I. Responsibility for Selection of Instructional Materials

1. The Board is responsible for matters relating to the operation of the school district.

2. The responsibility for the selection of instructional materials is delegated to the professionally trained and licensed employees of the school system (Subject Area Committee). For the purpose of this rule the term "instructional materials" includes printed and multimedia materials (not equipment), whether considered text materials or library materials. The Board retains the final authority for the approval of textbooks.

3. While selection of materials may involve many people including principals, teachers, teacher-librarians, students, parents, and community members, the responsibility for coordinating the selection of most instructional materials and making the recommendation for the purchase rests with licensed employees.

4. Responsibility for coordinating the selection of text materials for distribution to classes will rest with the licensed employees, Principals, and Superintendent. For the purpose of this rule the term “text materials” includes textbooks and other printed and unprinted material provided in multiple copies for use of a total class or major segment of a class.

5. The Board will appoint the Curriculum Coordinating Council (CCC) to make recommendations on the selection of instructional materials that will align to the curriculum and support quality teaching. The CCC will stay in compliance with the Board policy.

   1. The Superintendent will inform the Subject Area Committee as to their role and responsibility in the process.

   2. The following statement will be provided to the Subject Area Committee members:
       

      1. Bear in mind the principles of the freedom to learn and to read and base your decision on these broad principles rather than on defense of individual materials. Freedom of inquiry is vital to education in a democracy. Study thoroughly all materials referred to you and read available reviews. The general acceptance of the materials should be checked by consulting standard evaluation aids and local holdings in other schools. Passages or parts should not be pulled out of context. The values and faults should be weighed against each other and the opinions based on the material as a whole. Your report, presenting both majority and minority opinions, will be presented by the Principal to the complainant at the conclusion of our discussion of the questioned material.

II. Material selected for use in libraries and classrooms will meet the following guidelines:

1. Religion - Material will represent the major religions in a factual, unbiased manner. The primary source material of the major religions is considered  appropriate, but material which advocates rather than informs, or is designed to sway reader judgment regarding religion, will not be included in the school libraries or classrooms.

2. Racism - Material will present a diversity of race, custom, culture, and belief as a positive aspect of the nation's heritage and give candid treatment to unresolved intercultural problems, including those which involve prejudice, discrimination, and the undesirable consequences of withholding rights, freedom, or respect from an individual.

3. Sexism - Material will reflect sensitivity to the needs, rights, traits and aspirations of men and women without preference or bias.

4. Age - Material will recognize the diverse contributions of various age groups and portray the continuing contributions of maturing members of society.

5. Ideology - Material will present basic primary and factual information on an ideology or philosophy of government which exerts or has exerted a strong force, either favorably or unfavorably, over civilization or society, past or present. This material will not be selected with the intention to sway reader judgment and is related to the maturity level of the intended audience.

6. Profanity and Sex - Material is subjected to a test of literary merit and reality by the teacher-­librarians and licensed staff who will take into consideration their reading of public and community standards of morality.

7. Controversial issues materials will be directed toward maintaining a balanced collection representing various views.

The selection decision should be made on the basis of whether the material presents an accurate representation of society and culture, whether the   circumstances depicted are realistically portrayed, or whether the material has literary or social value when the material is viewed as a whole.

These guidelines will not be construed in such a manner as to preclude materials which accurately represent the customs, morals, manners, culture, or society of a different time or a different place.

 III. Procedure for Selection 

1. Material purchased for libraries and classrooms is recommended for purchase by licensed employees, in consultation with administrative staff, school library staff, students or the Curriculum Coordinating Council as appointed by the Board. The material recommended for purchase is approved by the appropriate building administrator.

   1. The materials selected will support stated objectives and goals of the school district. Specifically, the goals are:
       

      1. To acquire materials and provide service consistent with the demands of the curriculum;

      2. To develop students' skills and resourcefulness in the use of libraries and learning resources;

      3. To effectively guide and counsel students in the selection and use of materials and libraries;

      4. To foster in students a wide range of significant interests;

      5. To provide opportunities for aesthetic experiences and development of an appreciation of the fine arts;

      6. To provide materials to motivate students to examine their own attitudes and behaviors and to comprehend their own duties and responsibilities as citizens in a pluralistic democracy;

      7. To encourage life-long education through the use of the library; and

      8. To work cooperatively and constructively with the instructional and administrative staff in the school.

   2. Materials selected are consistent with stated principles of selection. These principles are:
       

      1. To select materials, within established standards that will meet the goals and objectives of the school district; 

      2. To consider the educational characteristics of the community in the selection of materials within a given category;

      3. To present the sexual, racial, religious and ethnic groups in the community by:

         1. Portraying people, both men and women, adults and children, whatever their ethnic, religious or social class identity, as human and recognizable, displaying a familiar range of emotions, both negative and positive.

         2. Placing no constraints on individual aspirations and opportunity.

         3. Giving comprehensive, accurate, and balanced representation to minority groups and women - in art and science, history and literature, and in all other fields of life and culture.

         4. Providing abundant recognition of minority groups and women by showing them frequently in positions of leadership and authority.

      4. To intelligently, quickly, and effectively anticipate and meet needs through awareness of subjects of local, national and international interest and significance; and

      5. To strive for impartiality in the selection process.

   3. The materials selected will meet stated selection criteria. These criteria are:
       

      1. Authority-Author's qualifications - education, experience, and previously published works;

      2. Reliability –

         1. Accuracy-meaningful organization and emphasis on content, meets the material's goals and objectives, and presents authoritative and realistic factual material.

