Acceptable Use Policy

Grades 4 - 8 Hand-Out

St. Matthias School realizes the value of access to the Internet. It also recognizes the potential for abuse. In an effort to prevent such abuse, all students in grades 4 to 8 are required to read, understand and sign St. Matthias' Acceptable Use Policy (signed by both the student and his/her parent/guardian.) Access to all forms of technology is a privilege, which requires responsibility on the part of the user.

Read the policy carefully before signing; this is a legally binding document. The purpose of Internet access at St. Matthias School is to support education by providing access to a wide range of resources and opportunities for collaborative work with other schools and agencies. Student access to, and use of, the Internet as well as other computer-related technology will be supervised at all times.

St. Matthias School uses a filter to block unsuitable internet sites. No filtering method is perfect. On a global market, it is impossible to filter all material and guarantee that no questionable material can be accessed.

You will receive a more detailed description of the rules found in this Acceptable Use Policy. If there are any further questions regarding St. Matthias' Internet Policy, feel free to contact the school for answers to these requests.

Rules for Internet Use

1. There can be NO attempt at bypassing the filtering and security measures installed on the system.
2. There will be no vandalism to hardware, software, furniture, etc. You will not make deliberate attempts to disrupt the computer system or destroy data by spreading viruses or by any other means.
3. there will be NO visiting any sites designated as inappropriate (pornographic, harmful to minors, offensive to our Christian faith, etc.). When given a specific assignment, students will be using the designated web page.
4. If a student inadvertently visits a forbidden site, he/she will notify the teacher IMMEDIATELY.
5. Respect for other's privacy is of utmost importance. Transmitting personal information (addresses, phone numbers, etc.) about other students is forbidden. This also includes copying anyone else's work.
6. Students will NEVER send inappropriate, obscene, discriminatory, offensive or harassing e-mail.
7. Students will not engage in plagiarism or violate any copyright laws.
8. Students will not download programs of any kind to the computer's hard drive or to floppy disks.
9. Technology hardware or software will not be removed from the school without permission.
10. The Internet will not be used to purchase any products or services.
11. At the direction of the teacher, chat rooms may be accessed for educational forums only.

Violation of the above rules will result in one or ore of the following:

1. Suspension or loss of internet privileges;
2. Suspension or loss of all computer privileges;
3. Additional disciplinary actions as warranted, determined by the nature of the violations.