Mission Statement / Media Policies for the Methuen School System: Selection Policy /Procedure for Reconsideration of Materials / Statement of Intellectual Freedom/ Library Bill of Rights / Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights / Freedom to Read / Use of the Internet and Intranet / Terms & Conditions of Internet Use / Prohibited Activities & Behaviors
Mission Statement: Department of Media Services Philosophy
Today’s citizens are living in an information-intensive society where the ability to access, evaluate, and use information effectively is vital to success in college, in the work force, and in daily life. The primary goal of media services is to ensure that students become effective users of ideas and information and thereby achieve information literacy. The second goal of media services is to help students to develop into independent, lifelong learners. This will be accomplished in the following ways:
Media services will provide up-to-date print, nonprint, and electronic information resources that support, supplement, and enrich the school curriculum.
Media services will establish an environment that will nurture the exploration of knowledge, information resources, and literature. Additionally, emphasis will be placed on the development of the concept of reading as a lifelong endeavor.
Media services will provide consultation services for the effective selection and use of information resources.
Media services will provide programs for teaching and developing library and reference skills, audiovisual and media production techniques, and the use and integration of instructional technology into the teaching/learning process. Special emphasis will be put on working with other educators to design learning strategies to meet the needs of individual students and their learning styles.
Media services will provide assistance with technical maintenance of audiovisual equipment.
The philosophy of the media services program includes a number of specific objectives:
To provide intellectual and physical access to ideas and information for a diverse population with rapidly changing needs
To ensure equity and freedom of access to ideas and information, unimpeded by social, cultural, economic, geographic, and technological constraints, to provide a variety of learning experiences that enable users to become discriminating consumers and skilled creators of information
To provide resources and activities that contribute to lifelong learning
To promote literacy and the enjoyment of reading, viewing, and listening for students of all ages and at all stages of development
To provide leadership and expertise in the use of information and instructional technologies
To participate in networks that enhance access to resources located outside the school
To provide a facility that functions as the information center of the school. (January 29, 2003)
Media materials selected for use in the Methuen Public
Schools reflect the goals and objectives of the school system. The library media
centers meet the objectives of curricula and serve as motivating forces in
stimulating reading and intelligent freethinking. The centers seek to supply
materials needed to
support
and enrich the program of instruction, to provide representative works of
outstanding writers, and to furnish materials reflecting different points of
view, while simultaneously meeting the wide range of individual needs and
abilities of students and maximizing the educational opportunities that are
available through the Methuen Public Schools
Through the facilities of the school library media centers with their open shelves, staff members strive to encourage students to locate, use, and evaluate materials, to identify and analyze significant materials and problems, to form independent judgments, and to develop information literacy, with the aim of enabling students to become independent, lifelong learners.
Similarly, instructional materials are selected by the Methuen Public Schools to implement, enrich, and support the educational program for the student. Materials must serve the breadth of the curriculum, as well as the needs and interests of individual students. The district provides for a wide range of abilities and respects the diversity of many differing points of view. Principles and reason must prevail above personal opinion and prejudice in the selection of materials that are of high quality and appropriate.
This selection policy reflects and supports the ideas of intellectual freedom that are outlined in the following:
Library Bill of Rights, American Library
Association
Freedom to Read, American Library Association and Association of American Publishers
Access to Resources and Services in the School Library Media Program: An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights, American Association of School Librarians
Statement of Intellectual Freedom, The Association for Educational Communications and Technology
Copies of the above mentioned documents are appended to this document and are a part of this policy.
Responsibility for Media Selection
The Methuen Superintendent of Schools is legally
responsible for the selection of print and nonprint materials in the Methuen
Public Schools, in accordance with the laws of the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts. Responsibility for actual selection rests with appropriate
professionally trained personnel of the school system and may include library
media specialists, teachers on textbook evaluation committees, administrators,
department heads, curriculum specialists,
directors
of curriculum and instruction, supervisors, and professionally trained staff
directly affected by the selections who are familiar with the curricula,
teaching methodologies, student learning styles, and differences. All selection
will be consistent with the school committee’s adopted selection criteria and
procedures. While administrators, teachers, staff members, students, and parents
are encouraged to provide input into the selection procedure, the responsibility
of coordinating and recommending purchases rests with the school library media
personnel and the educational staff.
