ETHICAL USE OF TECHNOLOGY

Students at Blackstone Millville Regional Schools understand that technology must be used in ethical ways that promote a respectful, nurturing and supportive environment. As such, students are expected to use technology in compliance with BMRSD's Technology Program Policy and Procedures. The use of technology to harm, demean, or to create a hostile learning environment for others will not be tolerated.

1:1 DEVICES AND STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES

Blackstone Millville Regional High School provides Chromebooks for student use throughout their four years at BMRHS. Once issued, the device becomes the responsibility of the student. Students will be expected to return their device in good working order, free from damage prior to commencement during their senior year. No permanent skins or stickers should be applied to the device. The device remains the property of the Blackstone Millville Regional Schools and the school reserves the right to periodically inspect devices (including the contents of devices) throughout the school year. Students should not have an expectation of privacy in the school-provided Chromebook or its contents.

It is expected that each student brings their device to school each day fully charged. Students should clearly label their device so that it may be easily identified. It is recommended that students purchase a protective case for the Chromebook.

INSURANCE

Insurance for school-issued devices will be covered by the district for those students whose graduation year falls through 2021-2026. For students graduating in 2020 purchasing insurance is strongly recommended, but not required, however, if insurance is not purchased there is a fee of $200.00 for a replacement device if it is lost, stolen or damaged. Please use this link to purchase insurance: https://www.worthavegroup.com/portal/bmrsdma

OPT-OUT

Students may elect to opt out of the school's 1:1 program, but will be responsible for providing their own electronic device each day. Electronic devices must comply with the following requirements:

> Ability to access wifi network.
> Access full web-browsing capabilities via the Google Chrome Browser, including Google
Drive & all Google Applications.
> Have a cover or case that can be closed at a staff member's direction.
> Have full-day charge capability.
> Smartphones are not recommended

Students who elect to opt into the technology program understand that content on personal devices that are brought into school or access the schools network must comply with the Technology Policy and violations of this policy may be subject to disciplinary action.

PARENT SIGN-OFF

All students attending BMRSD must have a parent complete this form, at which time the parent will indicate whether or not the student will participate in the Technology program, and agree to the policies governing the use and responsibility for the Chromebooks, or if the student will opt-out of the program and provide his or her own device for school purposes.
Parents should review the BMRSD Technology Program Policy and Procedures with their child prior to completing this form. The Technology Program Policy and Procedures can be found here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1MIKcE2-VTMkMhq1oS9LPdZniTi7XeJCehgIbCOePo6I/edit?usp=sharing

Google Educational Accounts

Each student will be provided with a free Google account that provides access to Gmail, Calendar, Google Drive and Google Applications such as Docs, spreadsheets and others. The accounts provided are educationally based accounts and privacy rights are protected to a greater degree than with google accounts available to the public. To read more about Google privacy rights for educational accounts, click the link below

http://www.google.com/edu/privacy.html

It is important that students remember that the google account provided to them is for educational use and remains the property of the Blackstone Millville Regional Schools. As such, students may not use the account for purposes that do not comply with the Responsible Use Policy or the code of conduct.

GMAIL

Each student is provided with a Gmail account for school use. This will be the only account that will be used for communication among students and staff at BMRSD. Students are expected to check their email account daily to ensure they remain up to date with all communications. Parents who wish to monitor communications for their student should request the password to the google account from their child. Parents will continue to receive communications from the school through the regular email account that each parent provided to the school which is visible in the Aspen Portal.

CONTENT FILTERING

Blackstone Millville Regional Schools employs a content filtering system that is applied to all computers in the school that access the network which limits students’ access to content inappropriate for educational purposes. This same system is applied to all Chromebooks while students are at school and at home. Any attempt by a student to bypass this system will be considered a violation of the Technology Policy and may result in disciplinary action. Students who opt-out of the 1:1 program will not have content filtering available to them when not using the school’s network.

TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE

Blackstone Millville Regional School District has a student technology help desk available to students throughout the day in the Library Media Center. Assistance is available before and after school as staffing allows. Students who experience problems with Chromebooks should seek help from the Chromebook Technology Help Desk located in the Library. If an issue is unable to be resolved, a tech support specialist can escalate the problem to the Technology Department. The school stocks a limited number of Chromebooks for loan in the event of a technical problem, but these items are not intended for use by students who forget to bring Chromebooks to school.