Technology Office
Information Technology Handbook

I. Student Acceptable Use Policies
II. Faculty & Staff Rules of Acceptable Use
III. Software Guidelines
IV. Web Publishing Guidelines
V. Purchase of Technology Supplies
VI. Inventory & Purchase of Information Technology Hardware
VII. Donations
VIII. "How To" Technology Guide for all Massachusetts Educators
IX. Technology Work Requests
X. Technology Staff
A. Appendix A
B. Appendix B
C. Appendix C

I. Student Acceptable Use Policies

Faculty and staff should be familiar with the student acceptable use policies in order that they may supervise students using the computers on the Wayland Public Schools networks. Appendices A and B are the rules and guidelines for each level. If you have any questions or concerns about the Acceptable Use Policies or about enforcing the policies, please contact the Technology Specialist in your building or the Director of Technology.

II. Faculty & Staff Rules for Acceptable Use

 A. Introduction

Wayland Public Schools (also WPS and the "District" elsewhere in this document) is committed to providing a robust information technology environment to support its students and faculty in the pursuit of their academic and instructional objectives. Wayland Public Schools makes available a range of information technology resources that are intended to be used for educational and professional purposes and in accordance with the mission of the Wayland Public Schools only. Professional purposes refers to those tasks and requirements for fulfilling professional duties as related to working at Wayland Public Schools. All those who use the information technology resources at Wayland Public Schools must comply with the written policies covering their use as well as the spirit and intent of those policies.

B. Network and Computing Facilities Provided by Wayland Public Schools 

Email
Email allows employees to communicate with people from within our district and throughout the world.

World Wide Web
The Web provides acc ess to a wide range of information in the form of text, graphics, photographs, video, and sound, from throughout the world. The Web is a valuable research and publishing tool.

File Transfer Protocol (FTP)
FTP allows users to download large files and computer software.

Local Area Network
Desktop computers are connected to local file servers to enable users to easily store and share files and share resources.

Software
A full suite of personal productivity software (word processor, spreadsheet, database, email, web browser, desktop security) is available on every networked computer in the district. Other software, including curriculum specific software is widely available on various computers throughout the district. Gradebook software is available for every computer at the High School and Middle School, as well as for the home computers of teachers.

Peripherals
Printers, digital cameras, scanners, and projection devices are provided as widely as possible throughout the district for student and staff use.

C. Appropriate Use

Appropriate use of the network and computing facilities include those uses that support:

• Instruction
• Independent Study
• Research
• Career or Professional-Development Activities
• Official Work of the Offices and Departments of the Wayland Public Schools
• Limited High-Quality Self Discovery / Exploration

D. Inappropriate Use

There are unacceptable uses of the District computing facilities and network. Inappropriate uses can be classified into two categories: illegal and prohibited. Examples of illegal and prohibited activities follow. This list is not to be viewed as comprehensive but as explanatory. Wayland Public Schools is responsible to refer any and all illegal activities to the appropriate law enforcement agency. Illegal uses include: obscenity, libel, threats, hate postings, sexual harassment, and copyright violations. Prohibited activities are based on the intended use of the instructional network and computing facilities. Therefore, examples of prohibited activities are: pornography, profanity, plagiarism, commercial use, political lobbying and anonymous messages. Any use that does not directly support educational and professional purposes and is in accordance with the mission of the Wayland Public Schools is considered prohibited.

Employee violations of the Staff Acceptable Use Policy will be referred to the appropriate supervisory personnel.