Objectives for Media Selection
The following objectives will help in the selection of
materials for the school library media centers:
Materials reflect diverse and balanced points of view and take individual needs, interests, abilities, maturity levels, and social and emotional growth into consideration.
Materials are appropriate to and supportive of the curriculum, educational community, and school community.
Materials stimulate critical and higher level thinking skills.
Materials help to develop an appreciation for reading, literature, factual knowledge, aesthetic values, and ethical standards.
Materials are representative of the varied religious, ethnic, and cultural groups in our society and present the contributions of these groups to our nation’s heritage and history.
Materials are of high quality in order to assure the
development of a comprehensive collection that
is
appropriate for school library media center users. This collection is free of
personal bias and prejudice, and strives to eliminate materials that reflect
sexist, racist, and ethnic stereotypes.
The objectives for selection of instructional materials should reflect the specific goals of each
subject area curriculum. These may vary from subject to subject.
These objectives apply to information in all formats.
Criteria for Selection of Media
The major criterion for the selection of media is the
educational suitability of the material
for its intended use. Before media center and
instructional materials purchase authorization, all materials will be evaluated
according to the following criteria, as they apply:
Meets the overall purpose and instructional objectives of the state and school district and reflects school, subject, and course objectives
Is well-organized, clear, accurate, comprehensible, and skillfully written
Is selected for its strengths, rather than rejected for its weaknesses
Presents information in a fair and unbiased manner. In controversial areas, selected materials should represent as wide a range of opinion as possible, thereby guaranteeing that a variety of viewpoints are available to students
Is representative of up-to-date thinking in the field
Is relevant to student and staff needs
Is representative of quality writing or production
Meets high standards of quality in regard to factual content and presentation
Adds to the overall value of the collection
Is well constructed and attractive
Has a quality format
Possesses useful special features such as maps, graphs, photographs, etc.
Offers numerous possible uses to individuals, small groups, and large groups
Offers materials that are appropriate to user characteristics such as age, intellectual levels, reading levels, learning styles, and social and emotional development
Is reviewed favorably by professionally reputable sources
Receives favorable reviews based on preview and examination by professional staff
Represents value commensurate with cost and/or need
Possesses timeliness or permanence
Has integrity
All selections conform to federal and state laws, including Title IX and Chapter 622. The Methuen Public Schools do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, age, religion, natural origin, or handicap.
Procedures for Selection and Maintenance of the School Library Media Collection
The school library media specialist and other trained
media staff members will coordinate the selection of materials with due regard
to suggestions from teachers, administrators, district personnel, students,
parents, and community persons. The library media specialists of the school in
which the center is housed make final selection. The media staff will:
Encourage book examination and the previewing of nonprint materials
Use professionally reputable selection sources when actual examination of the material is not possible
Arrange for the purchase of multiple copies when necessary
Purchase replacements for worn materials that are an integral part of the collection
Weed materials from the collection on a continuous basis when they are worn, obsolete, out-of-date, or inappropriate for the current needs of the students and staff. A school library media center meets the needs of its users and is not an archival repository.
Judge gift items by the previously stated selection criteria and will reserve the right to add to the collection only those items that meet those criteria. If materials are accepted, they will be accepted with the understanding that the school will control their use.
Purchase expensive sets of materials only to fill a specific need, and only after thoughtful evaluation
Textbooks and other instructional materials will be selected after examination by a
representative committee of teachers, principals, and other educational personnel who have professional expertise in the objective evaluation of materials.
