Running Head: CRITIQUE OF ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY

Critique of Acceptable Use Policy

Tracy Hinton
The University of Alabama
AIL 603
Fall 2014

CRITIQUE OF AUP

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Critique of Acceptable Use Policy

An effective Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) is one of the most important documents that a
school system develops, as it describes the correct procedures and rules that govern the use of the
information networks for students and educators. According to the National Education
Association, an effective AUP should contain the following six elements:

a preamble,

a definition section,

a policy statement,

an acceptable uses section,

an unacceptable uses section, and

a violations/sanctions section.

In addition, a well-written AUP concentrates on conscientious use of computer networks,

including the Internet, and access and broadcasting of information to K-12 classrooms and the
media center (Peterson, n.d.). The Childrens Internet Protection Act (CIPA), which is the main
federal law that affect the instructional use of digital media, requires school districts to have in
place an effective Internet safety policy. By using thoughtful research and planning, a workable
Acceptable Use Policy can be developed that balances freedom and responsibility in order to
ensure that students and educators have established guidelines that will ensure the proper use of
the network.
In my new position as Career Technologies Middle School Teacher in the Tuscaloosa
County School System (TCSS), I value the opportunity to learn more about the Acceptable Use
Policy that is enforced for students and teachers. While I have reviewed the policy and only
allowed students that had returned it to access the Internet, I am curious to determine if the

CRITIQUE OF AUP

Acceptable Use Policy will be in compliance with national and state guidelines for
telecommunications and electronic information resources. Approved on 6/21/2012, the TCSS
has two separate AUP policies one for students and one for employees. Each August, all
Internet users in the school are required to read and sign the appropriate policy before accessing
the Internet via the schools network. While these signed permission forms include a few details,
the actual AUP can be found on the district website in the online Student Code of Conduct.
Consisting of 22 pages, the AUP is quite detailed and contains extraneous information such as
purchasing guidelines and disposal of outdated electronic equipment. Since this information is
not contained in the Student Code of Conduct booklet, I feel quite certain that few students and
parents have read the systems AUP policy in its entirety.
In the TCSS AUP, a clear policy statement tells which services are covered by the AUP
and the circumstances under which students can use the provided services. As stated in the AUP,
the primary goal is to support the educational and instructional endeavors of students and
employees. As it further states, Use of any and all technology resources is a privilege and not
a right. While this policy is broad, it effectively covers the use of technology, which includes
equipment, personal devices, and access to Internet services both for instructional and
educational purposes. Certainly this policy statement could be more specific, but it adequately
encompasses the necessary information.
Much to my surprise, the AUP lacks both a preamble and a definition section. Instead, it
contains a purpose and an introduction. As the first section states, The purpose of the
Tuscaloosa County School System is to provide an effective, challenging, and engaging
education for all students. That is an admirable goal, but it does not meet the qualifications of a
preamble. Instead, the introduction provides general information about the AUP and explains

CRITIQUE OF AUP

that the remaining sections, which are more specific guidelines, serve as appendices to the AUP.
A more effective preamble explains why the policy is needed, its goals, and the process of
developing the policy (Education World, 2014). Although the AUP contains much technical
language, there is no definition section that explains key terms in the policy.
In the TCSS AUP, the Access and Usage section serves as the acceptable uses section,
as it details the various ways in which appropriate uses of technology must take place. In 11
categories, individuals are provided specific guidelines that include security, BYOD, e-mails,
viruses, spamming, user accounts, software, hardware, peripherals, storage of documents (both
hosted sites and external devices), etc. This section also includes a disclosure statement: Users
of the TCSS technology must be aware that the TCSS cannot assume any liability arising from
the illegal or inappropriate use of technology resources. In addition, all technology uses must
abide by guidelines in the Employee Handbook and/or the Student Code of Conduct.
In a detailed section, the TCSS AUP provides numerous examples of inappropriate uses
of technology, both for students and employees. Such inappropriate uses include using another
persons password, trespassing in another persons files, misusing network drives, downloading
or copying software onto personal devices, harassing or insulting others, damaging or abusing
technology resources, intentional wasting of resources, and accessing inappropriate materials
stored on flash drives, external storage, or personal devices. Other examples include attempting
to bypass the Internet filter to access blocked websites, sending offensive messages or pictures,
participating in inappropriate chat groups, posting false or damaging information about a person,
plagiarizing materials, violating copyright laws, using technology for personal gain, streaming
audio or video not related to educational purposes, and using resources to create illegal material.

CRITIQUE OF AUP

While more inappropriate uses of technology are explained in this section, it appears to be a
comprehensive list that includes a wide variety of misuses of technologies and resources.
While the Acceptable Uses Policy does not include a violations/sanctions section, the
TCSS Technology Acceptable Usage Agreement Form includes clear guidelines for breaking
these rules. In this form that is signed by students and parents each year, the disciplinary actions
for inappropriate technology uses include the following: Loss of access to any technology
resources and additional disciplinary action deemed appropriate at a specific school by
school staff and/or legal action when applicable. In addition, the agreement form allows for
parents to opt in or out for separate technology uses for students, including use of Internet,
having picture or student work published on TCSS site (or on other websites), using personal
e-mail account, and allowing personal devices (BYOD) at school.
According to my review, the TCSS AUP contains clear, updated, and relevant information
that is comprehensive for all types of technology uses. Both students and employees can clearly
understand the expectations and appropriate uses of resources, as well as the violations for
misuse of these technologies. While this review only included six main sections, the TCSS AUP
contains a Best Practices section that details proper electronic etiquette, including timeliness and
tone of e-mails (between employees, between employees and parents, as well as additional
examples), guidelines for electronic communications with students (Facebook, texting, etc.), and
proper social networking topics and etiquette. Overall, I was highly impressed with the high
quality, ease of understanding, and thoroughness of topics in this Acceptable Uses Policy. If all
students, parents, and employees were made fully aware of these guidelines, fewer problems
would arise in regard to misuse of technological resources.

CRITIQUE OF AUP

References

Bosco, J. (March 2013). Rethinking acceptable use policies to enable digital learning: a guide for
school districts. Education World. Retrieved from
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/curr093.shtml
Burke, M. (April 2013). Tuscaloosa County policy manual. Retrieved from
http://www.tcss.net/cms/lib3/AL01001644/Centricity/Domain/4/Tuscaloosa%20Co%20P
olicy% 20Manual%20Apr%202013%20Final%20Rev%208-2014.pdf
Getting Started on the Internet: Developing an Acceptable Use Policy (AUP). (no author & date).
Education World. Retrieved from http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/curr093.shtml
Peterson, J. (no date). Acceptable use policies. Retrieved from
http://education.illinois.edu/wp/www.sjfschool.net/whitepages/acceptableusepolicy.htm