Examples of inappropriate activities include (but are not limited to):

• Commercial Use
  WPS computing facilities should not be used for commercial services, defined as "offering or providing products or services."
• Political Lobbying
  The use of a district system by district employees for political lobbying activities is generally unacceptable. Most states allow public employees to express opinions on legislative measures and, therefore, using the district system for this purpose may also be appropriate. But engaging in fundraising or other political activity will be considered unacceptable.
• Obstructing or Disrupting Computing Facilities
  Any activity that intentionally obstructs or hinders network traffic, network resources, or desktop security is prohibited. Such actions are illegal. Activities included in this category are any that harm other people, damage the computer, network, or information that belongs to someone else.
• Accessing Improper Material
  Use of the district computing facilities to access material that is profane, vulgar, or obscene (pornography), that advocates or condones the commission of unlawful acts (illegal), or that advocates or condones violence or discrimination towards other people (hate literature) is prohibited.
• Accessing the Files of Others
  Any attempt to access the files of another individual is strictly not allowed. This includes attempting to log in through another person's account or accessing another person's "private" files. These actions are illegal, even if only for the purposes of "browsing." It is recognized that colleagues often need to share work. There are shared directories for this purpose and staff is encouraged to use these shared locations when they want to share a "non-private" file with others.
• Etiquette
  Activities covered under general computing and network etiquette include viewing, sending, or displaying offensive messages or pictures, or wasting limited resources such as disk space or printing capacity.

E. Privacy

The information systems of Wayland Public Schools and the files that reside on the computers are the property of Wayland Public Schools. Therefore, there is only a limited expectation of privacy within the network, just as there is for any storage facility in the schools. The District has the right to examine all data stored on computers or disks that are the property of the District to ensure that users are in compliance with these regulations. Further, these files fall within the definition of a public record and the district is obliged to archive them and treat them as they would paper copies that constitute public documents.

Individuals should be aware that our computing systems do generate logs of the activities of users including login and logout times, web sites accessed, software launched, etc. Routine maintenance and monitoring of the system and these logs may lead to discovery that a user has violated or is violating the Staff Acceptable Use Policy, or the law. Please be aware that any misuse (as outlined in this document) of the computing facilities provided by Wayland Public Schools will be referred to the appropriate supervisory personnel.

F. Email Use

Please do not overload the communications servers and please do not abuse your communications privileges. Email is a fast, convenient form of communication. However, the following list represents email activities that are prohibited and/or discouraged.

Wayland Email Guidelines:

• Chain Email Letters: Forwarding chain email is a violation of WPS computing policy. Phrases in the subject line can usually identify chain email, such as "Forward - do not delete," "don't break the chain," etc. Some chain emails promise good luck, promise easy money, tell stories and ask for help, or warn of false email viruses. If there are a large number of addresses in the message, chances are very good that it is a chain email. "Get rich quick" schemes will invariably claim to be "completely legal." Do not be fooled. Delete all chain email from your account and do not forward.
• "Bombing": Sending numerous or large email messages to one person is considered "email bombing." Even if no harm was intended or it was simply a "harmless prank," an email "bomb" can disrupt service to all users and is strictly forbidden.
• Forgery: Altering any form of electronic communication and then claiming it to be original is prohibited. Further, creating, altering, or deleting the attribution of origin (for example, the "From" in email, or the IP address in headers) is also prohibited.
• Attachments and File Size: Users are discouraged from sending large files (greater than 2 MB) as this noticeably slows network traffic for all users. Files such as Internet "greeting cards" that contain animation and sound are discouraged for the same reason.

G. District Limitation of Liability

Wayland Public Schools makes no warranties of any kind, either express or implied, that the functions or the services provided by or through the District system will be error-free or without defect. The District will not be responsible for any damage users may suffer, including but not limited to, loss of data or interruptions of service. The District is not responsible for the accuracy or quality of the information obtained through or stored on the system. The District will not be responsible for obligations, financial, legal or other, arising through the unauthorized use of the system.

III. Software Guidelines

A. Purchasing of Software

Software may be purchased from specific curriculum budgets, school technology budgets, and/or the district wide technology budget. However, before purchasing software, staff should consult with the Technology Specialist in their building or with the Director of Technology. This helps to avoid duplication, allows us to order in the most economical way (lab packs and site licenses when warranted), allows for purchasing of interdisciplinary pieces of software, and ensures that the software purchased will be compatible with the hardware, network and security programs in place in the Wayland Public Schools.

