Acceptable Use Policy

An AUP is an Acceptable Use Policy put into place by the school district in order to create parameters for students when they are using the Internet.  The National Education Association (NEA) has stated that proper school and district AUPs should contain six parts: a preamble, a definition section, a policy statement, an acceptable uses section, an unacceptable uses section and a violations/sanctions section.

    The first section in any AUP is the preamble. The preamble is the topic of the piece, why it is needed, and what the goals of the AUP are. In the Adams 12 Five Star school district, the emphasis is placed on student learning and ensuring that Internet use remains for educational purposes only. However, I think that statement is up to wild interpretation.

    The second section should be the definition section. This includes basic definitions in the AUP to ensure that everyone reading the document is on the same page when it comes to things like the “Internet.” Legal documents need to be as specific as possible. In my district there was not a definition section.

    The third section in an AUP is the policy statement. The policy statement discusses when student are allowed to use said computer services and what the AUP covers. Adams 12 focuses on student responsibility. It discusses how technology equipment is to be used and the form for parents to sign and return to school goes with this section.

    Next, an AUP should address acceptable uses. This section explains what students are allowed to do under the AUP. Oftentimes this section includes what the district defines as “educational” uses of the computers and Internet. My district states that students might be given an email address, and students do have permission to use different collaborative platforms such as wikis and blogs when monitored by a teacher.

    The penultimate section of AUPs discusses unacceptable uses.  This includes types of things such as which computers are not allowed to be accessed by students, and what kind of sites are not allowed to be viewed. There must be several specific examples. This includes things like prohibiting the sending of any kind of sexual harassment over the Internet. Adams 12 describes this by giving many specific examples including violence, destruction of property, pornography, bullying behavior, plagiarizing, profanity, hacking, altering equipment, and the violation of state or federal law. 

    Lastly is the section on violations and sanctions. This is simply information on how to report violations of any part of the AUP. Additionally, many AUPs have a page to be signed by students and/or parents saying that they understand the information in the AUP. In my district, they begin with reminding students that there is no expectation of privacy in regards to school and district computers. They also state privileges can be taken away at any time.