As previously stated, the library media specialist and other staff members will use professionally recognized reviewing periodicals, catalogs, and other selection aids. Staff may consult the following recommended sources in the selection of materials, but selection is not limited to their listings:
A. Bibliographies (latest editions available and
supplements)
American Historical Fiction
Basic Book Collection for Elementary Grades
The Best in Children’s Books
Children’s Catalog
Elementary School Library Collection From A to Zoo
Guide to Sources in Educational Media
Reference Books for School Libraries
Senior High School Library Catalog
Subject Guide to Children’s Books in Print
Subject Index to Books for Primary Grades
Other specialized bibliographies, including online resources and those bibliographies prepared by educational organizations for particular subject matter areas.
B.
Current Reviewing Media
AASA Science Books and Films
ACL Review
American Film and Video Association Evaluations
Appraisal: Science Books for Young People
Book Links
Book Report
Booklist
Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
CD-ROM World
Horn Book
Kirkus Reviews
Media and Method Previews
School Library Journal
School Library Media Activities Monthly
Technology & Learning
Other relevant journals and online web resources.
Procedures for Reconsideration of Materials
Despite the care and use of professional judgment that
goes into the selection of materials, there might be occasional objections to
some materials by students, parents, or members of the community. If a complaint
is made, the following procedures will be observed in a timely manner:
The complainant is encouraged to meet informally with the school library media specialist, teacher, or department head involved. During this meeting, the philosophy and goals of the Methuen Public Schools and the specific program involved will be explained, and the complainant will be informed of the selection policy. No commitments will be made. All complaints to staff members will be reported to the building principal involved.
The building principal shall contact the complainant to discuss the complaint and attempt an informal resolution.
If the complaint is not resolved informally, the supervisor of media services will supply the complainant with a copy of the system’s instructional goals and objectives, the materials selection policy statement, and a copy of the form entitled Request for Reconsideration of Materials. The complainant will put his or her objections in writing and will submit a formal complaint to the supervisor of media services. If the supervisor of media services does not receive the formal complaint for reconsideration within two (2) weeks, the issue will be considered closed. If the request is returned, the appropriate staff will reestablish the reasons for selection of the specific work.
After the completed form is returned to the supervisor of media services, copies will be forwarded to the superintendent or designee and to the building principal.
The building principal will immediately convene a meeting
of a media review committee to consider the complaint.
The committee shall consist of the building principal, a representative from the
media services department, two (2) members of the teaching staff, including a
teacher and/or department head involved in the subject area of the questioned
material, a parent member of the school’s site-based management team, and one
(1) additional person with an interest in school affairs, but not employed by
the school department. At the high school level, a student designee will be
selected to serve on the committee. At the elementary and middle school level,
an additional community person will be selected. The following guidelines will
be observed by the media review committee:
1. The committee will elect a chairperson.
2. All members of the media review committee will have read, listened to, or viewed the material in its entirety prior to any discussion.
3. There should be no open discussion or decision before the complaint has been
thoroughly discussed before a meeting of the media review committee.
4. The reconsideration of the questioned material will be limited to the specific objections raised in the written complaint. Freedom of inquiry is vital to education in a democracy, and the decision must be based on broad principles of the freedom to learn, rather than on the defense of the individual material.
5. The complainant will be provided with adequate time and opportunity to meet with the committee and to present opinions and recommendations. School staff members involved with the use of the questioned material will be given the same opportunity as the complainant to present opinions and recommendations.
6. The committee will consult standard evaluation tools,
local holdings in other schools, available reviews, and
will also study the questioned material thoughtfully. Passages or parts of the
work should not be taken out of context, as materials subject to review are
always considered as part of a larger whole. The material’s values and faults
should be weighed against each other, and no work should be excluded exclusively
because of language style.
7. The committee will reach a decision considering the appropriateness of the material.
8. The committee chairman or his/her designee will submit written reports to the complainant, the building principal, and the Superintendent and will include the committee’s recommendation on the disposition of the matter.