B. Inventory of Software

All curriculum-based software and software purchased at the building level, that resides on teacher or student machines or on the school servers, must be catalogued with the building Technology Specialist as part of the school software inventory. District wide, server, and other software is cataloged by the office of the Director of Technology.

C. Installation of Software

As of June 2006, the Wayland Public Schools has well over 1000 networked computers. One difficulty in maintaining such a large number of machines is software compatibility and conflicts. Some software may not be compatible with other pieces of software, and once installed, other software already on the machine may not work correctly and network service may crash.

In order to prevent such conflicts with software, as well as to comply with software copyright laws, all software on Wayland Public Schools computers must be installed ONLY under the following conditions:

• the software is licensed by the school department and the license is on file in the appropriate office
• technology specialist or technician has given approval for installation
• technology specialist or technician in the building has been given enough advance notice to allow for testing compatibility and installation of the new piece of software
• the actual installation is carried out by the Technology Specialist or the Computer Technician
  

Note concerning Copyright:

For your use, WPS provides many programs (software applications) that have been obtained under contracts or licenses stating that they may not be copied, cross-assembled, or reverse-compiled. Specifically, these programs may not be copied for use on other computers. The Director of Technology will assist with any questions regarding software usage and licensing issues.

IV. Web Publishing Guidelines

The World Wide Web is an incredibly powerful publishing tool. Pages posted to the web have the potential for having a world wide audience in a matter of seconds. Publishing on the web is strongly encouraged. If you are considering posting to the web yourself, or having students post to the web, you should familiarize yourself with the following guidelines concerning content and technical requirements.

Any material posted for the global community should reflect the high educational standard of Wayland Public Schools. All published pages and corresponding links stored on school department servers must be related to the District's educational goals and objectives or related to school-sponsored activities. Publishing children's material on the public schools web pages is encouraged and supported.

Content and Review Guidelines for Student Publication:

• Individual teachers will review their students' material before publication. The quality and completeness of any published work should be such that both student and teacher are proud that it can reach a global audience. Any review procedures for publishing established by the school for publishing in other formats, such as newsletters, notices sent home, should be respected. Any reviewers should validate content and first level links.
• Teachers are encouraged to have colleagues review classroom projects or individual student work before publishing on the Web.

Safety Rules for Student Publication:

Elementary and Middle School:

• Pictures that include the heads of students should be posted only if parents have not requested that they not be posted
• No full names of students, associated with student work or pictures of students, except with parental permission
• No home/school addresses or email addresses of students
• No telephone numbers for students

About staying within the bounds of these rules:

If you are posting a class project and wish to link to the work of each student or group of students, an alias that the student has chosen can be used to attribute their work or link to it.

High School:

• Pictures that include the heads of students may be posted only if identified only by first name and last initial or if the standard release form for videotaping and newspaper photographs has been signed by parent
• No last names of students, except with parental permission
• No home/school addresses or email addresses of students
• No telephone numbers for students

About staying within the bounds of these rules:

If you are posting a class project and wish to link to the work of each student or group of students, students may decide to allow the use of their first name, or first name with last initial, or an alias that the students have chosen, unless the parent has already notified the school not to publish student work.

Technical and Procedural Guidelines:

The following information must be available on every web page:

• The name of staff person or volunteer maintaining the page
• Date published
• Date to Remove Project or page
• Unless necessary, no web page should be bigger than 35 K
• It is helpful to include a "mailto" link with the staff or faculty person responsible for maintaining the page

Guidelines for staff publication:

Teachers are encouraged to have colleagues review projects before publication on the Web. Any review procedures for publishing established by the school for publishing in other formats, such as newsletters, notices sent home, should be respected. Any reviewers should validate content and first level links.

