Parental Consent to use the internet at school

[mark]

We've now decided [Powys CC Techs] that we can't ask parental consent for internet access in school. We feel that it's so tied in to the national curriculum that not having access is not an option we can offer. Instead we just ask consent to use email. What do other people do?

[Some parents reaction was that this was then another reason that they should educate thier kids at home. We recon that we take enough precautions to make the internet as safe as can reasonably be expected. We agree that no kid should have internet access without adult supervision.]

[andy]

Hmmmm.... never thought about it in those terms before. We have (as I presumed most schools did) and AUP for the kids and parents to sign. This is more presented as 'you will be going on the Internet, but not until you sign this'. I suppose it would be possible for the parents to refuse to sign if they didn't want their kids going on. Never known it though.

Andy.

[russdev]

dosn;t matter what nc is if they want computer access they have to sign aup no aup no login simple.

what trumps the nc is the legal resposnability of schools to make sure that they are not liable which with out an aup you are..

Russ

[Dos_Box]

We in Lancashire ensure that schools have AUP's in place, plust the usual login warning box that states 'By clicking OK you agree to abide by the terms and conditions of the schools' ICT acceptable use policy. If you have not seen or signed to agree to abide by the policy then contact a member of the ICT staff immedietly'.
This covers you legally to as it ensures that the children have no chance to claim ignorance.
IMHO not having parental consent is almost surely going to lead to a legal claim in the future which the schools will lose because they have not ensured that parents are aware of the potential on-line content their children might encounter.

[eejit]

dosn;t matter what nc is if they want computer access they have to sign aup no aup no login simple.

Russ

Interesting - you make the parents sign an AUP just to log onto the computers, not the internet?

We stick all the pupils into a "No Internet" OU at the start of the school year and then as the internet AUPs come in we move them to their proper class OU. So, without a signed AUP they can log on and use the school software, they just can't get online.

[mark]

That's what we did eejit - put kids into an OU until the letters roll in.

We have a handful every year Andy that refuse permission for thier child to access the internet. All unsigned letters go back to the parents - these letters have written on them specifically asking that thier child not be allowed on.

We do point out the risks associated and what parents/children/staff should do in the event in the letter. We're just all implementing a forced click to accept the AUP as you say Dos_Box.

[russdev]

common misconcepotion aup is a computer policy not an internet policy..

so covers your computers as well..

do you monitor the kids/email/net usage have you mentioned it in aup if not then breaking law as you have to notify people before monitoring them

Russ

[mark]

Good point - the focus does tend to be internet. I'm sure it does - but i'll double check.

It does say we monitor them. Isn't the law shady here - aren't we covered by locum peretis [however you spell that!] - have a duty to protect as well?

Monitoring is a problem - no schools here monitor email - one school stacks them in a a holding folder - but no one has the time to check through them all. We've adopted the counties exim/squirrell solution and we're gonna try to put on some automatic filtering to run an innaprorpiate language filter on all mail before it's passed on to the user.

I imagine some of you guys already have this sorted. I'd love to here how if so !

[russdev]

but problem is even if you do nor montior the ability to means that you need to cover it..

as loco parentias... or what ever it is..

may work with kids but what about staff..

but even so doubt that would cover it...

because how do you draw line bteween protecting the child and monitoring the child to make sure they are not doing stuff..

dodgy because as of yet has not been tested in court to full extent...

in staff situtation you monitor net ussage and remote view a computer.

say there were reports of a member of staff going on something they should have not gone on. first look at net logs then look at login logs.

If they have not been told those logs exsist can't be used in court as persone right to priavcy...

why do you think it is in news anytime new ctv camersa are put uop in towns and have signsd sayaing ctv area so people can;t claim they did not know.

russ

[Geoff]

We in Lancashire ensure that schools have AUP's in place, plust the usual login warning box that states 'By clicking OK you agree to abide by the terms and conditions of the schools' ICT acceptable use policy. If you have not seen or signed to agree to abide by the policy then contact a member of the ICT staff immedietly'.
This covers you legally to as it ensures that the children have no chance to claim ignorance.
IMHO not having parental consent is almost surely going to lead to a legal claim in the future which the schools will lose because they have not ensured that parents are aware of the potential on-line content their children might encounter.

News to me

[mark]

Never thought of the staff one!! We do monitor kids without asking - staff I always ask first.

Great stuff - Thanks!

[Dos_Box]

We in Lancashire ensure that schools have AUP's in place, plust the usual login warning box that states 'By clicking OK you agree to abide by the terms and conditions of the schools' ICT acceptable use policy. If you have not seen or signed to agree to abide by the policy then contact a member of the ICT staff immedietly'.
This covers you legally to as it ensures that the children have no chance to claim ignorance.
IMHO not having parental consent is almost surely going to lead to a legal claim in the future which the schools will lose because they have not ensured that parents are aware of the potential on-line content their children might encounter.

News to me

It proberly got 'filed' once the head, deputy head, ITCOord and anyone else who attended the meetings discussing these left and didn't tell anyone else.

Here's Bectas' AUP. Please feel free to plagerise.
http://www.becta.org.uk/subsections/...use_policy.pdf

[ChrisH]

We dont seem to have an AUP although I have mentioned it several times. We dont have the box before login either although I have seen it at Gibfield.

[Dos_Box]

We dont seem to have an AUP although I have mentioned it several times. We dont have the box before login either although I have seen it at Gibfield.

You are so wide open to getting your bottoms sued off should one of the little darlings see something 'disturbing' on the net.
I suggest you get one in place ASAP.

[mark]

I have a copy of the logon program - I'll stick it in downloads now.

<edit> get it here </edit>