited educational purposes only and utilizes apps and services (as defined by Bylaw 0100) to enhance the instruction delivered to its students. The County’s computer network and Internet system do not serve as a public access service or a public forum, and the Board imposes reasonable restrictions on its use consistent with its limited educational purpose.
The Board regulates the use of County Technology Resources by principles consistent with applicable local, State, and Federal laws, the County's educational mission, and articulated expectations of student conduct as delineated in the Student Code of Conduct. This policy and its related administrative guidelines and the Student Code of Conduct govern students’ use of County Technology Resources and students' personal communication devices (PCDS) when they are connected to the County computer network, Internet connection, and/or apps/services, or when used while the student is on Board-owned property or at a Board- sponsored activity (see Policy 5136).
Users are required to refrain from actions that are illegal (such as libel, slander, vandalism, harassment, theft, plagiarism, inappropriate access, and the like) or unkind (such as personal attacks, invasion of privacy, injurious comment, and the like). Because its Technology Resources are not unlimited, the Board has also instituted restrictions aimed at preserving these resources, such as placing limits on the use of bandwidth, storage space, and printers.
Users have no right or expectation to privacy when using County Technology Resources (including, but not limited to, privacy in the content of their personal files, e-mails, and records of their online activity when using the County's computer network and/or Internet connection).
First, the Board may not be able to technologically limit access, through its Technology Resources, to only those services and resources that have been authorized for the purpose of instruction, study, and research related to the curriculum. Unlike in the past when educators and community members had the opportunity to review and screen materials to assess their appropriateness for supporting and enriching the curriculum according to adopted guidelines and reasonable selection criteria (taking into account the varied instructional needs, learning styles, abilities, and developmental levels of the students who would be exposed to them), access to the Internet, because it serves as a gateway to any publicly available file server in the world, opens classrooms and students to electronic information resources that may not have been screened by educators for use by students of various ages.
The West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE), approved service provider, and other State agencies operate the Statewide infrastructure to provide Internet access for all Pre-K-12 public schools. Pursuant to Federal law, the State has implemented technology protection measures that protect against (e.g., filter or block) access to visual displays/depictions/materials that are obscene, constitute child pornography, and/or are harmful to minors, as defined by the Children's Internet Protection Act. Electronic filtering will be installed by the West Virginia Department of Education at the two (2) points of presence (POPs) for Internet access. This will provide filtering for all public schools in a cost-effective manner and with efficient management. This service enables counties/schools to meet the Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA) and E-Rate guideline requirements for filtering.
At the discretion of the Board or the Superintendent, the technology protection measures may be configured to protect against access to other material considered inappropriate for students to access. The Board also utilizes software and/or hardware to monitor online activity of students to restrict access to child pornography and other material that is obscene, objectionable, inappropriate, and/or harmful to minors. The technology protection measures may not be disabled at any time when students may be using County Technology Resources, if such disabling will cease to protect against access to materials that are prohibited under the Children’s Internet Protection Act. Any student who attempts to disable the technology protection measures will be subject to discipline.
The Superintendent or Director of Technology may temporarily or permanently unblock access to websites or apps/services containing appropriate material, if access to such sites has been inappropriately blocked by the technology protection measures. The determination of whether material is appropriate or inappropriate shall be based on the content of the material and the intended use of the material, not on the protection actions of the technology protection measures.
Parents are advised that a determined user may be able to gain access to services and/or resources on the Internet that the Board has not authorized for educational purposes. In fact, it is impossible to guarantee students will not gain access through the Internet to information and communications that they and/or their parents may find inappropriate, offensive, objectionable, or controversial. Parents of minors are responsible for setting and conveying the standards that their children should follow when using the Internet.
Pursuant to Federal law, students shall receive education about the following:
safety and security while using e-mail, chat rooms, social media, and other forms of direct electronic communications;
the dangers inherent with the online disclosure of personally identifiable information;
the consequences of unauthorized access (e.g., "hacking", "harvesting", "digital piracy", "data mining", etc.), cyberbullying, and other unlawful or inappropriate activities by students online; and
unauthorized disclosure, use, and dissemination of personally identifiable information regarding minors.
