Technology Safety Information for Families

The school district stores most student records in the Skyward Student information System. Certain authorized school district staff are provided access to these records to update and maintain them. Access is also provided to families and in some cases to students. Please be sure you and your student select good passwords to protect this valuable information.

In our schools, we promote digital citizenship, which is good digital practices. Students are coached during their school career regarding practices and behavior that constitutes responsible usage of technology and digital resources.

Internet access by young people can be more productive and safer if access occurs with the support of a caring adult. Just as school internet access is arranged so the classroom teacher can be aware of student’s activity, there is benefit to keeping an eye on our young ones that are using this resource that contains more than kid-friendly material. Please encourage your student to report to you anything about their usage that does not feel “right”.

All students in grades 6 - 12 are issued a school laptop that can go home. That laptop contains a “filter” that can block access to most objectionable material, however no filter can capture every single occurrence. Please encourage your student to work from the device in an area where they can be observed periodically. Similar web filters can be purchased for other computers within your home and can provide added protection to keep your student on track.

All students in the district are provided a school email address. Elementary students can only email internally and cannot reach outside the walls of the district while secondary students can. The school district has the ability to investigate claims of inappropriate usage for the district email address.

If you provide your student a personal email address, once your student changes it’s password, you may no longer have access to it to review it. Some students may open their own email accounts that you won’t know about, nor have access to. This is another reason to keep computer usage in the open.

Email addresses should be monitored by you whenever possible to look for inappropriate usage. Email addresses can be used communicate with any other person your student wishes. While digital citizenship coaching will help students understand their usage, it is important to remain engaged with your student as they lack the skills to determine who and what is real.

Social Media helps to connect us in powerful ways. Some common platforms are Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Whats App. Consider being part of your student’s communities. Some families retain access to their accounts as a condition of their access. Students need our support as they navigate the digital world so it's important to check in with your student regarding their online life.

Some parents supply their student with technology items, like cell phones. Different schools and teachers have different policies on how these devices can be used in a classroom. These devices provide full internet access, often totally controlled by the student, not the school's internet filter. Please consider setting standards with your student for how much time and what kind of access they will receive. Most cellular providers have an add-on service to allow parents to filter the internet content their student can receive. The service may also allow you to have control over the device.