A. Care and Maintenance

General precautions: Devices must remain free of any stickers, drawings, writings, or labels that are not the property of the Lexington City school district.

Only a clean, soft cloth should be used to clean the laptop screen; cleaners of any type should not be used. If the screen needs more cleaning than a dry cloth can offer, students should bring the device to the help desk.

Special caution should be used to not place excessive pressure or weight on the device.

Avoid eating or drinking while using the device and do not expose the device to extreme temperatures. Be cautious when using the device in an area where pets may damage the unit.

Be very careful to avoid bumping the device against corners, walls, lockers, floors, etc.

Carrying a device: Devices should be carried in the district-provided protective sleeve. Schools may also require the sleeved-device to be carried in a student’s backpack.

Storage: Each student is encouraged to take his/her device home each day. When not in use, devices should be stored in a safe and secure place. Do not leave devices in an unlocked locker or automobile.

Lost or stolen device: Families are responsible for returning the device in working order. Charges apply for any unit returned with damages or not returned at all. Third-party insurance is available against theft, burglary, or robbery during deployment. Families without this or other insurance will be billed for the full cost of replacement or repair.

Battery: Students are responsible for keeping the laptop battery charged for school each day.

File Management: Students must follow all advice given by teachers and technology coordinators at their school. Generally, all student data must be backed-up daily.

Pre-installed Software: Students are not allowed to load any new software, uninstall software, or add other applications without the approval of the school technology coordinator.

Personalization: Students should follow school-specific guidelines for personalization of district-issued protective sleeves or the device itself. Do not add any stickers or other identifying marks, without checking with the school first. In an attempt to give students age-appropriate personalization options, this matter is not handled on a district level. Never change the device settings, without approval from the school technology coordinator.

B. Technical Support

Repair: Parents, guardians, or students are not allowed to attempt repairs themselves or contract with any other individual or business to repair school owned equipment. All repairs will be performed by Lexington City Schools. Self-repair will void any manufacturer warranties and protection plans. Services offered by Tech Support personnel include log-in assistance, loaning devices, technical or software problem resolution, reporting website concerns, reporting devices as lost, stolen, or damaged, and more.

Replacement: Students with a district-issued device needing repair or replacement will receive one from the district surplus inventory. This process will be managed by the technology coordinator at each school. All responsibilities and guidelines for use will apply to the replacement device as well.

Damage Fees: Each incident of damage will be reviewed by the technology department and prices for damages and repair will be handled on an individual basis with the parent/guardian. All repairs must be made by school district staff and not a third party technician. Some repairs may be covered under the device warranty, but anything outside that cost will be covered by the parent/guardian.

C. Printing

The requirement to print will be limited for most students, but when needed, students can save files to cloud or external storage and print via devices at-home or other locations. District devices are configured to print to specific printers at school. No external printer drivers can be loaded on district devices.

D. Device Security and Safety

District-issued student devices are configured so that the student can login under his/her assigned network username and password.

In accordance with the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA), all devices reside on the district’s network. The district maintains an Internet content filter. Filtering, however, is not as reliable as adult supervision. Student Internet use on district-issued devices will be filtered through the district’s Internet content filter regardless of home or school use. There should be no expectation of privacy when using devices and curriculum resources. When students are either on campus or at home using school-provided devices, the filter kicks content back to our server. As needed, the filter can be programmed to add or remove blocks or allow additional content for educational purposes. Any attempts to bypass the filter or visit unacceptable sites constitute a violation of the RUP agreement. While it is impossible to predict with certainty what information on the internet students may access or obtain, school district personnel shall take every reasonable precaution to prevent students from accessing material and information that is obscene, pornographic, or otherwise harmful to minors, including violence, nudity, or graphic language that does not serve a legitimate pedagogical purpose. These procedures comply with board policy and the mandates of CIPA. LCS is not responsible for the content accessed by users who connect to the internet via their personal mobile technology.

When using school or district provided software or programs, special permission is required to post pictures or video that includes images of students. School district personnel follow strict guidelines to protect student privacy and all students and families should seek approval from school personnel to post video or pictures that include students. Parents should consider terms and conditions of use, as well as any legal responsibilities, before allowing photos, audio, or video of minors to be posted online when using any software or programs. We take student privacy seriously and so should you!