In addition, the Board shall require all elementary and secondary schools to provide the Safety While Accessing Technology (SWAT) Education Program. The SWAT Program, developed by the West Virginia Board of Education (WVBE) at the direction of the West Virginia Legislature, provides age-appropriate instruction on topics such as safe and responsible use of social networking websites (including internet chat rooms, emails, and instant messaging), copyright laws on items posted or shared online, risks of transmitting personal information on the internet, and other safety aspects of digital citizenship, including recognition of sexual predators, understanding the risks of "sexting" or sharing explicit materials, cyberbullying, and human trafficking.
SWAT education will be provided through:
WVDE provided materials;
Embedded content in existing courses.
The SWAT education program shall be compliant with requirements prescribed in the WV Code (if so stated).
All students in grades 3-12 are required to complete the SWAT Education Program annually. Each student shall complete the training within ninety (90) days. Students who enroll during the school term shall complete the training within the first thirty (30) instructional days. Parents, guardians, or custodians of any child enrolled in any elementary or secondary school in the County may review the instructional materials used in the SWAT Education Program by contacting their child's school. Parents, guardians, or custodians of any child enrolled in any elementary or secondary school may opt their child out of participating in the program by completing the Opt-Out Request Form available online or from their child's school.
Staff members shall provide guidance and instruction for their students regarding the appropriate use of County Information & Technology Resources and online safety and security as specified above. Additionally, such training shall include, but not be limited to, education concerning appropriate online behavior, including interacting with others on social media, including in chat rooms, and cyberbullying awareness and response. Furthermore, staff members will monitor in accordance with Federal and State law the online activities of students while at school.
Monitoring may include, but is not necessarily limited to, visual observations of online activities during class sessions or the use of specific monitoring tools to review browser history and network, server, and computer logs. The County will provide parents with appropriate notice - to the extent required by State law - when such monitoring takes place.
Building principals are responsible for providing training so that Internet users under their supervision are knowledgeable about this policy and its accompanying guidelines. The Board expects that staff members will provide guidance and instruction to students in the appropriate use of County Technology Resources. Such training shall include, but not be limited to, education concerning appropriate online behavior, including interacting with other individuals on social media, including in chat rooms, and cyberbullying awareness and response. All users of County Technology Resources (and their parents if they are minors) are required to sign a written agreement to abide by the terms and conditions of this policy and its accompanying guidelines.
Students will be assigned school accounts that they are required to use for all school-related electronic communications, including those to staff members, peers, and individuals and/or organizations outside the County, with whom they are communicating for school-related projects and assignments. Further, as directed and authorized by their teachers, they shall use their school-assigned electronic accounts when signing up/registering for access to various online educational services, including apps/services that will be utilized by the student for educational purposes.
Students are responsible for good behavior when using County Technology Resources - i.e., behavior comparable to that expected of students when they are in classrooms, school hallways, and other school premises and school-sponsored events. Communications on the Internet are often public in nature. General school rules for behavior and communication apply. The Board does not approve any use of its Technology Resources that is not authorized by or conducted strictly in compliance with this policy and its accompanying guidelines.
The WVDE reserves the right to monitor, inspect, investigate, copy, review, and store, without prior notice, information about the content and usage of any network and system files, user files, disk space utilization, applications, bandwidth utilization, document files, folders, electronic communications, e-mail, Internet access, and any and all information transmitted or received in connection with networks, e-mail use, and web-based tools.
Use of Artificial Intelligence for Schoolwork
To ensure the integrity of the educational process and to promote fair and equal opportunities for all students, except as outlined below, the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools is prohibited for the completion of school work. The use of AI tools, without the express permission/consent of a teacher, undermines the learning and problem-solving skills that are essential to academic success and that the staff is tasked to develop in each student. Students are encouraged to develop their own knowledge, skills, and understanding of course material rather than relying solely on AI tools, and they should ask their teachers when they have questions and/or need assistance. Unauthorized use of AI tools is considered a form of plagiarism, and any student found using these tools without permission or in a prohibited manner will be disciplined in accordance with the Student Code of Conduct.
