Privacy, Policies and Tools

TECHNOLOGY ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY (AUP)

MKA recognizes how valuable the appropriate use of technology is to improving teaching and learning. Accordingly, MKA has made a significant commitment to integrating technological advances into the school program to enhance students’ learning experiences. MKA provides access to the school’s printers and internet services from every device (e.g., laptop, iPad, etc.) connected to MKA’s network. Understanding and following MKA’s Acceptable Use Policy allows MKA to maintain a respectful, effective, and safe learning environment. Issues such as fairness and network capacity limitations also require a policy concerning the appropriate use of all technology.

The school cannot be held responsible for any damages, injuries, or claims resulting from student violations of responsible use of technology as outlined herein. 

School-issued devices and network resources are considered the property of MKA. Any actions performed or initiated through the network must reflect the integrity and honesty expected of an MKA student, as described in MKA’s Honor Code, and be compliant with MKA’s Code of Conduct, as set forth in the MKA Handbook. All network traffic is logged by MKA, and those logs may be monitored for inappropriate use. MKA also monitors laptops for the installation of applications that are in violation of this AUP. 

MKA blocks websites and web-based services that the administration deem to pose a threat to the safety, security, and well-being of its community members, facilities, network, and resources. Categories that are blocked include:

• Pornography and sexually explicit material

• Criminal and illegal activities

• Weapons and extreme violence

• Computer hacking

• Spyware, phishing, spoofing, and malicious software

• Certain video streaming sites

• Dark Web

MKA will also continue to take precautions against this type of material on all equipment that is part of the school’s network.

Students may be held responsible for actions initiated on their device, regardless of whether they were using their device at the time of the infraction. Therefore, students may only use the device they have been issued or one provided in the event of repair.

Students are provided with an MKA-issued email account, which is the primary email account used by MKA faculty, staff, and coaches. This account is to be used for educational purposes; however, school email may be used for incidental or occasional personal use so long as it does not violate any terms defined in this AUP. Email is not to be used for group solicitations not directly related to school purposes.  

As a rule, MKA will protect students’ privacy and will treat students’ electronic information as it treats any other student property. However, the school reserves the right to randomly search students’ personal belongings, devices (personal and school–issued), and school-issued accounts in accordance with policies stated in the MKA Handbook and posted on MKA’s website.

Responsible Use of Technology

Students will:

• Use technology in ways that reflect MKA’s Character Standards and Social & Emotional Learning Competencies and uphold MKA’s Code of Conduct and Honor Code.

• Use technology during class time only for approved academic purposes

  • Software and services whose use may be deemed inappropriate for the teaching and learning approach of a specific course or subject (e.g., generative AI Tools, language translation services, literature summary sites, calculators, and equation solvers) should not be used unless instructed to do so by a teacher

• Protect passwords

  • Do not give out passwords or accept another’s password

  • Have a plan to remember passwords

  • Do not allow anyone to add their fingerprint for Touch ID

• Keep the school-issued protective case on their iPads (Primary School only)

• Keep a hard, protective case on their laptops (similar to the ones originally issued with their laptops)

  • Students are encouraged to place stickers on this protective case to personalize their laptops; students may not place stickers directly on or otherwise mark their laptops

  • Backpacks with a separate, padded, laptop section are recommended

• Keep their school-issued device updated to the most recent OS version - as permitted

• Carry laptops with lids closed

• Come to school with their devices fully charged and charge only in these areas while at school:

  • Middle School: Library, Dining Hall, and Tech Center

  • Upper School: Commons, Academic Center, and Dining Hall

• Visit the MS/US Tech Center or PS Library for any needed repairs (e.g., cracked screen, missing keys)

Violations of the Acceptable Use Policy fall into two broad categories: "Minor Offenses" and "Major Offenses."  A Major Offense of the AUP is also a Major Code of Conduct Violation.

MINOR OFFENSES

A minor offense is an action or behavior that violates a rule that has been put in place to maintain the strength, integrity, and sustainability of our technology program. Students who demonstrate a pattern of minor offenses will be referred to the Primary School Educational Technology Coordinator or the Middle or Upper School Dean of Students. Minor offenses include, but are not limited to, the following: 

Laptop Usage and Settings

• Creating secondary accounts for the laptop. (e.g., for a friend or parent or to enable parental controls).

• Installing operating systems other than those installed by the MKA Tech Department. (e.g., Boot Camp, Virtual Machines).