9. If the complainant is not satisfied, he or she may appeal to the school committee, which will make a final determination on the matter. Before making its recommendation, the committee may seek input from outside sources such as the American Library Association or the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
The use of questioned materials by class, school, or district shall not be restricted until final disposition has been made by the materials review committee, but individual students may be excused from using questioned materials by written request of their parents.
First Reading:
January 11, 1993
Second Reading: January 25, 1993
Revised: January 8, 2001
Methuen Public Schools, Methuen, MA
Statement of Intellectual Freedeom
The Association for Educational Communications and Technology
The First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States is a cornerstone of our liberty, supporting our rights and responsibilities regarding free speech both written and oral.
The Association for Educational Communications and Technology believes this same protection applies also to the use of sound and image in our society.
Therefore, we affirm that:
Freedom of inquiry and access to information—regardless of the format or viewpoints of the presentation—are fundamental to the development of our society. These rights must not be denied or abridged because of age, sex, race, religion, national origin, or social or political views.
Children have the right to freedom of inquiry and access to information; responsibility forabridgement of that right is solely between an individual child and the parent(s) of that child.
The need for information and the interests, growth, and enlightenment of the user should govern the selection and development of educational media, not the age, sex, race, nationality, politics, or religious doctrine of the author, producer, or publisher.
Attempts to restrict or deprive a learner’s access to information representing a variety of viewpoints must be resisted as a threat to learning in a free and democratic society. Recognizing that within a pluralistic society efforts to censor may exist, such challenges should be met calmly with proper respect for the beliefs of the challengers. Further, since attempts to censor sound and image material frequently arise out of misunderstanding of the rationale for using these formats, we shall attempt to help both user and censor to recognize the purpose and dynamics of communication in modern times regardless of the format.
The Association for Educational Communications and Technology is ready to cooperate with other persons or groups committed to resisting censorship or abridgement of free expression and free access to ideas and information.
Adopted by:
AECT Board of Directors
Kansas City
April 21, 1978
The American Library Association affirms that all libraries are forums for information and ideas, and that the following basic policies should guide their services.
I. Books and other library resources should be provided
for the interest, information, and enlightenment of all people of the community
the library serves. Materials should not be excluded because of the origin,
background, or views of those contributing to their creation.
II. Libraries should provide materials and information presenting all points of view on current and historical issues. Materials should not be proscribed or removed because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval.
III. Libraries should challenge censorship in the fulfillment of their responsibility to provide information and enlightenment.
IV. Libraries should cooperate with all persons and groups concerned with resisting abridgment of free expression and free access to ideas.
V. A person’s right to use a library should not be denied or abridged because of origin, age, background, or views.
VI. Libraries which make exhibit spaces and meeting rooms available to the public they serve should make such facilities available on an equitable basis, regardless of the beliefs or affiliations of individuals or groups requesting their use.
Adopted June 18, 1948. Amended February 2, 1961, and January 23, 1980, inclusion of "age" reaffirmed January 23, 1996,by the ALA Council
ACCESS TO RESOURCES AND SERVICES IN THE SCHOOL LIBRARY MEDIA PROGRAM:
An Interpretation of
The Library Bill of Rights
The school library media program plays a unique role in promoting intellectual freedom. It serves as a point of voluntary access to information and ideas and as a learning laboratory for students as they acquire critical thinking and problem-solving skills needed in a pluralistic society. Although the educational level and program of the school necessarily shapes the resources and services of a school library media program, the principles of the Library Bill of Rights apply equally to all libraries, including school library media programs.
School library media specialists assume a leadership role in promoting the principles of intellectual freedom within the school by providing resources and services that create and sustain an atmosphere of free inquiry. School library media specialists work closely with teachers to integrate instructional activities in classroom units designed to equip students to locate, evaluate, and use a broad range of ideas effectively. Through resources, programming, and educational processes, students and teachers experience the free and robust debate characteristic of a democratic society.
