Electronic Communication Policies and Guidelines

I. INTRODUCTION

This Policy clarifies the applicability of law and of other District policies to electronic mail. It also defines new policy and procedures where existing policies do not specifically address issues particular to the use of electronic mail.

The terms "electronic mail" and "email" are used interchangeably throughout this Policy.

This Policy applies to:

· All electronic mail systems and services provided or owned by the District;

· All users, holders, and uses of District e-mail services; and

· All District e-mail records in the possession of District employees or

other e-mail users of electronic mail services provided by the District.

This Policy is effective immediately, with implementation guidelines to be

effective June 1, 2001

The District recognizes that principles of academic freedom, freedom of speech, and privacy of information hold important implications for electronic mail and electronic mail services. The District affords electronic mail privacy protections comparable to that which it traditionally affords paper mail and telephone communications. This Policy reflects these firmly held principles within the context of the District’s legal and other obligations.

In general, the activities the District deems to constitute computer misconduct include, but are not limited to:

· Unauthorized entry into a file for any purpose;

· Unauthorized transfer of a file;

· Unauthorized use of another individual's identification, account, or password;

· Use of computing facilities knowingly to disrupt the work of another student, faculty member, or administrator;

· Use of computing facilities to send obscene or intimidating messages that are unwelcome to the recipient;

· Use of computing facilities knowingly to disrupt normal operation of the District computing system.

The Jasper County School District recognizes the importance of electronic communication and encourages its use. The District respects the privacy of users. It does not routinely inspect, monitor, or disclose electronic mail without the holder’s consent. Nonetheless, subject to the requirements for authorization, notification, and other conditions specified in this Policy, the District may deny access to its electronic mail services and may inspect, monitor, or disclose electronic mail when required by and consistent with law; when there is substantiated reasons to believe that violations of law or of District policies have taken place; when there are compelling circumstances as defined by law; or under time-dependent, critical operational circumstances.

The Jasper County School District electronic communication systems and facilities (system) are to be used primarily for official & academic purposes and should not be used for personal (shopping, lotto, games, etc.) use, commercial ventures, or partisan political campaigning. The system includes but is not limited to First Class Mail, e-mail, and the Internet.

Allowable Use

In general, use of District electronic mail services is governed by policies that apply to the use of all District facilities. In particular, use of District electronic mail services is encouraged and is allowable subject to the following conditions:

· Electronic mail services are to be provided by the District in support of the teaching, research, and public service mission of the District, and the administrative functions that support this mission.

· If the user determines that a communication could compromise the integrity or safety of students, faculty, staff, or anyone connected directly or indirectly with the Jasper County School District, the Director of Operations will be notified that such a communication occurred. The user should make every effort to ensure that such a communication is not disseminated.

· If the Jasper County School District reasonably believes the system is being used for matters inconsistent with the Electronic Communication Policies and Guidelines, other District policies and generally accepted practices, including the acceptable use policy, or State and Federal laws, the District reserves the right to monitor communications made electronically in accordance with applicable laws and District policies.

· The right to monitor communications includes messages sent or received by students, faculty, and administrators within and outside the system as well as deleted messages.

Users should be aware that deleting messages from personal mailboxes may not delete the message from the system.

Cautions:

Users should be aware of the following:

1. Both the nature of electronic mail and the public character of the District’s business make electronic mail less private than users may anticipate. For example, electronic mail intended for one person sometimes may be widely distributed because of the ease with which recipients can forward it to others. A reply to an electronic mail message posted on an electronic bulletin board or "listserver" intended only for the originator of the message may be distributed to all subscribers to the listserver. Furthermore, even after a user deletes an electronic mail record from a computer or electronic mail account it may persist on backup facilities, and thus be subject to disclosure under the provisions of this Policy. The District cannot routinely protect users against such eventualities.

2. Information disseminated on the system is solely the work of the author. With regard to system information, the District exercises no editorial control, assumes no responsibility for content, and engages in no activities that would in any shape or form make it the publisher. Email users should be aware that generally it is not possible to assure the longevity of electronic mail records for record-keeping purposes, in part because of the difficulty of guaranteeing that electronic mail can continue to be read in the face of changing formats and technologies and in part because of the changing nature of electronic mail systems. Electronic mail users are cautioned, therefore, to be prudent in their reliance on electronic mail for purposes of maintaining a lasting record.

