LM_NET 01/15/99: No Subject

Explain that alternate assignments will be given so that the student's
grade
won't be affected, i.e. "we do not have any assignments in this school
that
REQUIRE the use of computers, so you do not have to worry about your
student's grades."  (I used that line once with a parent who argued
about
the one-year suspension of privileges for her son, and that took care of
her
main concern.  Probably not the student's main concern, because he wants
to
be on the Internet, but...)

Hopefully the student's teachers will be willing to accept handwritten
papers, etc., unless the student can find another place to type.  Or you

could let the student be supervised personally by one person while using
a
computer, in a place where his/her screen is visible to the supervisor
at
all times.  In general, treat the student like a small child who needs
to be
watched continually (which he/she is).  The student will have to explain

this to his/her teachers.

Explain to the parent just how much time is spent fixing the student's
meddling--in terms of taxpayer dollars.  Multiply that times every
student
in the school, because what that student did could be done by every
student,
and the impact appears much greater.  Valuable time lost, etc.

Just my 2 cents' worth!

Beth Luikart
luikart@win.bright.net
Librarian
Rice Lake High School
Rice Lake, WI





Laura, The parent involved must not understand the full implications of
her child's infraction.  I can not speak 100% for what would
happen in my district because as you know librarian's wouldn't be the
ones actually making the discipline decision.  However, I will tell
you that in the past we have had students expelled from our district and
at the very least sent to our alternative school for the duration of
the school year.  Computer use denial is commonly used for minor
infractions such as putting a password on a screen saver. We have a
signed AUP by each student in our district and if they do not sign it
students can not use any computer even to checking out books.
Computers, along with the software, belong to the school district.
Students may use, and not change, any part of any standard set up for
the common usage of each computer.  (Lockers are treated the same way.
They belong to the school district and may only be used by the
student.)  Hope this helps.

Susan Meyer
Librarian
Vines HS
Plano TX 75075
wk smeyer@pisd.edu
hm pmkm@worldnet.att.net



WE have a strict policy at our district.  Students who would have done
just one of those things would be off computers in the building for a
calendar year.  We only have to make examples of one or two a year, and
it has stopped it almost completely.  We have had parents complain, but
our admin. has backed us up.
Jackie Carrigan
Plainfield Schools
Plainfield, IN


Laura

Do you have an acceptable use policy?  If you do this should be pretty
much
spell out that if a student abuses their computer privilege that they
will
lose it.  After all it is a privilege not a right.

In our school the offenses committed by the student would cost him/her
their computer privileges for the remainder of the school year.

I need YOUR HELP.
We have a parent who is challenging an adminstrative decision to remove
a student from computer usage for the following infractions within ten
days of each other.
1. Wrote a DOS batch file on a computer so that the DOS directories
scrolled down the screen after threatening messages appeared about a
virus
2. Went to a hacker site on the Internet to break into Fortres lock down

software and then broke into
Fortres.
The student admits doing both these acts and was asked to stop by staff
and faculty and did not.

His mother has commented in her letter that she believes that being
removed from computers is too much
of a burden on her son for such "minor infractions."

Please let me know what would happen in your school to a student who
performed these actions.
I appreciate all your help in advance.  My feet are being held to the
fire on this one as I am the one
who reported the student and asked that adminstration treat this
seriously


Laura

This year we have had problems with a group of students accessing
inappropriate sites on the internet. They have access hacking sites, the

Anarchists Cook Book and other such sites. The Anarchists Cook Book and
some of the other sites they have accessed are flagged sites
which are monitored by the Federal Police here in Australia. First of
all the students concerned have been banned from all computer use
within the school. They are not even allowed near them during class
time. They have to make do with books and other print resources.
One boy was in possession of pornographic material and was suspended for
two days ( I think ). At our school we treat the matter very
seriously because often the sites accessed are illegal. In your case if
the student concerned has not accessed anything illegal then maybe it
goes against the internet users agreement he would have signed. His
actions would then be a breach of that. We use one at our school
which means students who sign this document (and this must be signed to
use the internet) must use the computers correctly.

