Internet Safety

Internet Safety at school and home

Internet safety is important to all children in the district. Students learn appropriate use of technology in their classes through their use of online tools like Google Drive and EUSD's One-to-One Digital Learning Lessons. Internet safety does not end at school. It is important that all parents discuss safe practices when using the Internet. The following resources are helpful in educating parents about being safe and responsible when using the Internet.

Our Encinitas Union School District parents are actively engaged with advancing a successful, positive, creative school environment for our all students. This page provides some helpful resources connected to our library services and information literacy.

A WORD ABOUT FILTERS

All of the district issues student iPads come with content filtering no matter where they are being used. The filter works while on the school network and/or on a home wireless network. However, it is important to note that if a student uses a device other than the district-issued iPad, then the district filtering is not active. Our district iPads have multiple safeguards to protect the student privacy and filter inappropriate content.

DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP

Common Sense Media – (Questions) This resource provides multiple areas of support to parents and students including reviews of games, apps, movies, books, etc… and common parent questions about media.
Healthy Children (Time) from the American Academy of Pediatrics – This resource assists families to work together to balance their time online. An online tool is provided to support a family discussion about time online.
Google Safety Center – As a parent or guardian, you know what feels right for your family and how your kids learn best. To help your family navigate through new technologies, gadgets, and services in an ever-changing online world, it helps to get practical advice.

DIGITAL RESOURCES

The following tools are not endorsed by EUSD. The resources are examples of how parents can manage their child’s digital world:
Family Mobile Management Programs
Our Pact OurPact is a simple parental control app that allows parents to limit screen time by blocking internet and app access. (both free and paid subscriptions).
My Mobile Watchdog – Quickly access text messages, contacts, call logs, block apps and websites, locate your child, and much more… (paid subscription only).
Net Nanny – Net Nanny’s filter scans and analyses each web site to determine if it is appropriate for your child, based on your unique customization. (paid subscription)
Family Friendly - They help families make smart TV and internet choices.

RESEARCHING @ HOME - STUDENT DRIVEN

The students of Encinitas Union School District are connected to multiple resources for learning that individualizes the learning experience. We also have multiple research resources for students that allow for the exploration of information within an age-appropriate and vetted digital library of resources. Some of these vetted resources include:

Britannica School Online
An online encyclopedia of age-appropriate and level articles, in multiple languages.
Discovery Education
An online collection of thousands of vetted videos about multiple topics and age-appropriate for elementary students.
World Book Online
An online encyclopedia of age-appropriate and level articles, in multiple languages.

We prefer that our students start with the above research resources instead of first turning to Google or YouTube especially for our primary-age students.

The DESTINY DISCOVER APP is on all of the student iPads and it is powerful! Here is a 4-minute movie introduction to the use of Destiny Discover (Click Here). For use at home use this link if using a home computer – (Click Here)

S.T.A.R. Tech Program

S.T.A.R. stands for Scientific and Technological Advanced Research. It is an educationally-based organization led by students and supported by district and teacher advisors.

S.T.A.R. has the goal of connecting students that have a passion for the ICT Pathways to lead the way for other students and teachers to integrate this learning into the classrooms as well as before, during and after school. S.T.A.R. is not a club, it is a culture of learners who seek to transform education as a whole. Our students need the skills that provide greater academic freedom, and S.T.A.R. is an important part of the student-empowered learning effort.

School Web Filtering

EUSD takes the filtering of student instructional devices seriously. This involves participation from parents to the district administration. At a district level, the filtering system is strong, constantly monitored, and updated accordingly. Teachers and school site staff have a process to inform the IT department to report any issues and are trained to discuss, teach, and monitor responsible use of both the iPads and the internet. At the start of the school year, parents and students review and sign a Responsible Use agreement. In addition to the internet filtering system, the best filters are our teachers and parents.