Notwithstanding the preceding, students can use AI tools in the school setting if they receive prior permission/consent from their teacher, so long as they use the AI tools in an ethical and responsible manner.
Teachers have the discretion to authorize students to use AI tools for the following uses:
Collaboration: AI tools can be leveraged during collaborative group projects as a means to brainstorm ideas, support their research efforts, and identify relationships among various findings.
Research assistance: AI tools can be used to help students quickly and efficiently identify background information, including locating relevant information and sources for their school projects and assignments, suggesting research questions, providing opposing viewpoints, identifying blind spots, and suggesting other perspectives.
Data Analysis: AI tools can be used to help students with pattern identification and to analyze, understand, and interpret large amounts of data, such as text documents or social media posts. This can be particularly useful for research projects or data analysis assignments – e.g., scientific experiments and marketing research.
Language translation: AI tools can be used to translate texts or documents into different languages, which can be helpful for students who are learning a new language or for students who are studying texts written in a different language. AI tools can also remove abstract language from a text, adjust text complexity, and provide background information about a culture to help a student understand texts. AI tools can offer students real-time translation, personalized language exercises, and interactive dialogue simulations.
Writing assistance: AI tools can provide feedback on a student’s writing, including grammar and spelling corrections, as well as suggest alternative word choices and sentence structure, to help students improve their writing skills. Similarly, AI tools can offer suggestions to modify tone and voice, organize a student’s thinking, identify bias, suggest additional topics, and ask questions to expand the student’s thinking on a topic. AI tools can also be used to spark creativity across diverse subjects, including writing, visual arts, and music composition.
Accessibility: AI tools can be used to help students with disabilities access and understand written materials. For example, text-to-speech software can help students with specific learning disabilities or visual impairments to read texts, and AI-powered translation tools can help students with hearing impairments understand spoken language (e.g., create transcripts or provide closed-captioning for spoken material).
Tutoring: AI technologies have the potential to make available one-to-one tutoring and support for every student with access to the technology, making personalized learning more accessible to a broader range of students. AI-powered virtual teaching assistants could provide non-stop support, answer questions, help with homework, and supplement classroom instruction.
Critical Analysis and Discernment: AI usage by our elementary-age students is not appropriate; it is important to teach them to critically analyze and discern AI-generated materials accessed and presented by their teacher. This approach fosters early development in critical thinking, enabling young students to distinguish between potentially inaccurate AI-created content and human-generated information. It also allows young students to learn how AI works.
When AI tools are used responsibly and effectively, they can supplement, not replace, traditional learning methods. If a student has any questions about whether they are permitted to use AI tools for a specific class assignment, they should ask their teacher.
In accordance with their teacher’s direction, students are required to cite/identify work generated/created with the use of AI tools and explain/demonstrate how the AI tools were used in the creation of the work.
Users who disregard this policy and its accompanying guidelines may have their use privileges suspended or revoked, and disciplinary action taken against them.
Users are personally responsible and liable, both civilly and criminally, for uses of County Technology Resources that are not authorized by this policy and its accompanying guidelines.
Based upon the acceptable use and safety guidelines outlined in West Virginia State Board of Education policy 2460, the State Superintendent, the WVDE, and the WVNET system administrators will determine what is appropriate use, and their decision is final. Also, the system administrator and/or local teachers may deny user access at any time.
Downloading, copying, duplicating, and distributing software, music, sound files, movies, images, or other copyrighted materials without the specific written permission of the copyright owner is generally prohibited. However, the duplication and distribution of materials for educational purposes are permitted if and when such duplication and distribution fall within the Fair Use Doctrine of the United States Copyright Law (Title 17, United States Code http://copyright.gov/title17) and content is cited appropriately.