School library media specialists cooperate with other individuals in building collections of resources appropriate to the needs and to the developmental and maturity levels of students. These collections provide resources that support the mission of the school district and are consistent with its philosophy, goals, and objectives. Resources in school library media collections are an integral component of the curriculum and represent diverse points of view on both current and historical issues. These resources include materials that support the intellectual growth, personal development, individual interests, and recreational needs of students.
While English is, by
history and tradition, the customary language of the
Members of the school community involved in the collection development process employ educational criteria to select resources unfettered by their personal, political, social, or religious views. Students and educators served by the school library media program have access to resources and services free of constraints resulting from personal, partisan, or doctrinal disapproval. School library media specialists resist efforts by individuals or groups to define what is appropriate for all students or teachers to read, view, hear, or access via electronic means.
Major barriers between students and resources include but are not limited to imposing age or grade level restrictions on the use of resources; limiting the use of interlibrary loan and access to electronic information; charging fees for information in specific formats; requiring permission from parents or teachers; establishing restricted shelves or closed collections; and labeling. Policies, procedures, and rules related to the use of resources and services support free and open access to information.
The school board adopts policies that guarantee students access to a broad range of ideas. These include policies on collection development and procedures for the review of resources about which concerns have been raised. Such policies, developed by persons in the school community, provide for a timely and fair hearing and assure that procedures are applied equitably to all expressions of concern. School library media specialists implement district policies and procedures in the school.
Adopted July 2, 1986, by the ALA Council;
amended January 10, 1990; July 12, 2000; January 19, 2005.
The
freedom to read is essential to our democracy. It is continuously under attack.
Private groups and public authorities in various parts of the country are
working to remove or limit access to reading materials, to censor content in
schools, to label "controversial" views, to distribute lists of
"objectionable" books or authors, and to purge libraries. These
actions apparently rise from a view that our national tradition of free
expression is no longer valid; that censorship and suppression are needed to
counter threats to safety or national security, as well as to avoid the
subversion of politics and the corruption of morals. We, as individuals devoted
to reading and as librarians and publishers responsible for disseminating ideas,
wish to assert the public interest in the preservation of the freedom to read.
Most attempts at
suppression rest on a denial of the fundamental premise of democracy: that the
ordinary individual, by exercising critical judgment, will select the good and
reject the bad. We trust Americans to recognize propaganda and misinformation,
and to make their own decisions about what they read and believe. We do not
believe they are prepared to sacrifice their heritage of a free press in order
to be "protected" against what others think may be bad for them. We
believe they still favor free enterprise in ideas and expression.
These efforts at
suppression are related to a larger pattern of pressures being brought against
education, the press, art and images, films, broadcast media, and the Internet.
The problem is not only one of actual censorship. The shadow of fear cast by
these pressures leads, we suspect, to an even larger voluntary curtailment of
expression by those who seek to avoid controversy or unwelcome scrutiny by
government officials.
Such pressure toward
conformity is perhaps natural to a time of accelerated change. And yet
suppression is never more dangerous than in such a time of social tension.
Freedom has given the United States the elasticity to endure strain. Freedom
keeps open the path of novel and creative solutions, and enables change to come
by choice. Every silencing of a heresy, every enforcement of an orthodoxy,
diminishes the toughness and resilience of our society and leaves it the less
able to deal with controversy and difference.
Now as always in our
history, reading is among our greatest freedoms. The freedom to read and write
is almost the only means for making generally available ideas or manners of
expression that can initially command only a small audience. The written word is
the natural medium for the new idea and the untried voice from which come the
original contributions to social growth. It is essential to the extended
discussion that serious thought requires, and to the accumulation of knowledge
and ideas into organized collections.
We believe that free
communication is essential to the preservation of a free society and a creative
culture. We believe that these pressures toward conformity present the danger of
limiting the range and variety of inquiry and expression on which our democracy
and our culture depend. We believe that every American community must jealously
guard the freedom to publish and to circulate, in order to preserve its own
freedom to read. We believe that publishers and librarians have a profound
responsibility to give validity to that freedom to read by making it possible
for the readers to choose freely from a variety of offerings.
