Acceptable Use Policies

In 2006, the Virginia Department of Education saw the need for clear guidelines to safeguard students using technology and internet while in school. The state legislature created the Acceptable Use Policy that would undergo revisions every two years. Legislation was developed and approved by the general assembly. The bill went on to be signed by Governor Kaine of Virginia, it was then the undertaking of the individual school districts to form curriculum and guidelines to the initial legislation. These districts would collaborate with teachers and parents on the manner in which AUP would be implemented within the classroom, school, and district.

The legislation looks at all of the important factors for an effective Acceptable Use Policy: first it includes continuous updating, defines what is unacceptable for students to view, research and access, and the consequences of inappropriate use of the internet. These characteristics are vital to ensuring that students know how they are supposed safely to use technology, what to do when they encounter problems online, who to go to if they experience cyberbullying, and more. There so many wonderful possibilities for utilizing technology to increase student learning, yet it can come with serious repercussions when not managed properly.

The Virginia AUP contains all six of the key elements for an effective Acceptable Use Policy written by the National Education Association. The six parts of any Acceptable use policy includes a preamble describing the bill, definition section on the terms utilized, policy statement, acceptable uses section, unacceptable uses section, and violations and sanctions section. I found Virginia’s AUP quite detailed and when I researched the district’s policies was pleasantly surprised to see them integrated into the Student Rights and Responsibilities handbook. I thought it was incredibly wise to put the information and details out for the public to view on their district website. I feel that important information and standards should always be clearly displayed, available to the public, and reiterated by employees so there's no confusion or misunderstanding of the required criterion.

The actual legislation or 22.1-70.2. Acceptable Internet use policies for public and private schools is available on the Department of Education website. Within the online document there are hyperlinks defining exactly what is considered unacceptable use or inappropriate content. It also talks about the powers and responsibilities of the Superintendent of Public Instruction. The last thing I noticed was that at the bottom of the website for the AUP was links to all of the past revisions. Overall, I found that the Acceptable Use Policy was well written, clear on defining both acceptable and unacceptable uses, and had thought-out concepts.