INTERNET ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY

ACCEPTABLE USE:

Wynberg Girls’ High School network is to be used in a responsible and legal manner.  Learners are expected to use the Internet for the following purposes:

• Direct educational purposes
• Accessing information for private interests and hobbies
• Constructive communication with other Internet users

UNACCEPTABLE USE:

Personal Safety

• You will not post personal contact information about yourself or other people.
• You will not agree to meet anyone you have met online without your parent’s approval.
• You will promptly disclose to your teacher any message you have received that is inappropriate or makes you feel uncomfortable. You will not show or send this message to another learner.

Illegal Activities and System Security

• You will not attempt to gain unauthorised access to the Internet or any other computer system through the WGHS network.
• You will not use any other learner’s account or access any other learner’s files.
• You will not make any deliberate attempt to disrupt the computer system or destroy data by spreading computer viruses or by any other means.
• You will not give your password to another person.

Inappropriate Language – for public or private messages

• You will not use any obscene, profane, lewd, vulgar, inflammatory, threatening, racist, sexist, satanistic, impolite or disrespectful language.
• You will not engage in personal attacks, including prejudicial or discriminatory attacks.
• You will not harass another person.  Harassment is persistently acting in a manner that distresses or annoys another person.  If you are told by another person to stop sending messages to him or her, you must stop.

Respect for Privacy

• You will not forward a message that was sent to you privately without the permission of the person who sent you the message.
  s You will not post information of any nature about another person.

Inappropriate Access to material

• You will not use the Internet to access material that is profane, obscene or sexually explicit (pornography), or that advocates violence or discrimination towards other people.
• If you mistakenly access inappropriate information, you must immediately tell your teacher.

Plagiarism and Copyright infringement

• You will not plagiarise works that you find on the Internet.  Plagiarism is taking the ideas that you find on the Internet and presenting them as if they were yours.
• You will respect the rights of copyright owners.  Copyright infringement occurs when you inappropriately reproduce work that is protected by a copyright.

Respecting Resource Limits

• You may not download any file/music file or programme from the Internet without the permission of the teacher in charge of the Computer room.
• You will not post chain letters or engage in spamming.  Spamming is sending a message to a large number of people.
• You may not send any e-mail to the global list of learners and staff at WGHS or WBHS.
• You will not participate in CHAT, Listservs, Bulletin Boards, Telnet, SMS or similar activities without staff permission
• The Internet is not to be used for playing games.
• Storage capacity is at a premium and pupils are to conserve space by deleting unnecessary e-mail or other material which takes up excessive storage space.

COMPUTER ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY

Computers at Wynberg Girls’ High School are specifically for educational purposes.  The equipment represents a great financial investment.  Learners are expected to respect the staff and unruly behaviour will not be tolerated.

When in the Computer Labs, learners must:

• only use the internet when asked to do so by their teachers.
• not listen to music files without permission from the teacher.
• not use e-mail facilities during lesson time unless instructed to by their teachers.
• not change screen savers / backgrounds or change settings on any machines.
• not play games on their computers during lesson time unless the games are part of the teaching programme and have been required by the teacher as class activity.
• not eat or drink in the computer labs or bring any form of food or liquid into the labs.
• obey the Computer Monitors who are on duty at the time.
• not use or ask to use computers in a Lab when a lesson, other than their own, is in progress.

Printing:

Learners will have to pay for printing at 50c per Black and white page and R5-00 per colour page.  All learners will be credited with R 10-00 in their printing account (Computer Studies learners – R20-00).  Learners will have to pay for extra printing by paying a minimum of R10-00 to the Computer Centre Manager at least 24 hours in advance.  All printing must have the learner’s name, class and tutor group clearly displayed.

GENERAL

The use of the Computers and the Internet is a privilege and not a right, and may be revoked if abused.  Each learner has full responsibility for her account and anything that is sent from or stored in that account.  The learners are expected never to access, keep or send anything that they would not like their parents or teachers to see.  Accordingly, if a teacher suspects that a learner is using a machine for purposes other than educational during school time, that teacher will be entitled, and indeed expected, to intervene and inspect the contents of the machine to determine whether the facility has been or is being used for a purpose which is contrary to school policy.  The Principal (or her appointed delegate) has the right to investigate the e-mail and account of any learner who, in their opinion, might be transgressing the rules or the spirit of this Acceptable Use Policy.

Consequences of violating the Acceptable Use Policy:

• Suspension of Computer access
• Revocation of computer access
• Suspension of Internet access
• Revocation of Internet access
• Other disciplinary action by the school and School Governing Body
• Legal action and prosecution by the authorities.

WYNBERG GIRLS’  HIGH SCHOOL

PARENT PERMISSION FORM and LEARNER  AGREEMENT