The freedom to read is
guaranteed by the Constitution. Those with faith in free people will stand firm
on these constitutional guarantees of essential rights and will exercise the
responsibilities that accompany these rights.
We therefore affirm these
propositions:
Creative
thought is by definition new, and what is new is different. The bearer of every
new thought is a rebel until that idea is refined and tested. Totalitarian
systems attempt to maintain themselves in power by the ruthless suppression of
any concept that challenges the established orthodoxy. The power of a democratic
system to adapt to change is vastly strengthened by the freedom of its citizens
to choose widely from among conflicting opinions offered freely to them. To
stifle every nonconformist idea at birth would mark the end of the democratic
process. Furthermore, only through the constant activity of weighing and
selecting can the democratic mind attain the strength demanded by times like
these. We need to know not only what we believe but why we believe it.
Publishers
and librarians serve the educational process by helping to make available
knowledge and ideas required for the growth of the mind and the increase of
learning. They do not foster education by imposing as mentors the patterns of
their own thought. The people should have the freedom to read and consider a
broader range of ideas than those that may be held by any single librarian or
publisher or government or church. It is wrong that what one can read should be
confined to what another thinks proper.
No
art or literature can flourish if it is to be measured by the political views or
private lives of its creators. No society of free people can flourish that draws
up lists of writers to whom it will not listen, whatever they may have to say.
To
some, much of modern expression is shocking. But is not much of life itself
shocking? We cut off literature at the source if we prevent writers from dealing
with the stuff of life. Parents and teachers have a responsibility to prepare
the young to meet the diversity of experiences in life to which they will be
exposed, as they have a responsibility to help them learn to think critically
for themselves. These are affirmative responsibilities, not to be discharged
simply by preventing them from reading works for which they are not yet
prepared. In these matters values differ, and values cannot be legislated; nor
can machinery be devised that will suit the demands of one group without
limiting the freedom of others.
The
ideal of labeling presupposes the existence of individuals or groups with wisdom
to determine by authority what is good or bad for others. It presupposes that
individuals must be directed in making up their minds about the ideas they
examine. But Americans do not need others to do their thinking for them.
It
is inevitable in the give and take of the democratic process that the political,
the moral, or the aesthetic concepts of an individual or group will occasionally
collide with those of another individual or group. In a free society individuals
are free to determine for themselves what they wish to read, and each group is
free to determine what it will recommend to its freely associated members. But
no group has the right to take the law into its own hands, and to impose its own
concept of politics or morality upon other members of a democratic society.
Freedom is no freedom if it is accorded only to the accepted and the
inoffensive. Further, democratic societies are more safe, free, and creative
when the free flow of public information is not restricted by governmental
prerogative or self-censorship.
The
freedom to read is of little consequence when the reader cannot obtain matter
fit for that reader's purpose. What is needed is not only the absence of
restraint, but the positive provision of opportunity for the people to read the
best that has been thought and said. Books are the major channel by which the
intellectual inheritance is handed down, and the principal means of its testing
and growth. The defense of the freedom to read requires of all publishers and
librarians the utmost of their faculties, and deserves of all Americans the
fullest of their support.
We state these propositions
neither lightly nor as easy generalizations. We here stake out a lofty claim for
the value of the written word. We do so because we believe that it is possessed
of enormous variety and usefulness, worthy of cherishing and keeping free. We
realize that the application of these propositions may mean the dissemination of
ideas and manners of expression that are repugnant to many persons. We do not
state these propositions in the comfortable belief that what people read is
unimportant. We believe rather that what people read is deeply important; that
ideas can be dangerous; but that the suppression of ideas is fatal to a
democratic society. Freedom itself is a dangerous way of life, but it is ours.
This statement was
originally issued in May of 1953 by the Westchester Conference of the American
Library Association and the American Book Publishers Council, which in 1970
consolidated with the American Educational Publishers Institute to become the
Association of American Publishers.