Types of web pages that you may consider posting include:

• general announcements such as minutes of meetings
• calendars
• weekly, monthly, or quarterly classroom news
• student projects
• requests for participation in online projects

V. Purchase of Technology Supplies

A. Introduction

Each new computer will be provided with the following standard software packages:

In addition, if the Macintosh computer runs the OSXversion of the operating system, it usually has Microsoft Office.

Each new printer will come with one toner or ink cartridge.

Replacement cartridges must be purchased by the building or department that is the primary user of that printer.

B. Ordering Technology Supplies

The district budget for technology does not cover the following supplies:

* replacement batteries

* canned air (for cleaning)

These supplies need to come from the building or department budget and budgets should be developed with this in mind. If there are any questions about prices, preferred vendors, or specifications, please contact the Technology Specialist in your building or the Director of Technology.

* These supplies are generally budgeted into the building technology budget and are purchased by the building Technology Specialist.

VI. Inventory and Purchase of Information Technology Hardware

Most of the Wayland Public Schools computers and printers are ordered centrally through the Office of the Director of Technology. All new hardware must be received by that office for inventory, maintenance, and installation purposes. Every new machine is inspected, and the pertinent information (model, serial number, purchase date, vendor, purchase order number, etc) is recorded into the central hardware inventory database. This information is indispensable for warranty, repair and reporting information, as well as for software licensing reasons. Then, software is installed and the computer is networked (when appropriate) before being delivered to its destination.

Please note that all new computers, whether purchased with grant or PTA monies, donated, or acquired by some other means must go through the same process of inventory and installation. Please notify the Technology Specialist in your building or the Director of Technology before computer equipment is acquired.

Before purchasing hardware with grant or PTA monies or department budgets, staff should consult with the Technology Specialist in their building or with the Director of Technology. This helps to coordinate purchasing, allows us to order in the most economical way, ensures that the hardware purchased will be compatible with the hardware, software, and networks in place, and ensures that the hardware meets the desired needs and specifications of the intended user.

VII. Donations

Anyone who would like to donate computer equipment or software to the schools should contact Leisha Simon, Director of Technology, by email (Leisha_Simon@wayland.k12.ma.us) or by telephone at 508-358-3714. All donations must go through this office to ensure that the hardware will be compatible with the hardware, software, and networks in place, and that the hardware meets the desired needs and specifications of the intended user. We request that any equipment that is donated follow our requirements for donations. Citizens or companies that donate equipment or software meeting these criteria will be sent a thank you letter after the donation is officially accepted by the school committee. This letter can be used for tax purposes. Donations are greatly appreciated and assist the schools in providing access to students and staff. 

Requirements for Donations 

Any equipment that is donated must be in working order, free of viruses and be of immediate use to the schools. Whenever possible, the original documentation and disks that came with the equipment and software are greatly appreciated.

The following equipment and software is currently being accepted:

• Any Windows/Intel computers with at least
  a 2.0 GHz or higher processor, and
  a 40 gigabyte hard drive, and
  a minimum of 1 gb RAM
• Any Macintosh computer capable of running OSX (operating system 10) with a processor speed of 1.2 GHz or faster. It should also have a minimum of 1 gb RAM and with a minimum 40 gb hard drive
• Any laptop meeting the above criteria
• Any laser printer or ink jet printer that is compatible with any of the above specified equipment that is not older than 3 years old
• Software and CDs that are compatible with the above
• Scanners that are compatible with the above
• High quality color monitors compatible with any of the above CPUs

VIII. "How To" Technology Guides

Free online courses can be found at the HPLearning Center at:
http://h30187.www3.hp.com/

and at LearnThat, at:
http://www.learnthat.com/computers/,

as well as at many other locations of the web.

