XII. District-wide Policies

The Central Valley School District Board of Education hereby advises students, parents, employees and the general public that offers:

AIDS Policy

Students and Central Valley employees are covered under a district AIDS policy which indicates personal health safety, confidentiality and required New York State Education components to instruction, as well as procedures. The policy is available in each school library and the guidance office. Copies may be reviewed in those areas.

Drug-Free School Policy

Students and Central Valley employees are covered under district policy on substance use/abuse regulations as outlined in New York and federal regulations under the Drug Free Schools Act.

This policy covers the use/abuse of substances as well as required instruction. Also outlined procedures and steps for intervention. This policy is available in each school library, guidance office and the health office. Copies may be reviewed in these areas.

Inquiries regarding these policies may be directed to Director of Student Services and/or Principal, Central Valley Academy, 111 Fredrick Street, Ilion, New York. Telephone (315) 894-3210.

Sexual Harassment Policy

The Board of Education is committed to safeguarding the right of all employees and students within the school district to a work/learning environment that is free from all forms of sexual harassment.

Sexual harassment can originate from a person of either sex against a person of the opposite or same sex; it can originate in the employee ranks, in the student population, and/or within any group in the school community. Sexual harassment does not only depend on the offender’s intentions; it also can be defined by how the target of the sexual harassment perceives the behavior or is affected by it.

Therefore, the Board of Education condemns all unwelcome behavior of a sexual nature which is either designed to extort sexual favors from an employee as a condition of employment or affects a student in their status in the educational program; or which has the purpose or effect of creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive environment. The Board also strongly opposes any retaliatory behavior against complainants or witnesses.

Any employee or student who believes that he/she has been subjected to sexual harassment should report the alleged misconduct immediately to their supervisor, so that an appropriate, corrective action, up to and including discharge of the offender and/or criminal charges, may be taken at once. In the absence of a victim’s complaint, the Board, upon learning of,

or having reason to suspect, the occurrence of any sexual misconduct, will ensure that an investigation is promptly commenced by appropriate individuals.

The superintendent of schools will develop and implement specific procedures on reporting, investigating and remedying all allegations of sexual harassment.

A copy of this policy and accompanying regulations is available in each school library, the guidance office, health office and principal’s office. Copies of the policy may be reviewed in these areas. Each teacher and employee has a copy of the policy.

Smoking and Other Tobacco Products Policy

In accordance with the Pro-Children Act of 1994, New York State Public Health Law Article 13-E and New York State Education Law, the Central Valley School District shall not permit tobacco use or smoking within any indoor facility or on the District for provisions of routine or regular Kindergarten, elementary or secondary education or library services to children.

For purposes of this policy, the term “indoor facility” shall mean a building that is enclosed. The term “grounds” shall mean any outdoor property or surrounding outdoor

Computer Network for Education Policy

The Central Valley School District supports the use of computer technology and network facilities for its staff and students. The Central Valley School District is a part of a local and wide area network with other schools and groups in our region and throughout the state. The Mohawk Valley Regional Information Center is the provider of these shared educational resources which are intended to provide and assist with collaborative information exchanges between schools, offices, the State Education Department and other State and educational institutions. The goal is to provide quality, equitable, efficient access to technology for educational purposes.

As part of the network it is imperative that all participants conduct themselves in a responsible, decent, ethical and polite manner while using the network. Any use of the network and/or other technology for illegal, inappropriate, obscene purposes, or sexual harassment, or in support of such activities is prohibited. The district’s technology and network shall be used only for educational purposes consistent with the district’s missions and goals.

All users of the network must sign and abide by the Acceptable Use policy stated below. Please see the building Information Technology Department for a copy of this policy, if you need one.

Acceptable Use of Technology Agreement

Access to the computer network is available to students, teachers and staff at the Central Valley School District. The goal in providing this service is to promote educational excellence in schools by facilitating resource sharing, innovation, and communication.