Adopted June 25, 1953, by
the ALA Council and the AAP Freedom to Read Committee; amended January 28,
1972; January 16, 1991; July 12, 2000; June 30, 2004.
Use of the Internet and Intranet
Internet
and intranet access is available to the students and staff of the Methuen Public
Schools. To the extent it is appropriate, references in this policy to the
Internet shall also apply to the intranet. The Internet is an electronic
communications network that expands student learning by providing access to many
information resources. The Methuen Public Schools support its use for worldwide
information access, communication, and collaboration. Our goal is to promote
educational excellence by encouraging and facilitating resource sharing,
innovation, and communication and to prepare students for success in life and
work. Internet use that is integrated into the school curriculum fosters the
development of research and information skills, encourages critical and higher
level thinking, and provides expanded educational opportunities for both student
and staff.
Students and staff have access to the following through the Methuen Public Schools computer network: electronic mail (e-mail) communication; information and news worldwide sites; public domain software and graphics for school use; discussion groups on topics ranging from Chinese culture to current events; many on-line library catalogs, including the Library of Congress; and graphical access to the World Wide Web, the newest access tool on the Internet.
While supporting the rights of students and staff to use all available tools to investigate a broad range of topics, the Methuen Public Schools recognize that there may be material on the Internet that may be objectionable or devoid of educational value in the context of a school setting. The Methuen Public Schools have taken steps to restrict access to controversial materials. The school department has installed software to limit access to inappropriate material. Additionally, staff will closely supervise student use of the Internet. There may be other materials that are not in accord with family values. This can provide an opportunity for parents to discuss their family values with their child and their expectations about how these values will guide their child’s activities while accessing the Internet.
It
is impossible to control the quality of all materials published on a global
network. Although guidelines cannot totally eliminate the possibility of
inadvertent or intentional access to such information, we believe that they can
significantly limit such possibilities. The Methuen Public Schools believe that
the access to valuable information on the Internet far outweighs the concern
that the users may procure material that is not consistent with the educational
goals of the Methuen Public Schools, and we intend to maximize the Internet’s
educational value.
The smooth operation of the network relies upon the proper conduct of the end users who must adhere to strict guidelines. In general, this requires safe, efficient, ethical, and legal utilization of the network resources. These guidelines provide direction for the privilege of using this powerful new resource. If a Methuen Public School user violates any of these provisions, his or her account will be terminated and future access could possibly be denied. The assistance and cooperation of students, staff, and parents in developing responsible attitudes, reinforcing appropriate behaviors, and observing network security practices is vital to the successful use of this powerful learning tool.
The Methuen Public Schools will provide staff with Internet guidelines and training and support in the appropriate and effective use of the Internet. The school system will inform parents about Internet guidelines through the use of letters, school newsletters, and handbooks. Information meetings for parents will be held and will include Internet demonstrations and exploration opportunities. Additionally, the Methuen Public Schools will evaluate tools and software, which can potentially assist staff in implementing guidelines. Effectiveness, manageability, and any cost for initial purchase and upgrades will be considered.
Staff will model the guidelines at all times, provide a supervised setting for Internet use, and inform students about acceptable use guidelines. Information on guidelines will be included in student handbooks.
Students, staff, and any other users are responsible for following our guidelines. Failure to do so will lead to disciplinary action and possible revocation of Internet privileges.
Terms and Conditions of Internet Use
The
district’s Internet access has been established for a limited educational
purpose, and use must support education and research and be consistent with the
Methuen Public Schools’ educational objectives. Use of another organization’s
network or computing resources must comply with the rules appropriate for that
network
.
Transmission of any material that violates any national or state regulation is
prohibited. This includes, but is not limited to, copyright material,
threatening or obscene material, or material protected by trade secret. The use
of the system is limited to educational and career or professional development
activities and will be used to achieve educational objectives in ways that other
resources cannot provide.