3. Electronic mail, whether or not created or stored on District equipment, may constitute a District record subject to disclosure under the South Carolina Public Records Act or other laws, or as a result of litigation. However, the District does not automatically comply with all requests for disclosure, but evaluates all such requests against the precise provisions of the Act, other laws concerning disclosure and privacy, or other applicable law.

4. Users of District electronic mail services also should be aware that the Freedom of Information Act and other similar laws jeopardize the ability of the District to guarantee complete protection of personal electronic mail. The District, in general, cannot and does not wish to be the arbiter of the contents of electronic mail. Neither can the University, in general, protect users from receiving electronic mail they may find offensive. Members of the School District, however, are strongly encouraged to use the same personal and professional courtesies and considerations in electronic mail as they would in other forms of communication.

There is no guarantee, unless "authenticated" mail systems are in use, that

electronic mail received was in fact sent by the purported sender, since it is

relatively straightforward, although a violation of this Policy, for senders

to disguise their identity. Furthermore, electronic mail that is forwarded may

also be modified. Authentication technology is not widely and systematically

in use at the District as of the date of this Policy. As with printed

documents, in case of doubt receivers of electronic mail messages should check

with the purported sender to validate authorship or authenticity.

· Users. Users of District electronic mail services are to be limited primarily to District students, faculty, and staff for purposes that conform to the requirements of this Section.

· Non-Competition. District electronic mail services shall not be provided in competition with commercial services to individuals or organizations outside the University.

· Restrictions. District electronic mail services may not be used for: unlawful activities; commercial purposes not under the auspices of the District; personal financial gain, personal use, inconsistent with District policies or guidelines. The latter include, but are not limited to, policies and guidelines regarding intellectual property, or regarding sexual or other forms of harassment.

· Representation. Electronic mail users shall not give the impression that they are representing, giving opinions, or otherwise making statements on behalf of the District or any department / school of the District unless appropriately authorized (explicitly or implicitly) to do so. Where appropriate, an explicit disclaimer shall be included unless it is clear from the context that the author is not representing the District. An appropriate

disclaimer is: "These statements are my own, not those of the Jasper County School District."

· False Identity. District email users shall not employ a false identity. Email may, however, be sent anonymously provided this does not violate any law of this or any other District policy, and does not unreasonably interfere with the administrative business of the University.

· Interference. District email services shall not be used for purposes that could reasonably be expected to cause, directly or indirectly, excessive strain on any computing facilities, or unwarranted or unsolicited interference with others; use of email or email systems. Such uses include, but are not limited to, the use of email services to: (i) send or forward email chain letters; (ii) "spam," that is, to exploit listservers or similar broadcast systems for purposes beyond their intended scope to amplify the widespread distribution of unsolicited email; and (iii) "letter-bomb," that is, to resend the same email repeatedly to one or more recipients to interfere with the recipient's use of email; (iv) knowingly distribute any type of electronic / computer virus.

· Personal Use. District electronic mail services may not be used for personal purposes. Email records arising unsolicited areas that request personal use may be replied to, however, email users should assess the implications of this usage in their decision to use District electronic mail services for personal purposes.

Security and Confidentiality

The confidentiality of electronic mail cannot be assured. Such confidentiality may be compromised by applicability of law or policy, including this Policy, by unintended redistribution, or because of

inadequacy of current technologies to protect against unauthorized access. Users, therefore, should exercise extreme caution in using email to communicate confidential or sensitive matters. Users of electronic mail services should be aware that even though the sender and recipient have discarded their copies of an electronic mail record, there may be back-up copies that can be retrieved. Systems may be "backed-up" on a routine or occasional basis to protect system reliability and integrity, and to prevent potential loss of data. The back-up process results in the copying of data onto storage media that may be retained for periods of time and in locations unknown to the originator or recipient of electronic mail

Any activities inconsistent with the aforementioned policies and guidelines, District policies including The Code or State and Federal laws, could result in disciplinary action such as suspension or loss of system privileges or Termination.