Spearfish School District40-2
6000 Instruction
 
Board Policy                                                                                                                                                                                                               
Code:  6246/5132
                                                                                                                                    
                                              
                                                                                          CYBER BULLYING POLICY
 
Cyber bullying is all forms of harassment over the Internet or other forms of electronic communications, including cell phones.  Students and staff will refrain from using communication devices or District property to harass or stalk another.  The District’s computer network and the Internet, whether accessed at school or away from school, during or after school hours, may not be used for the purpose of cyber bullying.  All forms of cyber bullying are unacceptable and viewed as a violation of this policy and the District’s acceptable computer use policy and procedures.
 
Users are responsible for the appropriateness of the material they transmit.  Hate mail, harassment, discriminatory remarks, or other anti-social behaviors are expressly prohibited.  Cyber bullying includes, but is not limited to, the following misuses of technology: harassing, teasing, intimidating, threatening, or terrorizing another person by sending or posting inappropriate e-mail messages, instant messages, text messages, digital pictures or images, or web site postings, including blogs.  It is also recognized that the author (poster or sender) of the inappropriate material is often disguised (logged on) as someone else.
 
Students, staff and community members who believe they have been the victims of such misuses of technology, as described in this policy, should not erase the offending material from the system.  A copy of the material should be brought to the attention of a principal or teacher.
 
Reports of cyber bullying will be investigated as deemed appropriate by the administration.
 
In situations in which cyber bullying originated from a non-school computer, but is brought to the attention of school officials, any disciplinary action shall be based upon whether the conduct is determined to be severely disruptive of the educational process so that it interrupts or impedes the day-to-day operations of a school.  In addition, such conduct must also violate a school policy.  Such conduct includes, but is not limited to threats, or making a threat off school grounds, to harm a member of the school staff or a student.
 
Malicious use of the District’s computer system to develop programs or to institute practices that harass other users to gain unauthorized access to any entity on the system and/or damage the components of an entity on the network is prohibited.
 
Disciplinary action may include, but is not limited to, the loss of computer privileges, detention, suspension, or expulsion of a student, or other appropriate disciplinary action of a staff member who is found to have violated this policy, based upon the facts and circumstances of each case.  Violations of this policy may also be reported to law enforcement officials if deemed appropriate by the administration. 

                                                                                                           
Adopted      December 10, 2007
Reviewed    January, 2009