Acceptable Use Policies (AUP's)

What is an AUP?

An AUP is a written agreement, signed by students, their parents, and their teachers, outlining the terms and conditions of Internet use for the safety and educational benefit of the students.

An AUP is an agreement between:

The School, which will provide instruction and facilities.

The Children, who argree to behave by certain rules, and by signing the agreement, they indicate they are aware of these rules.

The Parents, who explicitly state that they agree to let their child use the Internet at the school, and to take responsibility for what their child does on the Internet outside of classes, such as dialing up from home.

An AUP is a legal document. This means that you should get the school attorney to approve it before it is distributed for signing because:

It gets consent from parents to protect the school if an Internet-related incident occurs, such as an irate parent finding out their child has been visiting pornographic sites.

It paves the way for prosecution of vandalism and hacking, should it occur.

Parts may be illegal without your knowledge! Telecommunications law is constantly changing, and there are some surprizing laws.

For instance, if you suspect a particular child is hacking your system, it is not legal to read all of his or her email for proof; you are required to find a systematic, non-presumptive way of discovering these activities because that violates privacy. It is better to find these things out from your attorney than from a court case.

An AUP is complete, in that, it does not just contain the rules of behavior. It is a general statement of the school's position about Internet use, and should serve as such. Thus, it contains:

An explanation of why net access is beneficial in an educational setting. (This is mainly for the understanding of the parents, but also sets a general attitude towards net use in the school.)

Usage policies and guidelines, laying down the expected behavior.

It makes very clear the idea that net use is a privilege, not a right, and that this right may be revoked.

It states clearly what the penalties are for breaches in the expected behavior.

An AUP is broad in scope in that it addresses:

Social implications of net behavior, such as privacy issues and harassment.

Technical implications of net behavior, such as security and storage.

Physical implications of net behavior, such as vandalism in the lab.

An AUP is reasonable. It acknowledges (and takes into account in the penalties) that:

Some inappropriate material may not be the student's fault.

Until students (and parents and teachers) are familiar with the system, they may make some mistakes. (For instance, if the behavior

guidelines mandate that the user doesn't waste space on the server, then not knowing how to delete email messages may make it

seem that the user is wasting space as email messages accumulate.)

An AUP is adaptable. The Internet is constantly evolving, so:

Your AUP will need to be updated as new issues arise. Your AUP cannot anticipate every situation, so it should address the possibility that something could happen which is not outlined in the AUP elsewhere.

An AUP is unique to your school, because your students' Internet experience will vary depending on:

Your school's technical situation

People using the network

People maintaining the network

People teaching about how to use the network

People teaching with the network

Administrators

Finally, an AUP is Protection:

For the children, because following the rules will minimize their exposure to questionable materials, and prevent them from dangerous net behavior, such as giving out their name and address to strangers.

For the parents, because the AUP delineates how their children will learn and be supervised with respect to the Internet.

For you and your school, so you won't be held liable for irresponsible use of the net by one of your students.

Ten steps to writing an AUP

1. Know what an AUP is trying to accomplish (see above).

2. Read and critique as many AUP's as you can.

3. Draft an AUP by taking what you liked and discarding what you didn't.

4. Show it to your administrators. Get their reaction so the AUP describes the 'internet attitude' that the entire school wishes to take.

5. Show it to the network administrators, to be sure it is technically accurate and reasonable.

6. Rewrite and edit the AUP, incorporating suggestions by the administration and the gearheads. Make sure it is clear and concise, because no one will read a document that is long and convoluted. You may need to go back and show it to people again.

7. When you have a near-final draft, show it to an attorney. This is very important because no matter how good it sounds, it may be legally

ineffective, or worse, illegal. (See above.)

8. Incorporate the changes, and get final approval from the administration.

9. Print many copies, and have everyone read and sign it.

10. Finally, post it, both on your web page (if you have one), and physically in the labs. Having the agreement handy where people can

read it will help clarify the rules when there is a question of behavior.