         2. Current-presentation of content which is consistent with the findings of recent and authoritative research.

      3. Treatment of subject-shows an objective reflection for the multi-ethnic character and cultural diversity of society.

      4. Language –

         1. Vocabulary –
             

            1. Does not indicate bias by the use of words which may result in negative value judgments about groups of people;

            2. Does not use "man" or similar limiting word usage in generalization or        ambiguities which may cause women to feel excluded or dehumanized.

         2. Compatible to the reading level of the student for whom it is intended.

      5. Format –

         1. Book –
             

            1. Adequate and accurate index;

            2. Paper of good quality and color;

            3. Print adequate and well spaced;

            4. Adequate margins;

            5. Firmly bound; and,

            6. Cost.

         2. Non-book, including software and electronically available materials –
             

            1. Flexibility, adaptability;

            2. Curricular orientation of significant interest to students;

            3. Appropriate for audience;

            4. Accurate authoritative presentation;

            5. Good production qualities (fidelity, aesthetically adequate);

            6. Durability; and,

            7. Cost.

         3. Illustrations of book and non-book materials should:
             

            1. Depict instances of fully integrated grouping and settings to indicate equal status and non-segregated social relationships.

            2. Make clearly apparent the identity of minorities;

            3. Contain pertinent and effective illustrations;

            4. Flexible to enable the teacher to use parts at a time and not follow a comprehensive instructional program on a rigid frame of reference.

      6. Special Features –

         1. Bibliographies.

         2. Glossary.

         3. Current charts, maps, etc.

         4. Visual aids.

         5. Index.

         6. Special activities to stimulate and challenge students.

         7. Provide a variety of learning skills.

      7. Potential use:

         1. Will it meet the requirement of reference work?

         2. Will it help students with personal problems and adjustments?

         3. Will it serve as a source of information for teachers and librarians?

         4. Does it offer an understanding of cultures other than the student's own and is it free of racial, religious, age, disability, ethnic, and sexual stereotypes?

         5. Will it expand students' sphere of understanding and help them to understand the ideas and beliefs of others?

         6. Will it help students and teachers keep abreast of and understand current events?

         7. Will it foster and develop hobbies and special interests?

         8. Will it help develop aesthetic tastes and appreciation?

         9. Will it serve the needs of students with special needs?

         10. Does it inspire learning?

         11. Is it relevant to the subject?

         12. Will it stimulate a student's interest?

   4. Gifts of library or instructional materials may be accepted if the gift meets existing criteria for library and instructional materials. The acceptance and placement of such gifts is within the discretion of the Board.

In order to provide a current, highly usable collection of materials. teacher-librarians will ensure constant and continuing renewal of the collection, not only the addition of up-to-date materials, but by the judicious elimination of materials which no longer meet school district needs or find use.  The process of reviewing and eliminating instructional materials will be done according to established and accepted standards for determining the relevance and value of materials in a given context.

*Adopted:  12/13/10

*Revised:  04/11/11

*Reviewed:  01/13/14

*Reviewed: 01/14/19

*Revised:  09/25/23

Parents and other members of the school district community may view the instructional materials used by the students. All instructional materials, including teacher's manuals, films, tapes or other supplementary material which will be used in connection with any survey, analysis, or evaluation as part of any federally funded programs must be available for inspection by parents. The instructional materials must be viewed on school district premises. Copies may be obtained according to board policy. It shall be the responsibility of the Superintendent to develop administrative regulations regarding the inspection of instructional materials.

*Adopted: 12/13/10

*Reviewed: 02/10/14

*Reviewed: 01/14/19

Members of the school district community may object to the instructional and library materials utilized in the school district and ask for their use to be reconsidered.

It is the responsibility of the superintendent, in conjunction with the principals, to develop administrative regulations for reconsideration of instructional materials. Information related to the process for reconsideration of instructional and library materials will be made available on the district’s website.

Parents or guardians of students enrolled in the district have the ability to request that their student not be able to access certain instructional materials or check out certain library materials. For purposes of prohibiting access to instructional materials, Iowa law has defined instructional materials to mean either printed or electronic textbooks and related core materials that are written and published primarily for use in elementary school and secondary school instruction and are required by a state educational agency or district for use by students in the student’s classes by the teacher of record. Instructional materials do not include lesson plans.

*Revised 07/15/91
*Reviewed 01/09/96
*Reviewed 02/11/02
*Reviewed 01/15/07
*Revised 12/13/10
*Revised 4/11/11
*Reviewed 02/10/14
*Reviewed 01/14/19
*First Read 09/11/2023
*Revised 09/25/23

Request to prohibit a student from checking out certain instructional materials to be submitted to the superintendent.  Please complete one form per student.

REQUEST INITIATED BY                                                                               DATE ______________________

Name  __________________________________________________________________________________

Address  ________________________________________________________________________________

City/State  ____________________________ Zip Code__________________ Telephone________________

Name of affected Student  __________________________________________________________________

Requester’s Relationship to Student (must be parent/legal guardian)_________________________________

BOOK OR OTHER PRINTED MATERIAL TO PROHIBIT STUDENT FROM ACCESSING:

Author _________________________________________  Hardcover _____  Paperback _____  Other _____

Publisher (if known )  _______________________________________________________________________

MULTIMEDIA OR OTHER PRINTED MATERIAL TO PROHIBIT STUDENT FROM ACCESSING:

Title  _______________________________________________________________________________________________

Producer (if known)  ___________________________________________________________________________________

Type of material (filmstrip, motion picture, etc.)  ______________________________________________________________

