Policy
Brief: Security and Privacy
Executive
Summary:
In
response to the growing use of the
Internet in classrooms, our school district has assessed the need to
update portions
of the district’s current Acceptable Use Policy in order to cover
concerns
related to security and privacy. Currently
there are gaps in the policy, and the school district is concerned
about the
safety and security of personal information, and the exposure to
questionable materials.
The upgrading of the AUP will be followed by a plan of action for
promoting
awareness of Internet security and privacy issues for teachers,
students,
parents, and community members. The
more our school district educates students, parents, teachers, and
community members about how the Internet works, the more they can be
informed
about how to protect themselves and others from potential uncomfortable
situations online. The
following brief will review the issues and suggest two options for
addressing
the issue and implementing awareness on a district wide scale.
Overview
of Issues:
Privacy
and Security: A national survey released in 2005 found that
more than 87%
of young people aged 12 to 17 now use the Internet, and of those young
people, more
than half of students surveyed reported they have given out their name,
sex and
age online at some point; more than 39% have given out personal
information
online by entering contests, playing online games or signing up for
websites;
31% have chatted with or instant messaged someone on the Internet who
they have
not met face to face (1). Therefore, there is a dire need
to
promote awareness of the dangers of sharing personalized information
with other
students, staff members, and for posting such information online. This includes the user-ID and password each
staff
member and student are provided with upon entrance to the school
district,
which allows access into personal server-space, email, and other school
services. Furthermore, our school
district has seen a recent out-break of cyber bullying through
networking
sites, such as Facebook, My Space, and Twitter.
There is a need to promote awareness of safe, ethical, and
secure
behaviors and actions when utilizing the internet. The
policy options will address the multiple
concerns in regards awareness of internet privacy and security. Our goal is to
educate parents about their children's use of the Internet, to protect
vulnerable children from inappropriate approaches, to discourage
children from
making inappropriate personal disclosures, and to educate our students
about:
Policy
Options:
Development
of a working AUP will be succeeded
by a two-step process for promoting awareness of security and safety
concerns
when using the internet at school and at home:
·
STEP 1: School-Wide
Awareness: Once an updated policy has been developed,
there is a strong need for students and teachers to be trained on how
to safely
use the internet. Awareness at a school wide level will involve the
following
actions: (1) mandatory teacher
in-service training to distribute, review and discuss the newly adapted
school
policy (2) school wide review with students and signing of compact
agreement,
and (3) adoption of a bullying program to address online privacy issues
and
cyber-bullying .
o
PROS: By including review of the AUP during
in-service,
this will ensure that all school members are aware of the newly adapted
school
policy. The goal is to utilize one year
to discuss the policy, and then train new teachers independently as
they join the
school district. A school wide adoption of a bullying program to
address online
security and privacy issues will ensure that there is fidelity of
treatment,
and all staff members are able to consistently promote the program
objectives.
o
CONS: The small amount of in-service time written
into the teachers’ contract will be used to discuss the updated
AUP (rather
than discussing other pertinent topics).
Adoption and commitment to a bullying program (such as Olweus)
will be
costly and time-consuming for teachers, particularly the first year
piloting
the program.
·
STEP 2: Parent/Community
Awareness: Parent and teacher awareness can occur via
two mediums (1) parent and community nights held at the school, and (2)
distribution of materials/handbooks regarding how to address
security/privacy
issues at home. (See the optional
available resources below)
o
PROS: Parent and community awareness will promote
consistency at home and at school, while educating parents about the
dangers of
posting personal information on the internet.
o
CONS: Parent/Community nights and distribution of
materials will be time consuming, costly, and require the presence of
teachers
after school hours for the trainings.
OPTIONAL
RESOURCES: (To
educate parents,
teachers, and community members)
·
NET
CETERA: Chatting
with Kids About Being Online
·
AN
EDUCATOR, PARENT AND
GUARDIAN'S GUIDE: How To Teach Young People
Safe Online Practices
References:
1. http://www.clearfield.org/education/components/scrapbook/default.php?sectiondetailid=1087