• Changing the following settings in the System Preferences:

  • Sharing → Disabling or changing settings for Remote Login

  • Sharing → Disabling or changing settings for Remote Management

  • Security → Turning on FileVault 

  • Security → Enabling the Firewall

  • Screen Time → Enabling services within without discussion with IT department

  • Profiles → Modifying or removing any MKA-related profiles

Network Access (Minor)

• Installing or using unauthorized 3rd party multi-node file-sharing software (e.g., qBittorrent, uTorrent, BitTorrent, Seeds, eMule, Frost Wire) on school laptops. Messages, Dropbox, Evernote, and AirDrop do not fall under this category.

• Using personal laptops or iPads/tablets instead of the school-issued laptop.

• Sending chain emails, inappropriate broadcast messages, or any other information that may cause undue network congestion.

• Accessing MKA’s network via the wired network.

• Using the network for commercial purposes. The school will not be responsible for any financial obligations resulting from school-provided devices, technology, or access to the Internet (including BitCoin related sites/services).

• Installation of third party firewalls, anonymizers, or proxies.

• Accessing non-MKA wireless networks with the laptop while on campus (this includes personal hotspots).

• Attempting to connect to the MKA wired or wireless network with non-authorized devices including personal laptops, phones, or tablets.

MAJOR OFFENSES

A major offense is a serious violation of the standards of the community and poses a threat to the safety and security of the school’s network, infrastructure, students, faculty, and greater community. Major Offenses to the AUP also count as Major Offenses to the Code of Conduct. Major Offenses include, but are not limited to, the following:

Privacy, Property, and Community

• Accessing or deleting the MKA administrative account.

• Vandalizing the device or other network resources. This includes defacing, engraving, coloring, painting, etching, stickers, skins, and using marker on the device itself. It also includes deliberately removing keys or deforming the original shape of the device and its components.

• Accessing devices, accounts, and files of others without permission. This includes going on to someone else’s device and accessing any web page, social network, or application without the owner’s knowledge or permission or impersonating someone online.

• Recording, filming, using a live transcription service, or photographing teachers or other students without express permission to do so. If teachers or other students have given permission to record, the student who receives permission is expected to respectfully and responsibly use and manage the recorded material. Sharing or publicly posting captured material without permission is also prohibited.

• Using the device and its applications or the school network either in or out of school to harass, disparage, or intimidate another person or the school itself. 

• Sending or posting messages that are detrimental to the reputation of MKA by virtue of the sender’s address or other means of identification.

Illegal Activity

• Installing or distributing unlicensed or illegal software. 

• Using the network in support of illegal activities or businesses or for gambling. The school will not be responsible for any financial obligations resulting from school-provided technology or Internet access.

Network Access (Major)

• Placing, creating, or accessing sexually explicit, violent, obscene, or unlawful material.

• Attempting to get around MKA’s network security or to impair functionality of its network by using, for example, VPNs, or remote login tools (e.g., GoToMyPC, LogMeIn).

• Attempting to bypass restrictions set by the network administrators.

• Using a device for distribution of inappropriate or illegal material including text, audio, images, or video.

• Providing billable services to others for the use of your device or MKA network resources.

 

MKA has a strict policy against the inappropriate use of computers which is set forth in detail in the Student/Parent Handbook. Cyber-bullying (the use of electronic or wireless devices to harass, intimidate or bully) will not be tolerated. While on the MKA network, the school has the ability to access a computer remotely to view the content saved on a student’s computer. MKA reserves the right to search a student’s computer files/accounts when necessary to determine whether the student has violated the law or MKA rules. All network traffic is logged by MKA and can be monitored and reviewed for appropriate use. Remote access to student computers will be used if necessary to determine whether a student has violated the law or MKA rules. Remote access does not include the use of microphones or web camera to view the area in front of a computer, or to hear sounds in the area of a computer.

MKA laptops come equipped with a built in microphone and web camera that are used by students and teachers for a variety of educational activities. These devices cannot be deactivated or removed from the computer. MKA restricts the use of web cameras and microphones to educational and/or troubleshooting purposes only. MKA does not use these devices to view, or listen, to students on or off campus under any circumstances.

MKA cannot and will not access a web camera or microphone when the computer is not on the MKA network. Since a computer may be logged onto the MKA network only when it is on campus, MKA has no ability to access the computer remotely when it is with the student at home, on vacation or anywhere outside the MKA campus.