Staff will plan and coordinate Internet use in ways that closely guide student experience. Guidance in using the Internet will aim to connect students with sites and sources that meet the district’s guidelines for Selection of Instructional Materials. Staff will instruct students in the skills that are needed to effectively use the Internet, including those skills needed to critically select, evaluate, and use information resources that are relevant and authoritative.
Staff will supervise student access as closely as possible. This includes frequent review of what students are using and, if deemed necessary, a check of the sites which students have visited or accessed via e-mail. Students are responsible for doing only those activities approved by the staff. Activities that require the thoughtful use of accessed information to construct knowledge and understanding will be emphasized.
The
following activities require advanced planning and study by the staff: use of
Internet relay chat (IRC) or real time conferencing through the use of text
and/or video (students will
not be involved in live chats at random); subscription to an electronic mailing
list (listserv); access to newsgroups (usenets); and downloading of files and
other freeware/shareware.
Internet use is a privilege, not a right, and inappropriate use may result in possible cancellation of that privilege or in other penalties as outlined in the student handbook. The system administrators will decide what is inappropriate use and their decisions are final. Accounts may be closed at any time. The administration, faculty, and staff of the Methuen Public Schools may request the system administrators to deny, revoke, or suspend specific user accounts.
Certain activities and behaviors are not permitted. These are (but are not limited to:
1. Accessing materials or using e-mail for nonacademic purposes or for purposes that are not approved by the staff member in charge.
2. Use of obscene, inflammatory, harassing, threatening, or abusive language or images.
3. Knowingly accessing materials that are obscene or degrade groups or individuals.
4. Disruption of network use by others (for example, downloading files during prime time, annoying other users using the talk or write functions)
5. Tampering with data and files being used by others.
6. Sharing of personal data such as street address, phone number, or home e-mail address. Students’ last names should be eliminated in most situations.
7. Use of school accounts for personal messages, political lobbying, union messages, gambling, or business transactions, advertising, or commercial (offering or providing products or services) activities.
8. Access of the Internet using students’ personal or family accounts.
9. Use or transmission of materials that violates copyright laws.
10. Transmission of confidential information may be protected by the 1996 Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).
Information regarding passwords or confidential log-in procedures will be maintained by staff who will approve and generally initiate student log-in. Students will be instructed that if they inadvertently access objectionable (obscene, abusive, harassing, belligerent, or degrading) materials, they should report this immediately to the staff member in charge.
E-mail is not guaranteed to be private. People who operate the system have access to all mail, including deleted messages. Messages relating to or in support of illegal activities may be reported to the authorities. All communications and information accessible via the network should be considered private property and the use of another person’s intellectual property without that individual’s prior written approval or authorization is prohibited. The school district will completely and periodically delete information from the system.
The Methuen Public Schools do not offer warranties, either expressed or implied, for the service it is providing. The district will not be responsible for any damages that you may suffer, including loss of data resulting from delays, non-deliveries, misdeliveries, or service interruptions caused by its own negligence or your errors and omissions. Use of any information obtained through the network is at your own risk, and the Methuen Public Schools are not responsible for the quality or accuracy of information obtained through its services.
Security
of the system is a high priority. If you discover a security problem on the
district’s system, notify a system administrator. Do not demonstrate the problem
to others. Do not use another individual’s account or password. Do not give your
password to others. Attempts to log-on to the system as another user will result
in cancellation of user privileges. Any user identified as a security risk or
having
a
history of problems with other computer systems many be denied Internet access
through the district’s system.
Any verified acts of vandalism will result in cancellation of privileges. Vandalism is defined as any malicious attempt to harm or destroy the data of another user, the Methuen Public Schools’ network, or other networks that are connected to our system through the Internet. This includes, but is not limited to, the uploading or creation of computer viruses.
These terms and conditions shall be governed and interpreted in accordance with the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the United States of America
Adopted: First
Reading, January 12, 1998
Second Reading, February 9, 1998
Methuen Public Schools, Methuen, MA 01844
