5915 LEWIS DRIVE SW, CALGARY, AB T3E 5Z4 | P 403.282.2890 F 403.282.2896 | CONNECTCHARTER.

CA

Connect Charter School Acceptable Use Policy 2014/2015

Rationale
The Personalized Learning Initiative at Connect Charter School is intended to provide students
with 24-7 access to laptop/iPad technology. Ubiquitous computing, such as the personalized
learning project at Connect, is becoming known for the positive effect it has on teaching and
learning. The project reinforces the development of the ethics that are required in a digital
world and demands a close partnership between families and the school to ensure that the
technology is being used effectively and appropriately in all venues, at all times.
Rules and Appropriate Usage
The laptops/iPads issued to students are the property of Connect Charter School; the issue of
technology to each student is a privilege, not a right. This privilege can be revoked. Before
students are permitted to take the laptops home, students and parents or guardians must
attend an orientation session, sign this acceptable use policy, sign the Connect Technology
Insurance Agreement as well as provide payment to the school for insurance coverage and
obtain a copy of the take home procedures for the personalized learning initiative.

Students are responsible for appropriate behavior when using school technology, just as they
are in a classroom, on a bus or in the school hallways. General school rules and expectations
apply to the use of the laptops, both at home and within the school.

The following rules apply to the use of the computer technology of Connect, including the
laptops/iPads. Students will not:

Send or display offensive messages or pictures
Use obscene language
Harass, insult or attack others, either through email, personal websites or any
other electronic means
Damage or modify computers, computer systems, software, or computer
networks
Install any new software, or modify or delete any existing software
Delete or modify browser history
Trade any hardware devices with another student
Remove any identification markings, such as ID stickers, from any device
Violate copyright laws
Use anothers ID / password
Plagiarize
2
Intentionally waste limited resources, such as paper, printer toner, digital storage
space, and network bandwidth
Employ the network for commercial purposes
Use school hardware, software or network services to spam people and/or
organizations through email

Responsibilities
By signing this agreement, students and parents or guardians agree to:

Submit their laptop/iPad to school authorities upon request. Such a request may be
made in order to ensure laptops do not contain any unapproved software or files, as well
as to check browser histories and caches.
Return their laptop/iPad to the school over the summer for regular maintenance and
upgrading. The process of upgrading will entail reformatting the hard drive.
Performing ongoing backups to protect student work.
Annually back up student files prior to the summer maintenance; any files left on the
laptops/iPads will be erased over the summer.
Accept monitoring of student usage of the laptops/iPads at any time, when requested
by school personnel (teachers or administration). Monitoring includes the use of
administrative controls (Apple Remote Desktop) so that at any time school personnel
may look at what a student has on their computer and may actually freeze it or even
remotely take over the student's computer; school personnel may request access to the
browser history and/or caches as well as any and all files belonging to the student
resident on the laptop as well as stored on Connect servers. Students and parents need
to be aware that files stored locally on the laptop/iPads or on school servers are not
private.
Charge their laptops/iPads overnight each night to ensure that they are fully charged for
classes the next day. Just as students are expected to be prepared for class by having
all required materials, students must have a charged laptop available to them at the start
of each day.
Protect the laptops from damage and theft. Required precautions include the use of the
protective sleeve when transporting the laptop/iPads to and from school, using the
charging cart when the laptops are not being used while in the school, not leaving the
laptops/iPads anywhere where they might be stolen or damaged, and following the
directives of school personnel regarding proper care and maintenance.
The laptop will remain off and in the protective case while being transported to and from
the school. The laptop will not be used in any moving vehicle. This includes family
vehicles, school buses, public transit
Parents must get school permission if they plan to take the laptop outside of the City of
Calgary.
In the case of damage or theft of the laptop or AC power adaptor, parents or guardians
will pay the deductible as set out in the Connect laptop insurance program. If the
damage is wanton, willful, or occurred because the Acceptable Use Policy or Take
Home Procedures were not followed, the parents or guardians will pay the full
replacement cost of the laptop and/or AC power adaptor.
o Wanton will be considered undue care or attention to property
3
o Willful will be considered done deliberately
If the student damages hardware (AC power adaptors, cords, cables) and chooses to
replace them on their own, they must be replaced by Apple approved products and not
3
rd
party replacements.

Consequences for Breaches of this Acceptable Use Agreement
In the event a student breaches any part of this acceptable use agreement, there will be
consequences imposed by the school. Each situation will be considered independently and
consequences will range from a discussion about the rules and expectations regarding laptop
usage, to a complete withdrawal of access to all computer technology.

After reading the above-stated rules with your child, please sign the form below and return it to
school.


User Agreement and Parent Permission Form
As a user of the Connect Charter School computer network and recipient of an Apple MacBook
or iPad, I hereby agree to comply with the above stated rules and responsibilities, while
honouring all relevant laws and restrictions.

Students Name (PRINT) _________________________________________

Students Signature ______________________________________________

Homeroom _______________

Date _____________________

As the parent or legal guardian of the minor student signing above, I grant permission for the
student named to access networked computer services and school computer hardware. I
understand that I may be held liable for violations. I understand that some materials on the
Internet may be objectionable, but I accept responsibility for guidance of Internet use setting
and conveying standards for the student named to follow when selecting, sharing, or exploring
information and media.

Parent/ Guardian Signature ________________________________________

Date ____________________