________________________________          _______________________________________________________________

   Dated                                                                Signature

*Adopted:  09/25/23

Request for re-evaluation of printed or multi-media material to be submitted to the Superintendent

Review Initiated By:                                                                         Date:_______________

 Name:__________________________________________________________________________________

 Address:________________________________________________________________________________

 City/State:________________________________________                  Zip Code:_____________

 Telephone:________________________________________

 School(s) in which item is used:______________________________________________________________

 Relationship to school (parent, student, citizen, etc.):______________________________________________

 Book or Other Printed Material, If Applicable:

 Author:_______________________________            Hardcover:___   Paperback:___   Other:___

 Title:___________________________________________________________________________________

 Publisher:_______________________________________________________________________________

 Date of Publication:________________________________________________________________________

 Multimedia Material, If Applicable:

 Title:___________________________________________________________________________________

 Producer:_______________________________________________________________________________

 Type of material (filmstrip, motion picture, etc.):_________________________________________________

 Person Making the Request Represents: (circle one)      Self       Group or Organization 

 Name and Address of Group or Organization:___________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________

 1.  What brought this item to your attention?

2.  To what item do you object? (please be specific -- cite pages, frames, etc.)

3.  In your opinion, what harmful effects upon students might result from use of this item?

4.  Do you perceive any instructional value in the use of this item?

5.  Did you review the entire item? If not, what sections did you review?

6.  Should the opinion of any additional experts in the field be considered?

Yes  _____                                        No _____

If yes, please list specific suggestions:

7.  To replace this item, do you recommend other material which you consider to be of equal or superior quality for the purpose intended?

The committee will review your request and notify you if your request is granted; however, there is no guarantee that each and every request will be granted, either in terms of appearing before the committee or in receiving the amount of time requested.

Signature:_______________________________________            Date:____________________

*Adopted:  12/13/10

*Reviewed: 02/10/14

*Reviewed: 01/14/19

*Revised:  09/25/23

In order for students to experience a diverse curriculum, the Board encourages employees to supplement their regular curricular materials with other resources. In so doing, the Board recognizes that federal law makes it illegal to duplicate copyrighted materials without authorization of the holder of the copyright, except for certain exempt purposes. Severe penalties may be imposed for plagiarism, unauthorized copying or using of media, including, but not limited to, print, electronic and web-based materials, unless the copying or using conforms to the "fair use" doctrine. Under the "fair use” doctrine, unauthorized reproduction of copyrighted materials is permissible for such purposes as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship or research providing that all fair use guidelines are met.

While the school district encourages employees to enrich the learning programs by making proper use of supplementary materials, it is the responsibility of employees to abide by the school district's copying procedures and obey the requirements of the law. In no circumstances shall it be necessary for school district staff to violate copyright requirements in order to perform their duties properly. The school district will not be responsible for any violations of the copyright law by employees or students. Violation of the copyright law by employees may result in discipline up to, and including, termination. Violation of the copyright law by students may result in discipline, up to and including, suspension or expulsion.

Parents or others who wish to record, by any means, school programs or other activities need to realize that even though the school district received permission to perform a copyrighted work does not mean outsiders can copy it and re-play it. Those who wish to do so should contact the employee in charge of the activity to determine what the process is to ensure the copyright law is followed. The school district is not responsible for outsiders violating the copyright law or this policy.

Any employee or student who is uncertain as to whether reproducing or using copyrighted material complies with the school district's procedures or is permissible under the law should contact the teacher-librarian who will also assist employees and students in obtaining proper authorization to copy or use protected material when such authorization is required.

It is the responsibility of the superintendent, in conjunction with the principal to develop administrative regulations regarding this policy.

*Adopted: 12/13/10

*Reviewed: 03/10/14

*Reviewed: 01/14/19

Employees and students may make copies of copyrighted materials that fall within the following guidelines. Where there is reason to believe the material to be copied does not fall within these guidelines, prior permission shall be obtained from the publisher or producer with the assistance of the teacher librarian.  Employees and students who fail to follow this procedure may be held personally liable for copyright infringement and may be subject to discipline by the board.

Under the "fair use" doctrine, unauthorized reproduction of copyrighted materials is permissible for such purposes as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship or research.  Under the fair use doctrine, each of the following four standards must be met in order to use the copyrighted document: 

• Purpose and Character of the Use – The use must be for such purposes as teaching or scholarship.

• Nature of the Copyrighted Work – The type of work to be copied.

• Amount and Substantiality of the Portion Used – Copying the whole of a work cannot be considered fair use; copying a small portion may be if these guidelines are followed.

• Effect of the Use Upon the Potential Market for or value of the Copyrighted Work – If resulting economic loss to the copyright holder can be shown, even making a single copy of certain materials may be an infringement, and making multiple copies presents the danger of greater penalties.

Authorized Reproduction and Use of Copyrighted Material Reminders:

• Materials on the Internet should be used with caution since they may, and likely are, copyrighted.

• Proper attribution (author, title, publisher, place and date of publication) should always be given.

• Notice should be taken of any alterations to copyrighted works, and such alterations should only be made for specific instructional objectives.

• Care should be taken in circumventing any technological protection measures.  While materials copied pursuant to fair use may be copied after circumventing technological protections against unauthorized copying, technological protection measures to block access to materials may not be circumvented.

In preparing for instruction, a teacher may make or have made a single copy of: 

• A chapter from a book; 

• An article from a newspaper or periodical; 

• A short story, short essay or short poem; or,

• A chart, graph, diagram, drawing, cartoon or picture from a book, periodical or newspaper. 

