Acceptable Internet Use Policy
St Paul’s Secondary School Mission Statement
St. Paul’s Secondary School provides an inclusive climate of learning based on the key value of respect within a nurturing and stimulating educational setting.
We are a secondary school of the community for the community. Each student is expected to strive to fulfil his or her potential. Each person is encouraged to develop personally, academically, spiritually, socially and culturally.
“When we aspire, believe and achieve, together we can succeed.”
St Paul’s Secondary School Ethos
St. Paul’s Secondary School is a Catholic voluntary co-educational secondary school under the Trusteeship of the Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin. St Paul’s is a welcoming and inclusive school. It is the secondary school of the community, for the community. It is the natural extension of the family with brothers and sisters, neighbours and relations learning, sharing and growing together.
The school strives to maintain and promote an atmosphere of Christian care, concern and respect where our students grow into well-adjusted men and women. The school has a strong Christian tradition, in which the Sisters of Mercy have had, and continue to have, an important role.
Inbuilt structures and procedures in the daily life of the school offer the students opportunities to develop personal initiative and responsibility, together with a questioning mind, which will help them assess, with a critical eye, the wide and varied values of the world they live in today. In school they also learn the importance of personal commitment, punctuality, regular attendance, planning for the future and working as a team.
At St Paul’s the holistic development of each student is supported, promoted, encouraged and celebrated. On completion of their education students will be prepared for life, further education, work and the varied and exciting challenges of adult life.
In preparation for life, students at St Paul’s will be taught essential habits, skills and values. Christian values and the key principles of “respect” and “doing one’s best” will remain central to what we are and all we do.
Through its curriculum, teachers and timetable, the school will provide a comprehensive education for its students. Subjects will be offered at all levels and programmes and specific courses of study will be tailored to the students’ needs. A wide range of additional academic opportunities will be afforded to students. Support, advice and guidance on further education and careers will be extensive.
Through its unique atmosphere, the school will help students develop into well-adjusted men and women. Through its pastoral care and guidance, students and their families will be supported through difficult times. The provision of physical education, sports and the promotion of healthy living will remain paramount. Through extra-curricular, subject and programme related activities students will have many opportunities to showcase their talents, perform or experience the arts. The School Charter sets out the conditions and the expectations for all the school partners to achieve St Paul’s Mission Statement through the school ethos.
Acceptable Internet Use Policy
The aim of this Acceptable Use Policy is to ensure that pupils will benefit from learning opportunities offered by the school’s Internet resources in a safe and effective manner. Internet use and access is considered a school resource and privilege. Therefore, if the school AUP is not adhered to this privilege will be withdrawn and appropriate sanctions – as outlined in the AUP – will be imposed.
It is envisaged that school and parent representatives will revise the AUP annually. Before signing, the AUP should be read carefully to ensure that the conditions of use are accepted and understood.
This version of the AUP was created on 1-12-2004 by B.O.M. St. Paul’s Secondary School; Monasterevin.
School’s Strategy
The school will employ a number of strategies in order to maximise learning opportunities and reduce risks associated with the Internet. These strategies are as follows:
General
Internet sessions will always be supervised by a teacher.
Filtering software and/or equivalent systems will be used in order to minimise the risk of exposure to inappropriate material.
The school will regularly monitor pupils’ Internet usage.
Students and teachers will be provided with training in the area of Internet safety.
Uploading and downloading of non-approved software will not be permitted.
Virus protection software will be used and updated on a regular basis.
The use of personal floppy disks or CD-ROMs in school requires a teacher’s permission.
Students will observe good “netiquette” (i.e., etiquette on the Internet) at all times and will not undertake any actions that may bring the school into disrepute.
World Wide Web
Students will not visit Internet sites that contain obscene, illegal, hateful or otherwise objectionable materials.
Students will use the Internet for educational purposes only.
Students will be familiar with copyright issues relating to online learning.
Students will never disclose or publicise personal information.
Students will be aware that any usage, including distributing or receiving information, school-related or personal, may be monitored for unusual activity, security and/or network management reasons.
Students will use approved class email accounts under supervision by or permission from a teacher.
Students will not send or receive any material that is illegal, obscene, defamatory or that is intended to annoy or intimidate another person.
Students will not reveal their own or other people’s personal details, such as addresses or telephone numbers or pictures.
Students will never arrange a face-to-face meeting with someone they only know through emails or the internet.
Students will note that sending and receiving email attachments is subject to permission from their teacher.
Internet Chat
Students will only have access to chat rooms, discussion forums or other electronic communication forums that have been approved by the school.
Chat rooms, discussion forums and other electronic communication forums will only be used for educational purposes and will always be supervised.
Usernames will be used to avoid disclosure of identity.
Face-to-face meetings with someone organised via Internet chat will be forbidden.
School Website
Pupils will be given the opportunity to publish projects, artwork or school work on the World Wide Web.
The publication of student work will be co-ordinated by a teacher.
Pupils’ work will appear in an educational context on Web pages with a copyright notice prohibiting the copying of such work without express written permission.
Digital photographs, audio or video clips of individual students will not be published on the school website. Instead photographs, audio and video clips will focus on group activities. Video clips may be password protected.
Personal pupil information including home address and contact details will be omitted from school web pages.
Pupils will continue to own the copyright on any work published.
Legislation
Information on the following legislation relating to use of the Internet which teachers, students and parents should familiarise themselves with:
Data Protection (Amendment) Act 2003:
ChildTrafficking and Pornography Act 1998:
www.irishstatutebook.ie/1998_22.html
Video Recordings Act 1989:
www.irishstatutebook.ie/1989_22.html
Support Structures
The school will inform students and parents of key support structures and organisations that deal with illegal material or harmful use of the Internet.
Sanctions
Misuse of the Internet may result in disciplinary action, including written warnings, withdrawal of access privileges and, in extreme cases, suspension or expulsion. The school also reserves the right to report any illegal activities to the appropriate authorities.