Hope this helps

Ainsley Baker
Teacher Librarian
Geraldton Secondary College
Geraldton, Western Australia
Arani@wn.com.au


--
la


Laura Maroon
Moultonborough Academy
Moultonborough, NH
Media Specialist
http://www.moultonborough.k12.nh.us/ma/ma.html

"fly casual"
    Han Solo

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From: La Maroon <l_maroon@CONKNET.COM>
Subject: HIT: COMPUTER INFRACTIONS PART 4

Hi Laura--
I read your posting on LM_NET about the computer violation.  After
visiting
your school's website and reading the AUP, I think you are protected in
your decision.  The AUP states that infractions may result in revocation
of
privileges, and the student knew that.  The parent also signed it.
Bottom
line is that the student was NOT using the resources for educational
gain.
 He knew what he was doing and what his intentions were...his actions
were
deliberate.

I'm the K-12 Librarian and Technology Coordinator for my district.  I
revoked a student's computer privileges for the rest of the school year
because he downloaded a password-detection program (beware of
"SnadBoy").
 I even highlighted the points of the AUP that he violated.  The AUP is
what I fall back on...the students and their parents sign it, so there
are
no secrets.

After what the student did, why would anyone want him on their computer?

Those are my thoughts...
Laura Highlander, MLS
K-12 LMS & Technology Coordinator
Poolville ISD
P.O. Box 96
Poolville, TX 76487
lhighlander@esc11.net



Definitely a clear violation of our Acceptable Use Policy and contract
that all the students must sign to have Internet use privilege.  Besides

signing the contract, we review its meaning and stress the seriousness
and
consequences of violations ... so there is no quibbling after the fact.
The parents must sign as well, and are urged to discuss the contract at
home with their children.

We have a review process set up to determine consequences case-by-case
(a
four-person committee, including media specialist, tech coordinator,
Asst.
Principal, Computer Lab Coordinator).  A lot depends upon seriousness of

violation, repeated violation; and the consequences vary in severity.
For
the violation you have described, the student here would be off the
computer for a substantial period of time ... I would speculate at least
a
couple of months.  He would have violated at least three specifics of
the
contract he and his parent signed.

Good luck ...



Definitely a clear violation of our Acceptable Use Policy and contract
that all the students must sign to have Internet use privilege.  Besides

signing the contract, we review its meaning and stress the seriousness
and
consequences of violations ... so there is no quibbling after the fact.
The parents must sign as well, and are urged to discuss the contract at
home with their children.

We have a review process set up to determine consequences case-by-case
(a
four-person committee, including media specialist, tech coordinator,
Asst.
Principal, Computer Lab Coordinator).  A lot depends upon seriousness of

violation, repeated violation; and the consequences vary in severity.
For
the violation you have described, the student here would be off the
computer for a substantial period of time ... I would speculate at least
a
couple of months.  He would have violated at least three specifics of
the
contract he and his parent signed.

Good luck ...



Laura,

Doesn't your district have an AUP?  If a student in our district did
what your student did, he would definitely be off the computers--no
ifs, ands, or buts.  Our AUP lists possible consequences, giving the
administration the right to decide upon which should be used in any
specific case.  As far as I'm concerned, the student should be made
to pay for the technician's time to fix everything--let the mother
call it a "minor" infraction when she's paying $100/hr (the going
rate here) for the technician's time!


Thanks,
Anne Clark, Librarian
Sloatsburg Elementary School
Sloatsburg, NY 10974

Phone:  914 753 2720 ext. 114
Fax:  914 753 6636
E-mail:  clarka@sltsbrg.lhric.org


Cut his hands off?





==
Bill Fort
billfort@yahoo.com
"...Just a cowboy in the jungle..."-Jimmy Buffett
University of South Carolina, class of '85-BS, '91-MLIS
Pi Kappa Alpha, Xi, '83
Go Cocks
2Chron.7:14



In our school the student would be denied computer usage for the
remainder
of the school year. We take a hard line on any attempt to take the
system
down.

