LCS Technology Responsible Use Agreement

At Lakefield College School, we use a wide variety of technologies to support teaching and learning. Students, faculty, and staff are expected to use these resources, shared by the entire community, in a responsible, ethical and legal manner. The use of technology is for learning purposes such as research, communicating and working collaboratively with others, creating documentation of understanding, and many other possibilities. Technology assists students to improve their learning by enhancing the curriculum, providing instant access to the Internet and facilitating multiple learning styles.

This Responsible Use Agreement is provided to foster a culture of trust, citizenship, and learning, and to ensure the safety of our students, staff and the school’s computer systems. By providing guidelines for the responsible use of all available technology and information resources, our goal is to extend LCS’s healthy caring community into the digital realm. Access to these resources is a privilege and brings with it the need for responsible behaviour.

Everyone is expected to act with honesty and integrity in his/her dealings with others inside and outside of this community and to conduct himself/herself in a way that is representative of Lakefield College School’s values and membership of the school community. Adherence to these guidelines is an expectation of everyone in the community.

Network Etiquette

• I understand that LCS’s Harassment Policies as outlined in the School Life Guide apply to digital activities.
• I agree to respect the privacy of others. I will not read, delete, erase or modify another’s files; I will not reveal another’s personal information; and I will only use my own accounts.
• I agree to keep personal information about myself or others private, including family and friends (e.g. name, home address, telephone number) on the Internet or when using social networking sites such as Facebook or Twitter.
• I agree not to respond to any messages that are objectionable or make me feel uncomfortable. I will inform a teacher, staff member or supervisor immediately, if I come across such messages.
• I agree to only take, use or publish (in print, online or via social media) digital photographs, videos or audio recordings of people with their permission.
• I agree to work only in the account assigned to me and take responsibility for the activity in said account. I will use my real name in all activities associated with these resources. I will only share my LCS account password(s) with a member the Information Technology Department staff.
• I understand that email, online chatting and postings on social networks are public.  I understand that messages relating to, or in the support of, illegal and inappropriate activities will be reported to the administration. I understand that these actions that occur outside of the Lakefield College School Network can still have consequences outlined in this policy and in the Grove Commitment.
• I understand that all communications and information accessed through the LCS network are assumed to be the private property of Lakefield College School.
• I understand that files stored on a laptop, the LCS servers, or within Google docs using a school ID, are assumed to belong to LCS.
• I agree not to attach additional equipment to the school’s network.
• I agree not to access or download offensive, illicit or sexually explicit material. I will inform a teacher, staff member or supervisor immediately, if I am the recipient of such materials, links, dialogue, or information.
• I agree not to use peer-to-peer file sharing programs (such as Vuze, Limewire, Pirate Bay, etc.) as they are a significant drain on school resources, potential malware infection vectors and are not allowed.
• I agree not to attempt to circumvent the school's Internet firewall or filter.

Digital Conferencing

• I agree not to use a digital video conferencing service, such as Zoom, Google Meet, Cisco WebEx, Skype, Join.me, etc. to create or transmit material that is derogatory, defamatory, obscene, or offensive. Such material includes, but is not limited to, slurs, epithets, or anything that might be construed as harassment or disparagement based on race, colour, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, or religious or political beliefs.
• I agree not to use a digital video conferencing service to record any audio or video of students, faculty, or staff without permission from the student’s parent/guardian, an administrator or a faculty member with authority.
• I understand that I will be representing both myself and Lakefield College school while participating in a digital video conferencing service.
• I agree that, unless authorized, LCS provided digital video conferencing services should only be used for academic and School-initiated events and related purposes.
• I agree that, unless authorized, I may not share invitations or passwords to School-related video or audio meetings, with any individual or allow any individual not affiliated with the School to participate in those meetings.
• I agree that I will not post or share School related video or audio meetings on social media.
• I understand that any digital video conferencing services should be used in accordance with the service provider’s terms of use. I agree to review, and be in agreement with, their terms by visiting the service provider’s website, prior to its use.
• I agree that the conference assisting devices, such as cameras and microphones may capture my surroundings. I will ensure to protect and secure my environment before my participation in such digital meetings. I agree to also inform any individuals present around me to be aware of such devices, and their ability to capture video and audio from my surroundings.
• I agree that any use of LCS media, logo, image, documents, pre-recorded conversations, in video, audio, print, or digital media is prohibited, unless accompanied by a prior authorization from School’s administration.

Prohibited Activities

• I agree not to use the network for any illegal activities.
• I agree not to use the network or technology resources for financial or commercial gain.
• I agree not to degrade or disrupt the equipment or interfere with its operation; this includes the importation or creation of computer viruses, keylogger software or attempts to change the configuration of any software on the school network.
• I agree not to use the school’s technology to create, print, or distribute material that is inappropriate, malicious, or wasteful.
• I agree not to post, distribute, or use without permission or proper credit material that was created by someone else.
• I will respect the copyright laws of Canada and the province of Ontario; I agree to only download or store on my computer copyrighted music, software or video files for which I have paid.
• I understand that plagiarism (presenting the work of others’ as my own) will not be tolerated. Accountability is outlined in the Academic Honesty Policy.

Inappropriate Use

• I understand that incidents of inappropriate use involving members of the LCS community, such as cyber bullying, even those that occur off-campus, may have accountabilities as outlined in this Responsible Use Agreement and The Grove Commitment.
• I agree that, at all times, I will use the school technologies in compliance with all other school policies. Such policies include without limitation, the Grove Commitment, Privacy Policy, Academic Honesty, Social Media Guidelines and the Harassment policies.

Use of Personal Electronic Devices on School Network

• I agree to secure my device with a password.
• I understand that any time I access the LCS network, even on my own device, I am accountable for following the school policies such as this Responsible Use Agreement, the Harassment Policy, the Academic Honesty Policy, Social Media Guidelines and Privacy Policy.
• I understand that all activity on the school’s network is monitored, logged, and audited and I am accountable for any deviations from this Responsible Use Agreement that occur from my personal device(s).

Specific Accountabilities for Students

Breaking faith with this agreement could result in the following accountabilities:

• supervised use of technology by an LCS employee
• loss of BYOD privileges
• Saturday study
• a referral to the Standards Committee with the potential recommendation of being asked to Reaffirm Commitment to the School.
• Formal reprimand
• Required to leave the Lakefield College School community

Specific Accountabilities for Staff

Breaking faith with this agreement could result in the following accountabilities:

• Direct supervisor along with Human Resources will be informed
• Formal reprimand
• Required to leave the Lakefield College School community

Note: All information and communication technologies accessible on Lakefield College School’s network should not be regarded as private. It is important to understand that the Information Technology Department in conjunction with the school’s administration reserves the right to inspect private computer files, school email accounts and to monitor Internet activities at any time in its sole discretion or if it has reasonable grounds to believe that any violation of these guidelines or any other school guidelines may be occurring. If, despite the above listed guidelines, a student, parent, or staff member is unclear as to what constitutes permissible behaviour, he/she should ask a staff member of the Information Technology Department.

Despite all reasonable efforts, Lakefield College School makes no warranties of any kind, whether expressed or implied, for the monitoring of school technologies to ensure that our network services will be free of inappropriate or offensive content. Use of any information obtained via the Internet is at the student’s own risk. Lakefield College School is not responsible for the accuracy or quality of information obtained through its network services.