Our goal in providing the availability of access to the Internet is to promote educational excellence in the schools by facilitating resource sharing, innovation, and communication. Utilization of information on the Internet can provide students with access to ideas and information not readily available within a traditional classroom setting. It can improve teaching by providing teacher training, collaboration and dissemination of successful educational practices, methods, and materials.

Compliance Statement: The use of Internet in Billings Public Schools through any provider is considered a privilege, not a right. Users are required to comply with both the letter and spirit of this policy. Users of computer and network resources agree to operate in compliance with international, federal, state, and local laws. Violations will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis and corrective action will be taken according to the following factors: severity of the violation, damage incurred as a result of the violation, and whether previous violations have occurred. In order to maintain this policy and the integrity of the system, the Billings School Board retains the right to review material on their computer networks and to modify this policy at any time.

Liability Limits: Billings Public Schools does not control the content nor assume responsibility for information retrieved from the Internet. Billings Public Schools assumes no responsibility for costs or damages nor liability for copyright violations caused through inappropriate use of this service. Students may encounter material that users, parents, teachers, or administrators consider inappropriate or offensive. Use of such material is not condoned and it is the student's responsibility not to initiate access to this type of information. Users of the computer networks are expected to follow the Usage Guidelines which accompany this policy. Inappropriate use of the Internet by a student will result in disciplinary measures and possible revocation of access.

"Access to the network" refers to utilizing the School District's computers, Local Area Networks, and Internet gateways. Individual account holders will be responsible for information transmitted via that account, regardless of the user. Responsible use of the network includes activities sanctioned as reasonable and prudent. The following are examples of such activities:

using the network access as a research tool for classroom projects;

using electronic mail to communicate with other users;

using networks to access other computer systems in the pursuit of educational goals;

conforming to accepted etiquette practices, referred to as netiquette, on the Internet.

Examples of prohibited activities include, but are not limited to, the following:

using the network for any illegal activities;

using the network for non-school, commercial activities or the soliciting of individual account holders for commercial purposes;

using the network to transmit or access materials that are inappropriate in the educational environment or offensive to community standards (i.e. pornography, vulgar or racist material, etc.);

the use of vulgar or offensive language;

sending messages that are racist, inflammatory or demeaning to others, or that encourage illegal activities;

sending or receiving copyrighted materials without the permission of the copyright holder or reproduction beyond "fair use" as defined by the Fair Use provision in the Copyright Act;

logging on the network using another user's account without that user's permission;

disclosing personal home phone numbers and addresses of themselves or other users;

using any means to defeat security systems on any computer network or knowingly transmitting viruses;

changing files that belong to another user;

sending/using encryption technology to conduct activities deemed inappropriate;

posting images of others without their permission;

sending messages or other data anonymously;

participation in flame wars (inappropriate arguments pertaining to posted messages), mail bombs (purposefully tying up another user's mailbox by transmitting large, unnecessary files), pyramids, or chain letters.