IX. Technology Work Requests

A. Instructional Computers

When a network or hardware/software problem arises, or when you wish to reserve a computer or lab space, the reporting process (contact process) is as follows:

Please Email:  Help_Desk@wayland.k12.ma.us

Subject:  Building, Room, Problem

Include in Email:  Type of Hardware (PC, MAC, Printer); Detail of problem; Red Tag ID

Telephone Support:  508.358.3670 (Time Sensitive Issues ONLY)

B. Administrative Computers

Same as above: all non-crisis network or hardware/software problems should be reported by sending an email to Help_Desk@wayland.k12.ma.us

However, in an urgent situation (ie, the whole network is down) please call Leisha Simon, 508.358.3714.

Please note that all requests for reserving computers and computer labs for special projects, classwork and staff development should also go through the contacts listed below. Any reserving of computers or lab spaces outside of the school hours or school calendar should also be scheduled with the Director of Technology, as much of the maintenance and repair work is scheduled for those times.

X. Technology Staff

The following are the Technology Staff Members in the Wayland Public Schools:

Appendix A

1. Acceptable Use
At school, use of computers and the Internet is for education only. Students may conduct research, learn, and communicate with others. All students agree to follow the rules of appropriate behavior:

• Students may not copy material and say that they wrote it.
• Students will visit only Internet sites suitable for children and for educational purposes.

2. Privileges
The use of school computers is a privilege. The teachers and principal decide when students may use computers or the Internet. If a student uses a computer or the Internet in ways that are not appropriate, he or she may have privileges taken away. Also, remember that computer files are not private. School and system administrators may see your work.

3. Etiquette
Students will follow rules for appropriate behavior. Some (but not all) of those rules are listed below:·

• Be polite when writing.
• Use appropriate language.
• Students may use computers for research, but must identify where information is found.
• Do not share account or password information with others, and do not try to log on as someone else.
• Do not try to see the folders, work, or files of others.

4. Online Safety
Please follow these rules about online safety:·

• Do not give your phone number or address to anyone over the Internet.
• Notify an adult immediately if you find information on the computer that makes you uncomfortable or nervous.

5. Truthfulness
The Wayland Public School System is not responsible for the truth or the quality of the information found on the Internet.

6. Privacy
Your information and records of what you viewed, received and saved are not private. Teachers and technical staff may review files to be sure everyone is using computers responsibly.

7. Security
Security on any computer system is important. If a student knows of any times when these rules are broken, he/she must tell a teacher or principal. School personnel are in charge of Internet access. Students will not connect to the Internet unless directed to do so under the supervision of a teacher. Do not tell anyone else your password and do not log in as anyone else.

8. Filtering
WPS uses network software to filter or block material harmful to children, as required by the Children's Internet Protection Act. Students should not attempt to get around filters.

9. Vandalism
Any vandalism will result in the loss of privilege to use the Internet, and/or the computers, themselves.
Vandalism includes:·

• physical damage to the computers
• damage to files that belong to others
• changing any computer settings or software
• any attempts to bypass security settings
  

10. Consequences
Violations of any of these rules may result in the loss of access. There may also be disciplinary actions that your teacher or school principal determine are appropriate consequences to violating the Acceptable Use rules.

Appendix B

The purpose of the Wayland Public Schools computer network is to advance and promote teaching and learning and to provide access to a wide variety of educational resources. Wayland Public Schools (WPS) is committed to providing a robust information technology environment to support its students and faculty in the pursuit of their academic and instructional objectives. All those who use the information technology resources at WPS must comply with the written policies covering their use as well as the spirit and intent of those policies.

1) Acceptable Use - Wayland Public Schools information technology may be used for educational purposes ONLY. All other uses are prohibited. All use must be in support of education and research and consistent with the educational objectives of the Wayland Public Schools. Use of the networks or computing resources of other organizations must comply with the rules appropriate for that network or organization. Transmission of any material in violation of any national or state regulation is prohibited. This includes, but is not limited to: copyrighted material, threatening or obscene material, or material protected by trade secret.