The Board designates the Superintendent and Director of Technology as the administrators responsible for initiating, implementing, and enforcing this policy and its accompanying guidelines as they apply to students’ use of County Technology Resources.
Privacy Policy
Jefferson County Schools 10DLC Privacy Policy
Jefferson County Schools (JCS) is committed to protecting the privacy and security of our students, parents, and staff. This policy outlines how we handle private communication between teachers and parents via the 10DLC (10-Digit Long Code) messaging system, in compliance with FERPA and COPPA. The 10DLC system will be used for private communication between teachers, students, and parents/guardians regarding student performance, engagement, and other related matters. Access to the 10DLC messaging system is restricted to teachers, counselors, and administrators within Jefferson County Schools. All users are required to adhere to this privacy policy and the relevant County guidelines. Students and parents will provide written consent to receive 10DLC messages by filling out the appropriate forms during school registration. This consent will be documented and securely stored in compliance with County policies. Information collected will be used for the sole purpose of communication between Jefferson County Schools employees and parents/students and will not be shared with nor sold to any 3rd party or affiliates. JCS has implemented the following measures to protect the privacy and security of data transmitted via the 10DLC system: Only authorized teachers, counselors, and administrators will have access to the 10DLC system. Access will be granted based on role-specific permissions and responsibilities. Jefferson County Schools is committed to maintaining compliance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). Our policies and procedures are designed to protect the privacy of students' educational records and personal information. No mobile information will be shared with third parties/affiliates for marketing/promotional purposes. All other categories exclude text messaging originator opt-in data and consent; this information will not be shared with any third parties. JCS reserves the right to update this privacy policy as necessary to reflect changes in legal requirements, technology, and County practices. Any changes will be communicated to students, parents, and staff in a timely manner.
For questions or concerns about this privacy policy or the 10DLC messaging system, please contact the Jefferson County Schools administration office at 304-725-9741.
Data Sharing with Third-Party Applications
Jefferson County Schools (JCS) is committed to protecting the privacy and security of our students’, parents’, and staff's Personally Identifiable Information. This addendum serves to inform parents, guardians, and employees about the Jefferson County Schools (JCS) practices regarding data sharing with third-party applications through platforms such as Google, Microsoft, and other Federated Identity Providers. Our commitment to student privacy and data security remains a top priority, and we aim to provide transparency about how student information may be utilized. JCS utilizes various educational tools and applications to enhance learning experiences and support student achievement. These third-party applications may require access to certain student data in order to function effectively. The data shared is typically limited to what is necessary for the application to provide its intended services. The types of student data that may be shared with third-party applications include, but are not limited to:
files in the user’s JCS Google Drive;
user’s JCS Google Account email address;
any personal information made publicly available.
JCS may share student data with third-party applications that are accessed through Federated Identity Providers, including but not limited to:
Google Workspace for Education;
Microsoft 365 Education;
Other educational software providers that have been vetted and approved by the County.
Revised 7/14/15
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Jefferson County Schools
Legal
WVBE policy 2419 - Regulations for the Education of Students with Exceptionalities
WVBE policy 2460 - Education Purpose and Acceptable Use of Electronic Resources, Technologies, and the Internet
WVBE policy 2520.14 - West Virginia College- and Career-Readiness Standards for Technology and Computer Science
WVBE policy 4350 - Procedures for the Collection, Maintenance and Disclosure of Student Information
WVBE policy 4373 - Expected Behavior in Safe and Supportive Schools
P.L. 106-554, Children's Internet Protection Act of 2000
18 U.S.C. 1460
18 U.S.C. 2246
18 U.S.C. 2256
20 U.S.C. 6801 et seq., Part F, Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended (2003)
20 U.S.C. 6777, 9134 (2003)
47 U.S.C. 254(h), (1), Communications Act of 1934, as amended (2003)
47 C.F.R. 54.500 - 54.523