A teacher may make multiple copies not exceeding more than one per pupil, for classroom use or discussion, if the copying meets the tests of “brevity, spontaneity and cumulative effect” set by the following guidelines.  Each copy must include a notice of copyright. 

• Brevity

  • A complete poem, if less than 250 words and two pages long, may be copied; excerpts from longer poems cannot exceed 250 words;

  • Complete articles, stories or essays of less than 2500 words or excerpts from prose works less than 1000 words or 10% of the work, whichever is less may be copied; in any event, the minimum is 500 words;

  • Each numerical limit may be expanded to permit the completion of an unfinished line of a poem or prose paragraph;

  • One chart, graph, diagram, drawing, cartoon or picture per book or periodical issue may be copied.  “Special” works cannot be reproduced in full; this includes children's books combining poetry, prose or poetic prose.  Short special works may be copied up to two published pages containing not more than 10 percent of the work.

• Spontaneity – Should be at the “instance and inspiration” of the individual teacher when there is not a reasonable length of time to request and receive permission to copy.

• Cumulative Effect – Teachers are limited to using copied material for only one course for which copies are made.  No more than one short poem, article, story or two excerpts from the same author may be copied, and no more than three works can be copied from a collective work or periodical column during one class term. Teachers are limited to nine instances of multiple copying for one course during one class term.  Limitations do not apply to current news periodicals, newspapers and current news sections of other periodicals.

Copying Limitations 

Circumstances will arise when employees are uncertain whether or not copying is prohibited.  In those circumstances, the (need to add appropriate personnel (i.e. principal, teacher, librarian, teacher librarian)) should be contacted.  The following prohibitions have been expressly stated in federal guidelines: 

• Reproduction of copyrighted material shall not be used to create or substitute for anthologies, compilations or collective works.

• Unless expressly permitted by agreement with the publisher and authorized by school district action, there shall be no copying from copyrighted consumable materials such as workbooks, exercises, test booklets, answer sheets and the like.

• Employees shall not: 

• Use copies to substitute for the purchase of books, periodicals, music recordings, consumable works such as workbooks, computer software or other copyrighted material. Copy or use the same item from term to term without the copyright owner's permission;

• Copy or use more than nine instances of multiple copying of protected material in any one term;

• Copy or use more than one short work or two excerpts from works of the same author in any one term;

• Copy or use protected material without including a notice of copyright.  The following is a satisfactory notice: NOTICE: THIS MATERIAL MAY BE PROTECTED BY COPYRIGHT LAW.

• Reproduce or use copyrighted material at the direction of someone in higher authority or copy or use such material in emulation of some other teacher's use of copyrighted material without permission of the copyright owner.

• Require other employees or students to violate the copyright law or fair use guidelines.

Authorized Reproduction and Use of Copyrighted Materials in the Library

A library may make a single copy or three digital copies of:

• An unpublished work in its collection; 

• A published work in order to replace it because it is damaged, deteriorated, lost or stolen, provided that an unused replacement cannot be obtained at a fair price.

• A work that is being considered for acquisition, although use is strictly limited to that decision.  Technological protection measures may be circumvented for purposes of copying materials in order to make an acquisition decision.

A library may provide a single copy of copyrighted material to a student or employee at no more than the actual cost of photocopying.  The copy must be limited to one article of a periodical issue or a small part of other material, unless the library finds that the copyrighted work cannot be obtained elsewhere at a fair price.  In the latter circumstance, the entire work may be copied.  In any case, the copy shall contain the notice of copyright and the student or staff member shall be notified that the copy is to be used only for private study, scholarship or research.  Any other use may subject the person to liability for copyright infringement. 

Authorized Reproduction and Use of Copyrighted Music or Dramatic Works

Teachers may:

• Make a single copy of a song, movement, or short section from a printed musical or dramatic work that is unavailable except in a larger work for purposes of preparing for instruction;   

• Make multiple copies for classroom use of an excerpt of not more than 10% of a printed musical work if it is to be used for academic purposes other than performance, provided that the excerpt does not comprise a part of the whole musical work which would constitute a performable unit such as a complete section, movement, or song; 

• In an emergency, a teacher may make and use replacement copies of printed music for an imminent musical performance when the purchased copies have been lost, destroyed or are otherwise not available. 

• Make and retain a single recording of student performances of copyrighted material when it is made for purposes of evaluation or rehearsal;

• Make and retain a single copy of excerpts from recordings of copyrighted musical works for use as aural exercises or examination questions; and,

• Edit or simplify purchased copies of music or plays provided that the fundamental character of the work is not distorted.  Lyrics shall not be altered or added if none exist. 

Performance by teachers or students of copyrighted musical or dramatic works is permitted without the authorization of the copyright owner as part of a teaching activity in a classroom or instructional setting.  The purpose shall be instructional rather than for entertainment.  

Performances of nondramatic musical works that are copyrighted are permitted without the authorization of the copyright owner, provided that:

• The performance is not for a commercial purpose; 

• None of the performers, promoters or organizers are compensated; and, 

• Admission fees are used for educational or charitable purposes only.

All other musical and dramatic performances require permission from the copyright owner.  Parents or others wishing to record a performance should check with the sponsor to ensure compliance with copyright.

Recording of Copyrighted Programs 

Television programs, excluding news programs, transmitted by commercial and non-commercial television stations for reception by the general public without charge may be recorded off-air simultaneously with broadcast transmission (including simultaneous cable retransmission) and retained by a school for a period not to exceed the first forty-five (45) consecutive calendar days after date of recording.  Upon conclusion of this retention period, all off-air recordings must be erased or destroyed immediately.  Certain programming such as that provided on public television may be exempt from this provision; check with the (need to add appropriate personnel (i.e. principal, teacher, librarian, teacher librarian)) or the subscription database, e.g. unitedstreaming.

