Acceptable Student Use of Personal Electronic Devices, Internet/Computer Use & Library Media Center

Acceptable Student Use of Personal Electronic Devices (Cell Phones)

Albuquerque Public Schools shall permit student possession of personal electronic devices on all district property and at all district sponsored activities while the student is under the supervision of district staff.  However, students with personal electronic devices in their possession at Volcano Vista or any APS property do so at their own risk.  APS/Volcano Vista shall not be held liable for any electronic device that is lost, stolen, damaged or deemed partially or totally inoperable. Use of personal electronic devices that disrupt the instructional day or include unauthorized use shall be prohibited. Albuquerque Public Schools shall not be responsible for restricting, monitoring or controlling the electronic communications of students; however, it reserves the right to do so. For purposes of this policy, “personal electronic device” means any device that a student is in possession of which electronically communicates, sends, receives, stores, reproduces or displays voice and/or text communication or data. These include, but are not limited to cellular phones, pagers, smart phones, music and media players, gaming devices, tablets, laptop computers and personal digital assistants.

For purposes of this procedural directive, “instructional day” means the period of time between the first scheduled bell and the last scheduled bell of the school day and any other time in which 

instruction occurs.

Students may appropriately use their personal electronic devices before school, during passing periods, during lunch and after school. Cell phones and personal electronic devices are not to be used during instructional time, except under the direct supervision of their teacher to support/enhance the instructional and educational purposes of the classroom. Student use of personal electronic devices that disrupt the instructional day or at prohibited times may result in disciplinary action and/or confiscation of the personal electronic device.

 APS/Volcano Vista shall not be held liable for any electronic device that is lost, stolen, damaged or deemed partially or totally inoperable. 

• DURING CLASS TIME: At VVHS, unauthorized use of cell phones or electronic devices during class time may result in confiscation of the device by the teacher. The teacher will secure the item for the remainder of that class period, and then will return it to the student at the end of the class period. In the event that the teacher has documented multiple device confiscations/infractions for a specific student, the teacher may submit an online referral to the student’s assigned administrator for further disciplinary action. Be sure to document the history and interventions, include parent contact.  APS/Volcano Vista shall not be held liable for any electronic device that is lost, stolen, damaged or deemed partially or totally inoperable. 

• If teacher confiscates a device during class and forget to return the item to the student, please make every effort to connect SAME DAY with that student to get it back to him/her. THAT DAY, until you connect with the student, keep the device LOCKED away. LAST RESORT, before 3:30pm, take the device to that student’s Academy Office to log and secure the device for the student to pick up; please do not make this a habit, but DO NOT LEAVE DEVICE IN YOUR CLASSROOM OVERNIGHT FOR ANY REASON!  APS/Volcano Vista shall not be held liable for any electronic device that is lost, stolen, damaged or deemed partially or totally inoperable. 

• USING DEVICES/TECHNOLOGY INAPPROPRIATELY, SCHOOL OR PERSONAL: Confiscate the device or remove student from use of the school technology, contact the student’s administrator ASAP and turn over the confiscated device. Submit an online discipline referral to the student’s Academy administrator.  APS/Volcano Vista shall not be held liable for any electronic device that is lost, stolen, damaged or deemed partially or totally inoperable. 

STUDENT INTERNET ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY

APS policy requires that all instructional and library media materials be consistent with district adopted guidelines, supporting and enriching the curriculum while taking into account the varied instructional needs, learning styles, abilities and developmental levels of the students. In the past, such materials could usually be screened, prior to use, by committees of educators and community members interested in subjecting all materials to reasonable selection criteria. With access to the Internet and people all over the world comes the potential availability of material that may not be considered to be of educational value in the context of the school setting. APS firmly believes that the value of information, interaction, and research capabilities available outweighs the possibility that users may obtain material that is not consistent with the educational goals of the district. Compliance with this policy is expected. Violation of this policy is grounds for school disciplinary and/or appropriate legal action. The Albuquerque Public School District provides technology resources to its students for educational purposes. The goal in providing these resources is to promote educational excellence in the Albuquerque schools by facilitating resource sharing, innovation, and communication with the support and supervision of parents, teachers, and support staff. Internet use, including email, will have an educational focus and be supervised by an adult at all times. The use of these technology resources is an educational right, however with this right come responsibilities and consequences for not meeting those responsibilities. Proper behavior, as it relates to the use of computers, is no different than proper behavior in all other aspects of APS activities. All users are expected to use the computers and computer networks in a responsible, ethical, and polite manner as outlined in this document. APS does not attempt to articulate all required or prescribed behavior for students. Violation of any part of this policy is grounds for disciplinary action. Users will respect accepted rules of Netiquette including but not limited to the following: Users will not:

A. Access, upload, download or distribute pornographic, abusive, hate related, obscene or sexually explicit materials or language. 

B. Violate any local, state or federal statute. 

C. Violate copyright, or otherwise use another person's intellectual property without their prior approval or proper citation. 

D Vandalize, damage or disable the property, including electronic files, of another person or organization. 

E. Access, assist or allow others to access another person's materials, information or files without the implied permission or direct permission of that person. 

F. Use another's password. 

G. Reveal any passwords or user codes. 

H. Use APS resources for commercial purposes. 

I. Interfere with or disrupt other users, services or equipment. 

Ultimately, parents and guardians of minors are responsible for setting and conveying the standards that their children should follow when using media and information sources. It is impossible for APS to restrict access to all controversial materials. The district is not responsible for restricting, monitoring or controlling the communications of individuals utilizing the network, however we reserve the right to do so. Student E-mail accounts, when granted by APS, are good only for the current school year, and will automatically be deleted at the end of the school year. Access to commercial email accounts (AOL, Hotmail, etc.) by students using APS equipment/resources is permitted but still governed by this policy.

A current ID serves as the student’s library card, which must be shown to check out any library material. The library/media center also has computers for student use. During class time, passes will be required to enter the library. The library staff helps students to locate material needed for study, research or reading.