The safe and efficient operation of the network relies upon the proper conduct of the end users who must adhere to the guidelines listed below. In general, this requires efficient, ethical and legal utilization of the network resources. If a Central Valley School District user violates any of these provisions, his or her account may be terminated and future access could be denied. This policy provides no expectation of privacy on the part of the user and Central Valley School may authorize files and/or computer use to be reviewed at any time.

Computer network and Internet – Terms and Conditions of Use

Acceptable Use

The purpose of the networks making up the Internet is to support research and education in and among academic institutions by providing access to unique resources and the opportunity for collaborative work. The use of your account must be in support of education and research and consistent with the educational objectives of the Central Valley School District. The use of the Internet must comply with the Children’s’ Internet Protection Act (CIPA) and the Neighborhood Children’s Protection Act (NCIPA). Transmission of any material in violation of any national or state regulation is prohibited. This includes, but is not limited to copyrighted material and threatening or obscene material.

Privileges

The use of the Internet is a privilege, not a right. Inappropriate use will result in a cancellation of those privileges. Administrators, teachers and staff will have access to the Internet, school installed software and a school e-mail account. Users of e-mail should be aware that there is no expectation of privacy when using electronic mail. Students will have access to school installed software. Student access to the Internet and e-mail is only with the permission of a supervising staff member. Student e-mail is for educational purposes only.

Sanctions

Determination of inappropriate use will made by the District Computer Technology Coordinator and school administration. Violations may result in the loss of computer access and closure of the network account. Users involved or suspected of involvement in Internet or network violations will be informed of the nature of these violations, and will have the opportunity to respond to them. Additional sanctions that is possible:

• Users may be required to make full financial restitution.

• When applicable, law enforcement agencies will be involved.

Network Safety & Etiquette

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

• Be polite. Use no abusive language when communicating with other

• Do not swear, use vulgarities or name files using inappropriate language

• Do not reveal your name, personal address or phone number while on the Internet

• Do not access another person’s computer account or files

• Do not use the network in such a way that you would 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 student user can identify a security problem on the Internet or network, he/she is to notify whoever is supervising the activity. The supervisor should make the District Computer Technology Coordinator aware of the problem. The student should NOT demonstrate the problem to other users. Additionally:

• A user may not use another individual’s account

• Attempts to bypass any computer or network security feature or login as a system administrator will result in cancellation of user privileges

• Any user identified as a security risk or having a history of computer violations may be denied access to the Internet and network

• All users of the computer network agree to read and follow the Acceptable Use Agreement. This agreement is formalized through signatures on page 3 of the form.

Vandalism

Vandalism of any computer equipment will result in cancellation of privileges. Vandalism is defined as any malicious attempt to damage equipment, or to harm or to destroy data of another user. This includes, but is not limited to, the uploading, downloading, or creation of computer viruses.

Computer & Network Rules

• I will use only licensed software provided by Central Valley School on the computer equipment

• I will create files and file names that are not vulgar, obscene or bigoted

• I will use supplies such as paper, ribbons, and ink efficiently and will not use unnecessarily large amounts of file server disk space and processing time

• I will use my account only for file storage and Internet access

• I will only access Internet areas that are educationally appropriate

• I will not copy or distribute copyrighted software from the system

• I will not attempt to gain unauthorized access to system programs or computer equipment

• I will not use computer programs to harass other users, infiltrate computer systems, and/or damage software or equipment

• I will adhere to District Policy stating that only authorized district systems operators (SYSOPS) will install software for use on district computers

• I will not transmit files or any material that may be construed as vulgar, bigoted, culturally offensive, or educationally inappropriate

• I will not use district computers or connections to advertise, conduct or promote any business or political venture that is not related to a classroom project or assignment

• I will use e-mail for educational purposes only with permission of a supervising staff member (students only)

• I will not download or install anything from the Internet

• I have reviewed the rules for using the computer facilities at Central Valley School. I realize that access to any file on the Internet, including those that are indecent and/or inappropriate, is technologically possible from Central Valley School even with Internet filtering on machines. I understand that accessing inappropriate material will not be tolerated and will result in immediate loss of privilege to access the Internet from school facilities. I will abide by the rules of conduct regarding computer use at Central Valley School.

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