Internet Safety Resources
Acceptable Use Policies (AUP) Components
Acceptable Use Policies (AUP) in school districts are the guidelines and principles for the use of Internet, Web-based products, and computer access provided by school districts. An AUP is usually a written agreement signed by students, their parents/caregivers, and their teachers, outlining the terms and conditions for using technology-based devices maintained by schools and personal technology-based devices used during school hours on school property. The New York State Education Department recommends that school administrators include a written AUP agreement with students and teachers. AUPs help protect administrators, students, parents, and the Internet community from irresponsible, abusive or illegal activities. The links below provide a starting point to outline terms and conditions for AUP's to meet school and district needs.Founded in 1998, endorsed by the U.S. Congress, i-SAFE Inc is a non-profit foundation dedicated to protecting the online experiences of youth.
i-SAFE Acceptable Use Policies
Education World offers useful tools for educators faced with developing a workable AUP for their school's students:
Getting Started on the Internet: Developing an Acceptable Use Policy (AUP)- Example AUP's and related agreements adopted by educational institutions:
Filtering
Internet filters are software tools that can help monitor or restrict Web content viewed on computers or networks by controlling what is shown while a computer user is viewing pages. Filters are designed to provide protections from controversial online content by intercepting and blocking attempts to view particular web pages, with controls usually unable to be disabled except by an administrator. In addition to filtering content, Internet filters can also help manage with whom computer users can communicate and how long a computer may be used.
New York State Library, questions and answers for parents on filtering and safe and effective use of the Internet:
Kids and the Internet
Passed by Congress in December 2000, the Children's Internet Protection Act applies to all schools and libraries that receive E-rate discounts for Internet access and internal connections. On April 5, 2001, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued regulations regarding filtering for schools and libraries receiving non-telecommunications E-rate discounts:
The Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA)
The American Library Association has compiled comprehensive information about Internet filtering. Pages on the ALA site outline basic requirements of CIPA and offers information on various filtering systems and products:
Meeting CIPA Requirements with Technology
Cyberethics
Cyberethics refers to the code of behavior for using the Internet, to include honesty, respect for rights and property of others, consideration of others. "Cybercitizenship," "cyber ethics," and "netiquette" refer to responsible cyber social behavior. Cyber ethics is a critical component of Information Literacy teaching and learning, as mischevious or intentional misuse of computers can be dangerous and adversely affect individuals and organizations.
The following links provide additional information about cyberethics:
- The U.S. Department of Justice: U.S. Department of Justice, Computer Crime & Intellectual Property Section
- The U.S. Copyright Office comprehensive resources of copyright law and policies:
U.S. Copyright Office
- Characteristics of Bullying, Bullying Victims, and Schools Associated with Increased Reporting of Bullying to School Officials
U.S. DOE IES Regional Lab Report on research around 51 characteristics of bullying victimization, bullying victims, and bullying victims' schools to deter-mine which were associated with reporting to school officials.
- Edutopia's "Netiquette" provides guidelines for school-based netiquette education
and promoting good online behavior. Netiquette covers both common courtesy online and informal "rules of the road" in cyberspace.
Beyond Emily: Post-ing Etiquette -
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