Off-air recording may be used once by individual teachers in the course of instructional activities, and repeated once only when reinforcement is necessary, within a building, during the first 10 consecutive school days, excluding scheduled interruptions, in the 45 calendar day retention period.  Off-air recordings may be made only at the request of and used by individual teachers, and may not be regularly recorded in anticipation of requests.  No broadcast program may be recorded off-air more than once at the request of the same teacher, regardless of the number of times the program may be broadcast.  A limited number of copies may be reproduced from each off-air recording to meet the legitimate needs of teachers.  Each additional copy shall be subject to all provisions governing the original recording.

After the first ten consecutive school days, off-air recordings may be used up to the end of the 45 calendar day retention period only for evaluation purposes, i.e., to determine whether or not to include the broadcast program in the teaching curriculum.  Permission must be secured from the publisher before the recording can be used for instructional purposes after the 10 day period. 

Off-air recordings need not be used in their entirety, but the recorded programs may not be altered from their original content.  Off-air recordings may not be physically or electronically combined or merged to constitute teaching anthologies or compilations.  All copies of off-air recordings must include the copyright notice on the broadcast program as recorded. 

Authorized Reproduction and Use of Copyrighted Computer Software

Schools have a valid need for high-quality software at reasonable prices.  To assure a fair return to the authors of software programs, the school district shall support the legal and ethical issues involved in copyright laws and any usage agreements that are incorporated into the acquisition of software programs.  To this end, the following guidelines shall be in effect:  

• All copyright laws and publisher license agreements between the vendor and the school district shall be observed;

• Staff members shall take reasonable precautions to prevent copying or the use of unauthorized copies on school equipment;

• A back-up copy shall be purchased, for use as a replacement when a program is lost or damaged.  If the vendor is not able to supply a replacement, the school district shall make a back-up copy that will be used for replacement purposes only;

• A copy of the software license agreement shall be retained by the, [board secretary, technology director, librarian or teacher-librarian - choose all that apply or add others]; and,

• A computer program may be adapted by adding to the content or changing the language.  The adapted program may not be distributed.

Fair Use Guidelines for Educational Multimedia

Students may incorporate portions of copyrighted materials in producing educational multimedia projects such as videos, PowerPoints, podcasts and web sites for a specific course, and may perform, display or retain the projects.  

Educators may perform or display their own multimedia projects to students in support of curriculum-based instructional activities.  These projects may be used:

• In face-to-face instruction;

• In demonstrations and presentations, including conferences;

• In assignments to students;

• For remote instruction if distribution of the signal is limited;

• Over a network that cannot prevent duplication for fifteen days, after fifteen days a copy may be saved on-site only; or,

• In their personal portfolios.

Educators may use copyrighted materials in a multimedia project for two years, after that permission must be requested and received.

The following limitations restrict the portion of any given work that may be used pursuant of fair use in an educational multimedia project:

• Motion media: ten percent or three minutes, whichever is less;

• Text materials: ten percent or 1,000 words, whichever is less;

• Poetry: an entire poem of fewer than 250 words, but no more than three poems from one author or five poems from an anthology.  For poems of greater than 250 words, excerpts of up to 250 words may be used, but no more than three excerpts from one poet or five excerpts from an anthology;

• Music, lyrics and music video: Up to ten percent, but no more than thirty seconds.  No alterations that change the basic melody or fundamental character of the work;

• Illustrations, cartoons and photographs: No more that five images by an artist, and no more than ten percent or fifteen images whichever is less from a collective work;

• Numerical data sets: Up to ten percent or 2,500 field or cell entries, whichever is less;

Fair use does not include posting a student or teacher’s work on the Internet if it includes portions of copyrighted materials.  Permission to copy shall be obtained from the original copyright holder(s) before such projects are placed online.  The opening screen of such presentations shall include notice that permission was granted and materials are restricted from further use.

The teacher-librarian is responsible for ensuring that appropriate warning devices are posted.  The warnings are to educate and warn individuals using school district equipment of the copyright law.  Warning notices must be posted:

• On or near copiers;

• On forms used to request copying services;

• On video recorders;

• On computers; and, 

• At the library and other places where interlibrary loan orders for copies of materials are accepted.

*Adopted:  09/25/23

The Board supports the use of innovative methods and the use of technology in the delivery of the education program. The Board encourages school district personnel to investigate efficient and effective ways to utilize instructional television, audiovisual materials, computers, and other technological advances as a part of the curriculum.

*Reviewed: 02/11/02

*Reviewed: 01/15/07

*Revised: 12/13/10

*Reviewed: 03/10/14

*Reviwed: 01/14/19

APPROPRIATE USE OF DISTRICT TECHNOLOGY,

NETWORK SYSTEMS, AND INTERNET ACCESS

The Board is committed to making available to students and staff members access to a wide range of electronic learning facilities, technology (including, but not limited to, computers, laptop computers, tablets, and hand held devices), equipment, software, network systems, and internet access.  The goal in providing this technology and access is to support the educational objectives and mission of the school district and to promote resource sharing, innovation, problem solving, and communication.  The district’s technology, network, and/or internet access is not a public access service or a public forum.  The district has the right to place reasonable restrictions on the material accessed and/or posted through the use of its technology, network, and/or internet access.

