Adopted:          02/19/2007

363.4

School District of Prairie Farm

On-Line Course Policy

Access to the technology utilized by Prairie Farm School’s virtual courses imposes certain responsibilities and obligations. Appropriate use is ethical and honest and demonstrates respect for physical and intellectual property, system security protocols, individual rights to privacy and to freedom from intimidation, harassment, and unwarranted annoyance. Students enrolled in a virtual course promise to adhere to the follow behaviors.

1.      Use Prairie Farm Virtual School resources only for authorized purposes.

Students will respect the work and creativity of the authors of materials that are viewed on the Internet. Therefore, students will not copy files from the Internet for any other use other than for personal use, unless the site’s author explicitly states that the page may be copied indiscriminately.

2.      Use only legal versions of copyrighted software in full compliance with licensing agreements.

Students will respect the work and creativity of software developers and not download or duplicate licensed software. Students may download public domain programs and will pay for shareware programs. Students assume all risks in regard to programs that are public domain, shareware or licensed.

3.      Exercise responsible, ethical behavior.

The Internet is a global network of information. Available information ranges from useful and scholarly to incorrect, possibly plagiarized, and offensive. There are no gatekeepers or systems of censorship in place on the Internet. The district’s Internet policy regulates internet use.

4.      Respect individuals’ freedom from harassment.

Students will protect the privacy of classmates. Therefore, students will not publish any names, passwords, e-mail addresses, or other information pertaining to other students. Students understand that the Prairie Farm virtual courses require use of e-mail and newsgroups as a means of communication and learning and will, therefore, respect the technology as a means of instruction. Students will not use e-mail accounts as a means to harass people who use the Internet, including other virtual school students.

5.      Utilize the technology and the virtual format in a respectful manner. Students will not use the virtual network for financial gain or any commercial or illegal activity. Students will follow rules, written and unwritten, pertaining to Internet etiquette and communicate respectfully to all people. Students will not attempt to bypass security protocols on servers or workstations.

6.      Actions that constitute inappropriate use include, but are not limited to:

v     Use of a login or password other than the student’s without permission

v     Use of files or data other than the student’s without permission

v     Attempt to break into system operations of the network or servers

v     Attempt to decode or circumvent security protocols

v     Engage in activity that exposes the systems and residing information to any level of harm or danger

v     Make illegal copies of software

v     Use the virtual network, e-mail, newsgroups for non-educational purposes, harassment, or commercial venture

v     Engage in any activity that does not comply with the Acceptable Use Policy of the School District of Prairie Farm.

v     Engage in any activity that does not comply with the School District of Prairie Farm non-discriminatory policy

7.      Students who violate any part of this agreement or engage in any other activity which school authorities consider inappropriate will be subject to disciplinary action consistent with the Student Handbook and Prairie Farm School Board Adopted Policies. Discipline could include, but would not be limited to immediate suspension or termination of Internet access. Violations would be subject to consequences and disciplinary actions as set forth in the District Internet Use Policy.

Any attempt to break into or tamper with the system operations, including any student records or grades, will result in cancellation of privileges

By enrolling in this course students accept the terms of this Policy and acknowledge and hold harmless the School District of Prairie Farm for any injury or offense that may be suffered by accessing information on the Internet.

8.      School District of Prairie Farm will grant credit in accordance with district policies.

9.      On-line courses are approved for credit by the Board of Education consistent with any other instructional delivery. Therefore, all district policies related to academic honesty, participation and attendance will apply to on-line courses.

10.   A student has 14 days to drop the virtual course. A joint decision by the student, instructor, LEG, and/or school counselor will be made regarding the appropriateness of the course for the student.

11.   A student has up to 5 months to complete any course in which he/she has enrolled. The expiration date of enrollment is always 5 months (five months) from the date on which the student enrolled. However, the student may complete a course in as few as 35 days (thirty-five days). Note: Completion time is calculated from the date the first lesson is presented by the teacher.

Under extreme circumstances, a course may be completed in 21 days (twenty-one days). To complete a course in 21 days (twenty-one days), a written request from the parent or, in some cases, the supervisor is required.

12.  Students may enroll in a virtual course that meets the guidelines as set forth below.  The School District of Prairie Farm will fund the course enrolled by a student. Students who fail a virtual course will be required to reimburse the district for the full tuition. After failing a virtual course, if a student chooses to enroll in other virtual courses, he/she must provide the tuition prior to enrollment and will be reimbursed by the School District of ­­­Prairie Farm upon successful completion.

13.  THE SCHOOL DISTRICT OF PRAIRIE FARM HAS FINAL DECISION ON GRADES ISSUED TO STUDENTS TAKING ON-LINE COURSES.

14.  Guidelines for participation include, but are not limited to the following:

v     Students in need of advanced or specialized coursework

v     Students wanting to improve their skills in specific subject areas

v     Students with scheduling conflicts

v     Home bound students

v     Students who may not otherwise have a particular offering available

Students requesting individual courses that are available through the  traditional school will not be given priority unless extenuating circumstances exist.

DISCLAIMER

Any inappropriate use (subject to the District’s Internet policy) of the Internet is prohibited by the School District of Prairie Farm. Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, plagiarism, fabrication of information or citations, submitting work of another person or work previously used without informing the instructor and securing written approval, or tampering with the computer files and/or academic work of the other students. A student charged with academic dishonesty will be given oral or written notice of the charge by the instructor.

By participating in newsgroups, students agree to allow others access to their virtual course e-mail address.

As in any course of study, student success in on-line courses is dependent on the amount of attention given to each assessment, the application of study skills, the experiences brought to the course and the help received while taking the course. The School District of Prairie Farm encourages students to give each assessment consistent effort, seek assistance from the teacher regarding course content, and speak to the LEG and/or district tech support regarding technical problems.  The LEG provided by the School District of Prairie Farm is to be the resource person for other needs or questions.

CROSS REFERENCE.: 363.1 Computer Network/Internet Policy

                                        824    Internet Web Page Development