MKA utilizes two software applications to troubleshoot faulty computers, Apple Remote Desktop (ARD) and JAMF Casper suite:

ARD permits the MKA Technology Department to remotely access a student’s computer and to carry out the appropriate steps to repair and/or restore the computer while the student is on campus. It allows the Technology Department to see what is on the computer screen; it does not employ a microphone or web camera, which would allow the Technology Department to view the area around the computer or to hear sounds or conversation in the area of the computer. When a computer is accessed remotely using ARD, a menu bar icon will let the computer user know that the program is being used for remote access to their computer. As a general rule, the Technology Department will notify a student before using ARD to access the student’s laptop; exceptions to the rule are limited to emergency situations where a malfunctioning computer must be dealt with immediately.

The JAMF Casper suite is used to report on a variety of activities including application installations, updates, system specifications,hardware configuration changes, application usage (number of hours used), system
restarts and significant changes in the file system. This “audit” information, including the IP address of the individual computer, is sent to a Casper data server on a timed schedule (approximately once an hour). At no time is personal or private information sent to the Casper management server. The JAMF Casper suite cannot be used by the school to listen to sounds in the area of a computer or to view the area around the computer. Its sole purpose is to provide MKA with needed information about the computer network.

Below is a list of 3rd party applications and web-based services that are currently used in the classroom and require a student login, use a generic login, and/or store student information.