In accordance with district policy, cyberbullying is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. Students must not share their log-in information and passwords with other students, and students should not loan out a device or log in as someone else.

E. Parental Consent

The board recognizes that parents of minors are responsible for setting and conveying the standards their children should follow when using media and information sources. Accordingly, before a student may independently access the Internet, the student’s parents must be made aware of the possibility that the student could obtain access to inappropriate material while engaged in independent use of the Internet. The parent and student must consent to the student’s independent access to the Internet and to monitor the student’s e-mail and Blackboard communication by school personnel.

In addition, in accordance with the board’s goals and visions for technology, students may require accounts in third party systems for school related projects designed to assist students in mastering effective and proper online communications or to meet other education goals. Parental permissions will be obtained when necessary to create and manage such necessary third party accounts.

F. Privacy

No right of privacy exists in the use of technological resources. Users should not assume that files or communications accessed, downloaded, created, or transmitted using school district technological resources or stored on services or hard drives of individual computers will be private. School district administrators or individuals designated by the Director of Schools may review files, monitor all communication, and intercept e-mail messages to maintain system integrity and to ensure compliance with board policy and applicable laws and regulations. School district personnel shall monitor on-line activities of individuals who access the Internet via a school owned device.

Under certain circumstances, the board may be required to disclose such electronic information to law enforcement or other third parties, for example a response to a document production request in a lawsuit against the board, as a response to public records requests or as evidence of illegal activity in a criminal investigation.

G. Social Media and Personal Websites

LCS may use any means available to request the removal of information on personal websites or social media sites that substantially disrupt the school environment. No one may utilize school district or individual school names, logos, or trademarks or unapproved pictures or recordings without permission. LCS recognizes and communicates that it is unlawful to publicly post or share pictures or media of other individuals without the consent of parents for minors.

• Students

Though school personnel generally do not monitor students’ Internet activity conducted on non-school district devices during non-school hours, when the student’s online behavior has a direct and immediate effect on school safety or maintaining order and discipline in the schools, the students may be disciplined in accordance with board and school policy.

• Employees

Employees’ personal websites are subject to any and all regulations in the LCS Employee Code of Conduct.

A-Z QUICK TIPS for Device Users

Keep the device secure and damage free.
Protect the charger too – it is expensive to replace.
Do not loan out the device, charger, or cords.
Do not leave the device in any vehicle.
Do not leave the device unattended.
Do not have food or drinks in close proximity to the device.
Do not allow pets near the device.
Do not place the device on the floor or on a sitting area such as a chair or couch.
Do not leave the device near table or desk edges.
Do not stack objects on top of the device.
Do not leave the device outside.
Do not leave the device near pools or bathtubs.
Do not check the device as luggage at the airport.
Back up data and other important files regularly. LCS will at times perform maintenance on devices by imaging. All files not backed up to server storage space or other storage devices will be deleted during the process.
Ensure devices are fully charged prior to arriving at school each day.
Students should not deface, damage, or decorate their device in any way (i.e. marking, drawing, stickers, glitter, popping off keys).
Students are responsible for the care and cleaning of their laptop (cleaning screen and keyboard with a lightly damp cloth only and never using chemical cleaners on the laptop).
Students should use care when plugging things into their laptop.
The laptop should be completely closed when placed in a backpack.
Do not place devices and power adapters under soft items (like blankets). Doing so can cause these items to overheat and become damaged.
While on school grounds, devices are only to be used in classrooms or other designated areas.
Store devices safely when they are not in use.
Students must transport devices closed in their backpack, with the backpack completely zipped closed and with both shoulder straps secure on their shoulders.
Students should seek parental or teacher approval before posting or sharing photos or video of other students.
You will have the same device next year, so protect it as if it were your own.
Enjoy this wonderful resource! You are among a select few students who attend school districts offering a device to every student. Limitless learning begins with you, so take advantage of this opportunity to excel academically and become a good “digital” citizen.