Division of Program Support
NHEON > Office of Educational Technology > TECH PLAN GUIDE START

Policy and Procedure State and federal laws and policy requirements must also be addressed within the plan. These include, for example, the Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA), copyright use, and acceptable use policies. Below you will find information about these policy issues. Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA) CIPA is a federal law enacted by Congress in December 2000 to address concerns about access in schools and libraries to the Internet and other information. For any school or library that receives E-Rate discounts for Internet access or for internal connections, CIPA imposes certain requirements. In addition, districts applying for federal Enhancing Education Through Technology funds (NCLB Title II-D) must certify that they have complied with CIPA requirements. 1. Blocking and Filtering Measures Schools must have technology protection measures in place to block or filter Internet access, protecting against access by adults and minors to visual depictions that: (a) are obscene, (b) contain child pornography, or (c) with respect to use of computers with Internet access by minors, are harmful to minors. Such blocking measures may be disabled for adults engaged in bona fide research or other lawful purposes. CIPA does not require the tracking of Internet use by minors or adults. 2. Internet Safety Policy Schools must adopt and enforce Internet safety policies that address: (a) access by minors to inappropriate matter on the Internet and World Wide Web; (b) the safety and security of minors when using electronic mail, chat rooms, and other forms of direct electronic communications; (c) unauthorized access, including so-called "hacking," and other unlawful activities by minors online; (d) unauthorized disclosure, use, and dissemination of personal information regarding minors; and (e) measures designed to restrict minors' access to materials harmful to them. 3. Public Notice and Hearing School districts must provide reasonable public notice and hold at least one public hearing to address a proposed Technology Protection Measure and Internet Safety Policy. Copyright and Fair Use Districts should ensure that both staff and students are aware of copyright and fair use laws regarding digital content. References to observation of copyright laws should be included within their Acceptable Use Policy documents. Creating Acceptable Use Policies New Hampshire school districts are required by New Hampshire law (RSA 194:3-d) to have an acceptable use policy (AUP). 194:3-d School District Computer Networks I. Every school district which has computer systems or networks shall adopt a policy which outlines the intended appropriate and acceptable use, as well as the inappropriate and illegal use, of the school district computer systems and networks including, but not limited to, the Internet. II. All users of a school district's computer systems or networks who intentionally violate the district's policy and who intentionally damage the computer system or network shall assume legal and financial liability for such damage. For purposes of this section, "user" means any person authorized to access the school district's computer systems or networks including, but not limited to, the Internet.

ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS Ed 306 Minimum Standards for Public School Approval: Ed 306.04 Policy Development Ed 306.06 Culture & Climate Ed 306.14 Basic Instructional Standards E-RATE: Schools must certify that they have complied with the requirements of CIPA or that CIPA does not apply to them because they are receiving discounts for Telecommunications Services only. Links: American Association of School Administrators maintains a web page with links to several Internet Acceptable Use Policy samples University of Maryland has an excellent Copyright Information Site View More Resources...