Terry Guenther, School Library Media Specialist
Arkport Central School
35 East Avenue
Arkport, NY 14807
607-295-7412/fax 607-295-7473
Terry_Guenther@STEV.net


Our students and staff (K-12) are denied computer access for one month
for minor infractions (using someones password, giving someone their
password, inappropriate searches (www.poop.com), etc.  What you're
talking about would be a MAJOR infraction and the penalty would be
greater.  We use At Ease, which stops those types of problems, for the
most part.  I would expect AT LEAST a semester of no rights, and maybe
the rest of the year.

Good luck.
--
Becky West
Media/Technology Specialist
Stanton Elementary School
710 N. State St.
Stanton, MI 48888
(517) 831-5258
(517) 831-8851 (Fax)
blwest@edcen.ehhs.cmich.edu
http://hornet.cmontcalm.k12.mi.us/stanton/index.html
I would want that child off the computers for the rest of the semester!
I
would try for the rest of the year but I don't know if the admin would
agree
with that.  I think the child commited a serious act and should be
punished.
Can you use your AUP to back up your case?  At the orientation session I

give to kids in September, I specifically state that trying to break
into
the desktop security system is a major infraction with severe
consequences.

Good luck.  I hope your admin can back you up on this one!

Nancy



You might mention that these are the first steps to 'computer
delinquency'.  Doing this on the outside to companies and getting
caught can lead to crimminal prosecution.

Dan Robinson
Indexing Services
H.W. Wilson Company
Bronx, NY
drobinson@hwwilson.com


Laura,
I can't believe that anyone-including the parent-believes that these are

MINOR infractions.  These things are M A J O R and could cause a total
breakdown of the teaching/learning process on these machines.  In
addition,
this is the same as saying don't punish him for shop lifting something
small.  Left unpunished, the student learns it is OK to do and moves on
to
bigger infractions.  This is a perfect place to teach that we are
responsible for our actions and that our actions have consequences-good
actions, good consequences and bad actions bad consequences.  This calls
for
very strict and swift punishment

Good luck.

Beth Pounds
Librarian/Tech Specialist
Beasley Middle School
1100 S. 18th Street
Palatka, FL  32177
pounds_b@popmail.firn.edu


In my school the student would be removed from the computers for several

months.  If it happened again, he would not be allowed to use the
computers
for the rest of the year.  These are not minor infractions.  What that
student did was dishonest.  Hacking is a very serious offense.  I am
appalled that this mother would take this so lightly.  Stand your
ground,
you are right!  I hope you are allowed to continue your strict policy.
If
this were to happen in the business world, he would be fired and
possible
arrested.  Good Luck!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Terri Duncko, KidsConnect Volunteer
South Range High School Librarian
North Lima, OH  44452
330-549-2163
SRAN_TLD@access-k12.org



Our students (and parents/guardians) must read and sign an AUP. This
clearly outlines what is acceptable behavior. What you have described
would not be considered acceptable. This student would be removed.



Nancy Voltmer           Saydel High School
Media Specialist        Des Moines, Iowa
voltmer@netins.net


We have just recently removed a student for the rest of the year because

he loaded games and programs 7 layers deep on our file server.  The c.o.

technicians are pushing for this because they cannot keep up with
"fixing" the things our students are doing.  Students are being warned
constantly and have signed an internet agreement policy, which is being
interpreted as a proper computer usage policy also.  We have recently
been told that students without this signed policy cannot even be on a
computer because there is internet access that we cannot completely
block.

I am anxiously awaiting the results of this but I am trying to do my
part in cracking down on student usage.  Of course, I am becoming known
as the person who allows no fun!!!!  But I also am tired of fixing
things because of what a few students try.  Sarah
sanfords@bellsouth.net

--
la


Laura Maroon
Moultonborough Academy
Moultonborough, NH
Media Specialist
http://www.moultonborough.k12.nh.us/ma/ma.html

"fly casual"
    Han Solo

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