Access to the district’s technology, network systems, and the internet shall be available to all students and staff within the district.  However, access is a privilege, not a right.  Each student and staff member must have a signed acceptable use agreement on file prior to having access to and using the district’s technology, network systems, and the internet.  The amount of time and type of access available for each student and staff member may be limited by the district’s technology and the demands for the use of the district’s technology.  Even if students have not been given access to and/or use of the district’s technology, network systems, and the internet, they may still be exposed to information from the district’s technology, network systems, and/or the internet in guided educational activities at the discretion of district employees.

Every item of technology in the district having internet access shall not be operated unless internet access from the technology is subject to a technology protection measure (i.e. filtering software).  The technology protection measure employed by the district shall be designed and operated with the intent to ensure that students are not accessing inappropriate sites that have visual depictions that include obscenity, child pornography or are otherwise harmful to minors.  The technology protection measure may only be disabled for an adult’s use if such use is for bona fide research or other lawful purposes.

The technology director/coordinator may close a user account at any time as required and administrators, faculty, and staff may request that the technology director/coordinator deny, revoke or suspend user accounts.  Any user identified as a security risk or having a history of problems with appropriate use may be denied access to the district’s technology, the district’s network systems, and the district’s internet access.  Students and staff members will be instructed, at a minimum, on an annual basis by the district’s technology director/coordinator or other appropriate personnel on the appropriate use of the district’s technology, network systems, and internet access.

The use of the district’s technology, network systems, and internet access shall be for educational purposes only and will be allowed by an immediate supervisor and/or administrator.  Students and staff members shall only engage in appropriate, ethical, and legal utilization of the district’s technology, network systems, and internet access. Personal use by staff members is not allowed during contracted hours.

Students and staff members shall protect district technology and technology-related equipment from damage and theft.  Each student and staff member shall be responsible for any damage to district technology and technology-related equipment they have been issued from the time it is issued to them until the time it is turned back into the district, including damage to the technology, technology-related equipment, and/or software on the technology (including labor costs).

Student and staff member use of the district’s technology, network systems, and internet access shall also comply with all district policies and regulations.  The following rules provide guidance to students and staff for the appropriate use of the district’s technology, network systems, and internet access.  Inappropriate use and/or access will result in the restriction and/or termination of the privilege of access to and use of the district’s technology, network systems, and internet access and may result in further discipline for students up to and including expulsion and/or other legal action and may result in further discipline for staff members up to and including termination of employment and/or other legal action.  The district’s administration will determine what constitutes inappropriate use and their decision will be final.  Inappropriate use of the district’s technology, network systems, and internet access includes, but is not limited to a violation of the following rules:

●     Do not make or disseminate offensive or harassing statements or use offensive or harassing language including disparagement of others based on age, color, creed, national origin, race, religion, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, physical attributes, physical or mental ability or disability, ancestry, political party preference, political belief, socioeconomic status, or familial status.  Do not swear, use vulgarities or any other inappropriate language.  Be polite and follow the same privacy, ethical, educational, and other considerations observed regarding other forms of communication.

●     Do not access, create or disseminate any material that is obscene, libelous, indecent, vulgar, profane or lewd; any material regarding products or services that are inappropriate for minors including products or services that the possession and/or use of by minors is prohibited by law; any material that constitutes insulting or fighting words, the very expression of which injures or harasses others; and/or any material that presents a clear and present likelihood that, either because of its content or the manner of distribution, will cause a material and substantial disruption of the proper and orderly operation and discipline of the school or school activities, will cause the commission of unlawful acts or will cause the violation of lawful school regulations.

●     Do not disseminate or solicit sexually oriented messages or images.

●     Do not transmit your credit card information or other personal identification information, including your home address or telephone number from any district technology, unless for a legitimate district-related purpose.  If you do transmit such information from the district technology, the district is not responsible for the dissemination of this information and/or any damages resulting from such dissemination.  

●     Do not publish personal or private information about yourself or others on the internet without prior written permission.  Do not repost a message that was sent to you privately without permission of the person who sent the message.  If any information is to be provided regarding students, it should be limited to the student’s first name and the initial of the student’s last name only.  Do not arrange or agree to meet with someone met online.

●     Do not use the district’s technology, network systems, and/or internet access to participate in illegal activities.  Illegal activities include, but are not limited to, gambling, fraud, and pornography.

●     Do not subscribe to or access listservs, bulletin boards, online services, e-mail services, social networking sites (i.e. myspace, facebook, twitter) or other similar services without prior permission from the technology director/coordinator or other appropriate personnel.

●     Do not use, possess or attempt to make or distribute illegal/unauthorized copies of software or other digital media.  Illegal/unauthorized software or other digital media means any software or other digital media that has been downloaded or copied or is otherwise in the user’s possession or being used without the appropriate registration and/or license for the software or in violation of any applicable trademarks and/or copyrights, including the payment of any fees to the owner of the software or other digital media.

●     Do not alter, modify, corrupt or harm in any way the software stored on the district’s technology or network systems, including installing any software on district technology or on the district’s network systems or running any personal software from either floppy disk, CD-ROM, DVD, flash drives or other storage media or alter or modify any system data files stored on the district’s technology or network systems without prior permission and/or supervision from the technology director/coordinator or other appropriate personnel.

●     Do not download any programs or files from the internet without prior permission from the district’s technology director/coordinator or administrator.  Any programs or files downloaded from the internet shall be strictly limited only to those that you have received permission from the technology director/coordinator or administrator to download.

●     Do not use any encryption software from any access point within the district.

●     Do not share a personal user account with anyone.  Do not share any personal user account passwords with anyone or leave your account open or unattended.  You will be responsible for any consequences, monetary or otherwise, resulting from the sharing of your password and/or accessibility to your accounts.