2) Privileges - The use of school computers is a privilege, not a right, and inappropriate use will result in a cancellation of that privilege. The system administrators, with school system administrators, will deem what is inappropriate use based on this policy. The administration, faculty, and staff of WPS may request the system administrator to deny, revoke, or suspend specific user accounts/access for misuse of said access. Students may visit only Internet sites that support education and research and are consistent with the educational objectives of the Wayland Public Schools. Further, access to computers and the Internet is at the discretion of the teacher/staff person monitoring that area. Students are prohibited from using or remotely accessing equipment, network resources, or software that are reserved for use by teaching and administrative staff.

3) Computing and Network Rules

• Use the computing facilities of WPS and the network only for academic and instructional objectives. Use of the network for political activity, financial gain, commercial activity, or illegal activity, e.g. hacking is expressly prohibited.
• Do not use a computer to harm other people or their work.
• Do not damage the computer or the network in any way.
• Do not interfere with the operation of the network in any way. This includes installing shareware, freeware, illegal software or software that you own personally.
• Do not violate copyright laws. This includes the copying and/or downloading of commercial software or other material (e.g. music) in violation of federal copyright laws.
• Do not view, send, or display offensive messages or pictures.
• Do not share your account or password, nor use the password or account of another person.
• Do not waste limited resources such as bandwidth, disk space, or printing capacity.
• Do not trespass in the folders, work, or files of others.
• Do notify an adult immediately, if by accident, you encounter materials that violate the rules of appropriate use.
• Do not alter or attempt to bypass any computer or network security settings.
• Do not access material that is profane, vulgar, or obscene (pornography), that advocates or condones the commission of unlawful acts (illegal), or that advocates or condones violence or discrimination towards other people (hate literature).
• Do not give your phone number or address to anyone on the Internet and never agree to get together with someone you have "met" on the Internet without first checking with your parents.

5) No Warranty - WPS makes no warranties of any kind, whether expressed or implied, for the service it is providing. WPS will not be responsible for any damages you suffer. This includes loss of data resulting from delays, nondeliveries, mis-deliveries, or service interruptions from any cause. Use of any information obtained via the Internet is at your own risk. Wayland Public Schools specifically denies any responsibility for the accuracy or quality of information obtained through its services.

6) Privacy - All users of WPS computing facilities should be aware that information accessed, created, sent, received, or stored on the network and/or on all WPS computers is not private. Network system administrators may review files to maintain system integrity and to insure responsible use.

7) Security - Security on any computer system is a high priority, especially when the system involves many users. If you feel you can identify a security problem on the school network or Internet, you must notify a system administrator or the Technology Director. Do not demonstrate the problem to other users. Attempts to log on to the school network as a system administrator or as any other user (other than yourself) will result in cancellation of user privileges. Do not share your password with anyone and log on only on your own account. Any user identified as a security risk or having a history of problems with other computer systems may be denied access to the school network and/or the Internet.

8) Filtering of Internet Content - WPS uses network software to filter or block obscene material, pornographic material, and other material that is harmful to minors, as required by the Children's Internet Protection Act. Efforts to circumvent or tamper with the effectiveness of the filtering system are prohibited and may lead to disciplinary consequences. If a site is being blocked by the filtering software and a teacher or staff member wishes to access it for sound educational purposes, they may request to have the site unblocked. Such requests should go through the school Technology Specialists or the technicians. If there is doubt whether the content is appropriate, the superintendent of schools will be the final arbiter.

9) Vandalism - Vandalism will result in cancellation of privileges and could result in financial responsibility for any damages. Vandalism in terms of computers has many definitions. Vandalism is considered to include the following: altering the desktop or system folder of the workstation computer, attempts to bypass district security of same, attempts to discover or use the passwords of other users, attempts to disable the accounts of others, any physical damage to the equipment of Wayland Public Schools, and any attempt to harm or destroy data of another user on your network or over the Internet, and this includes, but is not limited to the uploading or creation of computer viruses.

Appendix C