ACCEPTABLE USE OF COMPUTERS AND NETWORK POLICY (rev. 4/2010)

The Oklahoma School for the Blind’s computer network exists to fulfill the school’s mission. The network will be used by administration, faculty, staff, and students to serve its clients. Successful network operation requires that all users conduct themselves in a responsible, ethical, and courteous manner.

The intent of this policy statement is to ensure that all uses of the network are consistent with the purpose of the school.  The policy does not attempt to articulate all required or prescribed behavior by its users.  The network is open in both implementation and spirit.  More constraining measures could and may be invoked, but they also would limit its usefulness. While we rely on each individual’s judgment of appropriate conduct, we wish to assist good judgment by offering the following general guidelines:

1.                  Each instance of network use must be in support of education and research and be consistent with the purpose of the school.

2.                  Any use of the OSB network for illegal purposes or in support of illegal purposes is prohibited.

3.                  Any use of the network for commercial purposes, product advertisement, or political lobbying is prohibited.

4.                  Only authorized users may access the network; no student may use another’s username/password or be logged on to more than one workstation at a time.

5.                  No use of the network shall serve to disrupt its use by others.

6.                  Any use of wireless equipment, instant messaging, chat, or private electronic mail , or any downloading, without express written permission is prohibited.

7.                  All wireless connections to the network must meet the same acceptable use guidelines as wired connections.

8.                  Users shall have no expectation of privacy while using the network. Administration reserves the right to filter all traffic for viruses and other malicious code, as well as for inappropriate content. Parents can request an investigation of their students’ email. All hardware, software, and information stored on the network are the express property of Oklahoma School for the Blind.

9.                  Any OSB network traffic that traverses another network may be subject also to that network’s acceptable use policy.

10.              Any communication and/or action that administration perceives as threatening the security or operation of the network, its hardware, or its software is prohibited.

11.              Administration will decide whether specific uses of the network are consistent with this policy on a case-by-case basis as necessary.