●     Do not access the district’s technology or network systems or use the district’s internet connection from non-district owned technology without prior authorization from the technology director/coordinator or other appropriate personnel.

●     Do not use an instant messenger service or program, internet relay chat or other forms of direct electronic communication or enter a chat room while using the district’s technology, network systems, and/or the district’s internet connection unless prior authorization from the technology director/coordinator or other appropriate personnel.

●     Do not disable or circumvent or attempt to disable or circumvent filtering software without prior permission from the district’s technology director/coordinator or other appropriate personnel.

●     Do not play any games or run any programs that are not related to the district’s educational program.

●     Do not vandalize the district’s technology or its network systems.  Vandalism is defined as including, but not limited to, any attempt to harm, modify, deface or destroy physical equipment or the network and any attempt to harm or destroy data stored on the district’s technology or the network or the data of another user.  All users are expected to immediately report any problems or vandalism of technology equipment to the administration, the technology director/coordinator or the instructor responsible for the equipment.

●     Do not commit or attempt to commit any act that disrupts the operation of the district’s technology or network systems or any network connected to the internet, including, but not limited to, the use or attempted use or possession of viruses or worms or participation in hacking or other unlawful/inappropriate activities on line.  Users must report any security breaches or system misuse to the administration or technology director/coordinator.  Do not demonstrate any security or other network problems to other users; give your password to another user for any reason; and/or use another individual's account.  Do not attempt to log on to any device as a system administrator.

●     Do not use the network in such a way that you would disrupt the use of the network by other users or would waste system resources (e.g. listening to internet radio, printing web pages without prior permission from the technology director/coordinator or other appropriate personnel, staying on the network longer than is necessary to obtain needed information).

●     Do not use the district’s technology and/or network systems for any commercial or for-profit purposes, personal or private business, (including but not limited to shopping or job searching), product advertisement or political lobbying and religious lobbying.

●     Do not use the district’s technology, network systems, and/or the internet to access, download, transmit, and/or disseminate any material in violation of any federal or state law, copyrighted material, obscene material, hate literature, material protected by trade secret, viruses and/or worms, offensive material, spam e-mails, any threatening or harassing materials, and/or any material that will cause a material and substantial disruption of the proper and orderly operation and discipline of the school or school activities.  If a user encounters potentially inappropriate information, the user shall immediately terminate contact with such information and notify the technology director/coordinator or other appropriate personnel of the contact with inappropriate information.

●     Do not plagiarize information accessed through the district’s technology, network systems, and/or the internet.  Students and staff shall obtain permission from appropriate parties prior to using copyrighted material that is accessed through the district’s technology, network systems, and/or the internet.

The district will, within the curriculum currently being offered, include age-appropriate content related to children’s use of the internet.  This may include anti-bullying and harassment considerations, social networking considerations, and other considerations involving internet usage.

Although reasonable efforts will be made to make sure students will be under supervision while on the network, it is not possible to constantly monitor individual students and what they are accessing on the network.  Some students may encounter information that may not be of educational value and/or may be inappropriate.  If a student encounters such information, the student should terminate access to the information immediately and notify supervisory personnel or other appropriate personnel of what occurred.

Parents will be required to sign a permission form to allow their students to access the district’s technology, network systems, and the internet.  Students and staff members will sign a form acknowledging they have read and understand the district’s policies and regulations regarding appropriate use of the district’s technology, network systems, and the internet; that they will comply with the policies and regulations; and they understand the consequences for violation of the policy or regulations.  Prior to publishing any student work and/or pictures on the internet, the district will obtain written permission from the student’s parents to do so.

The district has the right, but not the duty, to monitor any and all aspects of its technology, network systems, and internet access including, but not limited to, monitoring sites students and staff visit on the internet and reviewing e-mail.  The administration and the technology director/coordinator shall have both the authority and right to examine all technology  and internet activity including any logs, data, e-mail, storage and/or other technology related records of any user of the system.  The use of e-mail should be limited to district and educational purposes only.  Students and staff waive any right to privacy in anything they create, store, send, disseminate or receive on the district’s technology and network systems, including the internet.

No warranties, expressed or implied, are made by the district for the technology and internet access being provided.  Although the district has taken measures to implement and maintain protection against the presence of viruses, spyware, and malware on the district’s technology , network systems, and internet access, the district cannot and does not warranty or represent that the district’s technology, network systems or internet access will be secure and free of viruses, spyware or malware at all times.  The district, including its officers and employees, will not be responsible for any damages including, but not limited to, the loss of data, delays, non-deliveries, misdeliveries or service interruptions caused by negligence or omission.  Individual users are solely responsible for making backup copies of their data.  The district is not responsible for the accuracy of information users access on the internet and is not responsible for any unauthorized charges students or staff members may incur as a result of their use of the district’s technology, network systems, and/or internet access.  Any risk and/or damages resulting from information obtained from the district’s technology, network systems, and/or internet access is assumed by and is the responsibility of the user.

Students, parents, and staff members may be asked from time to time to sign a new consent and/or acceptable use agreement to reflect changes and/or developments in the law or technology.  When students, parents, and staff members are presented with new consent and/or acceptable use agreements to sign, these agreements must be signed for students and/or staff to continue to have access to and use of the district’s technology, network systems, and the internet.

