The Grand Rapids Public Schools has made available to its students electronic technology. The use of this technology by students is a privilege and must fall within acceptable use as outlined in the rules. The district will monitor the use of the electronic technological system. A student's use may be revoked by the district at any time appropriate use is violated.
Staff will monitor student use of the electronic technological system, including the use of chat rooms, electronic mail, and other forms of direct electronic communications. In addition, the district will use a technology protection measure to filter Internet access. The technology protection measure will protect against access by adults and minors to visual depictions that are obscene, child pornography, or other content that is harmful to minors. The technology protection measure may be disabled for adults for instructional, research, or other lawful purposes.
New technologies or new applications of technology within the District shall be implemented only after careful and thorough planning on the part of administrative staff. Whenever the Board or a District administrator allocates funds for the purchase of new technological hardware or software, an appropriate portion of the funds allocated shall be designated for the training of staff and the development of necessary supplementary materials and documentation.
The Superintendent shall provide for the orderly acquisition of database software, information processing equipment, networks, and support materials to best use computer technology in support of District administrative functions. A student database shall be maintained which contains student administrative and instructional information. The Superintendent shall establish procedures that ensure the security, safety, and confidentiality of District or Personally Identifiable Information (PII) data. Access to District or PII data in any form, including use of the database by students, staff, and volunteers, shall be limited in accordance with the Board policies on District and student records. District databases shall be implemented in such a way as to facilitate access to subsets or aggregates of the data, which are not confidential.
The Superintendent shall ensure that all staff and students are informed and instructed on the ethical uses of data and computer technology.