Internet Safety Tutorial & Agreement Information
- Internet Safety Laws
COPPA – A federal law, the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), was created to help protect kids younger than 13 when engaged in online activities. It's designed to keep anyone from getting a child's personal information without a parent knowing about it and agreeing to it first.
CIPA – The Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA) was enacted by Congress in 2000 to address concerns about children's access to obscene or harmful content over the Internet. CIPA imposes certain requirements on schools or libraries that receive discounts for Internet access or internal connections through the E-rate program – a program that makes certain communications services and products more affordable for eligible schools and libraries. In early 2001, the FCC issued rules implementing CIPA and provided updates to those rules in 2011.
What CIPA requires
Schools and libraries subject to CIPA may not receive the discounts offered by the E-rate program unless they certify that they have an Internet safety policy that includes technology protection measures. The protection measures must block or filter Internet access to pictures that are: (a) obscene; (b) child pornography; or (c) harmful to minors (for computers that are accessed by minors). Before adopting this Internet safety policy, schools and libraries must provide reasonable notice and hold at least one public hearing or meeting to address the proposal.
Schools subject to CIPA have two additional certification requirements: 1) their Internet safety policies must include monitoring the online activities of minors; and 2) as required by the Protecting Children in the 21st Century Act, they must provide for educating minors about appropriate online behavior, including interacting with other individuals on social networking websites and in chat rooms, and cyberbullying awareness and response.
Schools and libraries subject to CIPA are required to adopt and implement an Internet safety policy addressing:
Access by minors to inappropriate matter on the Internet;
The safety and security of minors when using electronic mail, chat rooms and other forms of direct electronic communications;
Unauthorized access, including so-called “hacking,” and other unlawful activities by minors online;
Unauthorized disclosure, use, and dissemination of personal information regarding minors; and
Measures restricting minors' access to materials harmful to them.
- Fall ISTA
WHAT HAPPENS AFTER THE SEPTEMBER 30 DEADLINE?
A process will start running each night that will identify students that have NOT completed the ISTA and their existing password will be changed. The next day, these students will need to have a teacher or office staff member use MOSIS to reset their password. The student will use the new MOSIS-generated password for the remainder of that day. Overnight, if that student still has not completed the ISTA, their password will again be changed, requiring the student to do the same process every day until they complete the ISTA.
*Note that this nightly reset model will also prevent students from logging into their District device and into District third-party utilized websites on Saturday and Sunday if not completed by Friday afternoon of that current week. This is unavoidable.
MORE ABOUT PASSWORDS
Student passwords are set to expire after 366 days, based upon when they last reset it. This cycle has not changed from last year. At login, (on Windows devices only) students will get notifications prior to the password expiration. Students must use a District network-connected PC to change their passwords. Chromebooks & Apple/Macintosh devices CANNOT be used to reset passwords.
- Netiquette Information
Previous versions of the ISTA included information about Netiquette, the correct or acceptable way of communicating on the Internet. That segment has been removed and included here for optional viewing.
- Plagiarism & Copyright Information
Previous versions of the ISTA included information about Plagiarism & Copyright. That segment has been removed and included here for optional viewing.