	Adobe Creative Cloud is a set of applications and services from Adobe Systems that gives subscribers access to a collection of software used for graphic design, video editing, web development, photography, along with a set of mobile applications and also some optional cloud services.   Privacy Policy - Terms of Service - Additional Terms (K12)
	BrainPop is an animated Educational Site for Kids - Science, Social Studies, English, Math, Arts & Music, Health, and Technology.  Privacy Policy - Terms of Service
	Connected ED is part of the McGraw Hill suite tools for online texts. Privacy Policy - Terms of Service
	Descubre is the online textbook used in 4th and 5th grade Spanish language classes. Privacy Policy - Terms of Service
	Desmos is an online graphing calculator. Privacy Policy - Terms of Service
	Digital Theatre + increases student engagement and passion for performance with over 400 first-class productions and all-star casts... Privacy Policy - Terms of Service
	Edmodo is a collaborative platform for classroom discussions, projects, and units. Privacy Policy - Terms of Service
	EdPuzzle  is an incredible-easy-to-use video platform that helps teachers save time, boost classroom engagement and improve student learning through video lessons. Privacy Policy- Terms of Service
	Epic is a leading digital library for kids offering unlimited access to 35000 of the best children's books of all time. Privacy Policy - Terms of Service
	Evernote is a tool for organization of notes that can contain text, images, and audio. Notes and notebooks can be shared with teachers and classmates for collaboration and feedback. Privacy Policy - Terms of Service - Direct Notice
	Fitnessgram is used in Physical Education classes to save and review fitness testing activity and data. Privacy Policy - Terms of Service
	Flip Grid video for student engagement and formative assessment - Privacy Policy - Terms of Service
	Glogster -  is a cloud-based platform for creating presentations and interactive learning. Privacy Policy - Terms of Service
	Goosechase is an online tool for developing scavenger hunts. Privacy Policy - Terms of Service
	GSuite for Education  is a brand of cloud computing, productivity and collaboration tools, software and products. Privacy Policy - Terms of Service
	Hypothesis to discuss, collaborate, organize your research, or take personal notes. Privacy Policy - Terms of Service
	IXL Math is a site with a rich set of math practice activities and resources. Privacy Policy - Terms of Service
	McGraw Hill is an online textbook company. Privacy Policy - Terms of Service
	Moodle is an open source online classroom management tool managed by MKA. Privacy and Terms of Service fall under the MKA Handbook.
	Newsela takes authentic content from the world's most trusted providers and turns it into learning materials that are classroom-ready.- Privacy Policy - Terms of Service
	NoodleTools allows students to save bibliographical information and reference citations during research projects. Privacy Policy - Terms of Service
	OpenAI ChatGPT  is a generative AI chatbot that uses natural language processing to respond to questions and compose various types of written content. Terms of Service and Privacy Policy DALL E2  is a visual generative AI tool that can create realistic images and art from a description in natural language. Terms of Service and Privacy Policy
	Padlet makes beautiful boards, documents, and webpagesthat are easy to read and fun to contribute to. - Privacy Policy - Terms of Service
	PearDeck lets teachers hear from and directly engage every student every day - Privacy Policy - Terms of Service
	Pearson is an online textbook company. Privacy Policy - Terms of Service
	Pivot Interactive is a powerful supplement to hands on experimentation, allowing students to vary experimental parameters one at a time to view results from a set of many recordings of the same experiment. Privacy Policy - Terms of Service
	Prezi is the presentation software that uses motion, zoom, and spatial relationships to bring your ideas to life and make you a great presenter - Privacy Policy - Terms of Service
	Quizziz is a game-based learning tool that can engage students in deep and meaningful learning experiences. Terms of Service and Privacy Policy
	Quizlet is flashcards, tests, and study games make learning fun and engaging for students of all ages. - Privacy Policy - Terms of Service
	Seesaw provides student driven digital portfolios and simple parent communication. Privacy Policy - Terms of Service
	Sight Reading Factory allows teachers to customize and generate unlimited sight reading examples instantly, on-demand. - Privacy Policy - Terms of Service
	SmartMusic is a web-based suite of music education tools that support efficient practice, helping musicians to develop and grow.  - Privacy Policy - Terms of Service
	Spelling City is designed to expand knowledge of vocabulary words and reading comprehension. Privacy Policy - Terms of Service
	Socrative allows teachers to quickly assess students with prepared activities or on-the-fly questions to get immediate insight into student understanding - Privacy Policy - Terms of Service
	TurnItIn is a paper submission tool that helps students and teachers organize work and give feedback on producing original ideas. Privacy Policy - Terms of Service
	Typing Training is a web-based resource for learning, practicing, and mastering touch typing. Privacy policy - Terms of Service
	WebAssign provides online homework application for faculty and students. Privacy Policy - Terms of Service
	ZipGrade is a mobile device app that turns your iPhone, iPad, or Android device into an optical scanner for grading paper multiple-choice assessments. Privacy Policy - Terms of Service
LIBRARY RESOURCES
	ABC-Clio is a publishing company for academic reference works and periodicals primarily on topics such as history and social sciences for educational and public library settings. Privacy Policy - Terms of Service
	Capstone PebbleGo is an emergent reader research solution. Privacy Policy - Terms of Service
	Ebsco is the leading provider of research databases, e-journals, magazine subscriptions, ebooks and discovery service for academic libraries. Privacy Policy - Terms of Service
	Follett Destinyis for library management. Privacy Policy - Terms of Service
	Gale Virtual Reference Library, Kids InfoBits provides authoritative, curriculum-aligned articles for users to explore and gain comfort with database searching.. Privacy Policy - Terms of Service
	Gilder Lehrman is the leading nonprofit organization dedicated to K–12 history (American History 1493-1945) education while also serving the general public.  Privacy Policy - Terms of Service
	Infobase/Facts on File is a convenient collections of thousands of acclaimed eBooks in a range of core subjects. Privacy Policy - Terms of Service
	JSTOR is a digital library originally containing digitized back issues of academic journals, it now also includes books and other primary sources, and current issues of journals. It provides full-text searches of almost 2,000 journals. Privacy Policy - Terms of Service
	Libguides is used to curate knowledge and share information, organize class and subject specific resources, and to create and manage websites. Privacy Policy - Terms of Service
	OverDrive is a service that allows students to borrow eBooks, audiobooks and videos. Privacy Policy - Terms of Service
	ProQuest resources and tools support research and learning, through provision of thousands of journals, magazines and newspapers, both current and historical.  Privacy Policy - Terms of Service
	Rosen's Teen Health and Wellness(Gale) is a comprehensive curricular support and self-help tools on topics including diseases, drugs, alcohol, nutrition, mental health and much more, with an instant, online support network secondary students can always turn to. Privacy Policy - Terms of Service
	Scholastic Go provides credible, accurate, reliable content on almost every core-curricula subject, and offers endless resources for research in a multitude of media. Privacy Policy - Terms of Service
	World Book is an encyclopedia and its mission is to "enhance learning and reading for children around the world by developing trustworthy, engaging content to create products that will engage children of all ages at home, on the go, in the classroom or in libraries worldwide. Privacy Policy - Terms of Service
	TumbleBooks is a curated database of children’s e-books, available by subscription to Elementary Schools and Public Libraries around the world. Privacy Policy - Terms of Service