The interpretation, application, and modification of this policy are within the sole discretion of the school district.  Any questions or issues regarding this policy should be directed to the Superintendent, any building Principal or the technology director/coordinator.  The Board will review and update this policy as necessary.  The district will maintain this policy at least five (5) years after the termination of funding pursuant to the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) or E-rate.                                          

*Adopted:  10/12/98

*Reviewed:  02/11/02

*Revised:  05/13/02

*Revised:  01/29/07

*Revised:  12/13/10

*Revised:  05/14/12

*Revised:  07/09/12

*Revised:  09/10/12

*Revised:  12/10/12 

*Revised:  04/14/14

*Reviewed: 04/08/19

IMPLEMENTATION OF TECHNOLOGY PROTECTION MEASURES

REGARDING THE USE OF THE DISTRICT’S TECHNOLOGY,

NETWORK SYSTEMS, AND INTERNET ACCESS

The purpose of this policy is to provide a safe environment for students through the use of technology protection measures (i.e. filtering software) to enhance education in the school district.

The internet is an ever expanding resource that adds large quantities of content on a daily basis. However, some of the content is inappropriate for student use and may even be harmful to students' health, safety and welfare. Therefore, the school district has determined that it will establish this policy to limit student access to certain undesirable topics, including but not limited to, information and images that are obscene, constitute child pornography or are otherwise harmful to minors. Since it is not feasible for the district to continually monitor the content of the internet, the school district will employ technology protection measures in the form of internet filtering software in an attempt to block access to these types of harmful and inappropriate materials.

The school district’s implementation of internet filtering software does not guarantee that students will be prevented from accessing materials that may be considered inappropriate and/or harmful. However, it is a meaningful effort on the part of the school district to prevent students from accessing inappropriate and/or harmful materials on the internet. The school district makes no guarantee that the filtering software will be available at all times or that the filtering software will block all inappropriate and/or harmful material.

If there is an accessible Uniform Resource Locator [URL] that may be inappropriate, students, staff, and parents may request a review by designated district personnel, by completing an Add URL to Blocked Status Form. Upon review, the technology director/coordinator or other appropriate personnel will make a determination about blocking access to that site. If there is an educationally valuable URL that is blocked, students, staff, and parents may fill out the Remove URL from Blocked Status Form. The technology director/coordinator or other appropriate personnel will review the request and make a determination about unblocking the site.

Staff members may request that the internet filtering software be disabled for bona fide research or other lawful purposes. A Bona Fide Research Form will need to be filled out and reviewed by the technology director/coordinator or other appropriate personnel before the internet filtering software is disabled.

*Adopted: 04/09/12

*Revised: 07/09/12

*Revised: 12/10/12

*Reviewed: 05/12/14

*Reviewed: 04/08/19

Every effort is made to provide accurate and complete information on this web site. However, the Glenwood Community School District cannot guarantee that there will be no errors. With respect to information on this website, neither the Glenwood Community School District, nor its students, employees, representatives or Board members make any warranty, expressed or implied, including the warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose with respect to information available from this web site. Additionally, the Glenwood Community School District assumes no legal liability for the accuracy, completeness or usefulness of any information disclosed herein and does not represent that use of such information would not infringe on privately owned rights.

Reference on this web site to any specific products, process, service, manufacturer, company or trademark does not constitute its endorsement or recommendation by the Glenwood Community School District.

Links from this web site to external web sites are for the convenience of the user. Such links do not constitute an official endorsement or approval of any web-site, product or service.

*Adopted: 11/12/12

*Revised: 12/10/12

*Reviewed: 05/12/14

*Reviewed: 04/08/19

The Board recognizes that the people of the community are one of the greatest resources of the school system, and that they have special knowledge and particular talents to contribute to the school program.  The Board, therefore, encourages the use of community resources and citizens to assist in furthering the educational program.  Use of outside personnel and resources shall be under regulations approved by the superintendent of schools.

As matter of courtesy, the classroom teacher shall notify the building Principal of a visiting speaker at least one week before the expected visit takes place.

*Revised:  07/15/91

*Reviewed:  02/11/02

*Reviewed:  01/15/07

*Revised:  12/13/10

*Revised:  11/12/12

*Reviewed: 10/13/14

*Reviewed: 04/08/19

The Board of Directors recognizes that a properly planned, well‑conducted and carefully supervised field trip is a vital part of the curriculum of any classroom.  As such, student trips of significant educational value are to be encouraged within the limits of the budget.

Field trips shall have the approval of the building Principal and the Superintendent in advance of the trip.  Parents should be informed in advance.

Board approval will be required for out of state and/or overnight field trips and excursions.

*Reviewed:  02/11/02

*Revised:  01/29/07

*Revised:  12/13/10

*Revised:  04/09/12

*Revised:  11/12/12

*Revised: 11/10/14

*Reviewed: 04/08/19

Work assigned outside the classroom as practice for concepts and skills, or as background to participate in the next day’s lesson will not be used in the calculation of a grade on an outcome, component or a subject. The students’ work will be corrected, feedback will be provided and work completion will be recorded. Students are expected to complete the work as assigned in order to practice essential skills for which students will be held accountable. The record of work completion will be used to help determine a student’s “Citizenship/Employability Skills.”

*Revised:  07/15/91

*Reviewed: 02/11/02

*Revised:  01/29/07

*Revised:  12/13/10

*Revised:  04/09/12

*Revised:  11/12/12

*Revised:  11/10/14

*Revised: 12/08/14

*Reviewed: 04/08/19

*Revised:  07/15/91

*Reviewed:  02/11/02

*Revised:  01/29/07

*Revised:  12/13/10

*Revised:  04/09/12

*Revised:  11/12/12

Revised:  11/10/14

Revised: 12/08/14