Home Filtering

FOR THE TECHIE: Many wireless routers feature parental control and filtering options. To check if your current router has these features, review the product manual that came with the router or search the web for your router model to find directions for enabling. Open DNS is also used by families to filter the internet to all devices in the home. It is a free solution that can be customized for the level of parental controls that are needed for a household. The district has also implemented a filter through our Mobile Device Management program Meraki that provides an extra level of filtering for iPads when students are off the school network.

Additional Materials for Families

Data Privacy, Security and Safety

This article is intended as a resource to promote the safe and responsible use of data, both in the classroom and in our business practices.
As data has become digitized and moved from the paper in a file cabinet to being stored in the cloud, there are new challenges to ensure this data is protected and is accessible only to those who need access. This article provides information about data privacy and safety, including state and federal regulations that govern data privacy; assistance in understanding our individual role with data; tips to improve our personal habits; tips to aid teacher compliance when selecting classroom applications; and other resources that support data privacy protection.

Even with the best network security measures in place, it’s the human element that puts data at the greatest risk. Each August, as students and teachers return to the classroom, is a good time to remind ourselves to practice safe digital habits and to reflect upon areas we can improve our personal practices to protect student data and the network. It's important to know and understand our role as a data steward: proprietor, custodian or user, and to exhibit strong practices. Are you unsure what data can be shared and the best way to share it? It's always best to err on the side of caution, so don't share until you know you can share the data in the safest way possible.

Here are two strong practices you can put in place immediately:
Before leaving your workspace, make sure your computer is locked; and Do not place passwords written on sticky notes under your keyboard or on your monitor.

Passwords and Phishing

Privacy Protection Policies

There are several laws that dictate how schools and teachers handle student data. Encinitas Union School District meets and exceeds the state and federal regulatory policies via the following:

FEDERAL

FERPA :: The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (“FERPA”) (20 U.S.C. § 1232g; 34 C.F.R. Part 99) is a Federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. The law applies to all entities that receive funds under an applicable program of the U.S. Department of Education. FERPA gives parents certain rights with respect to their children’s education records. These rights transfer to the student when he or she reaches the age of 18 or attends a school beyond the high school level. Students to whom the rights have transferred are “eligible students.” Parents or eligible students have the right to inspect and review the student’s education records maintained by the school. Parents or eligible students also have the right to request that a school correct records which they believe to be inaccurate or misleading.

COPPA :: The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (“COPPA”) is a federal law governed by the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) that controls what information may be collected from children under the age of 13 by companies operating websites and mobile applications. (15 U.S.C. § 6501, et seq.) COPPA requires companies to post a clear privacy policy on their website or mobile application, provide notice to parents, and obtain parental consent before collecting personal information from children under the age of 13. Under COPPA, school districts1 are authorized to provide consent on behalf of parents and may approve a student’s use of an educational program. An LEA’s ability to consent on a parent’s behalf is strictly limited to the educational context. That is, an LEA may only consent on the parent’s behalf if the personal information collected is used strictly for educational purposes and not for any commercial purpose. Additionally, the FTC recommends that an LEA provide notice on its website identifying all of the websites and applications for which the LEA has provided consent on a student’s behalf.

CIPA :: The Children's Internet Protection Act
The Children’s Internet Protection Act (“CIPA”) is a federal law enacted to address concerns regarding children’s access to obscene or harmful content over the Internet. CIPA imposes requirements on LEAs that receive discounts for Internet access or internal connections through the federal E-rate program. In order to receive E-rate funding, LEAs must certify that they have in place an Internet safety policy that includes certain technology protection measures.

CALIFORNIA
SOPIPA :: Student Online Personal Information Protection Act (SB 1177) Student Online Personal Information Protection Act (“SOPIPA”) (California Business & Professions Code § 22584) California Business and Professions Code section 22584, also known as the Student Online Personal Information Protection Act (“SOPIPA”), takes effect on January 1, 2016 and sets forth privacy laws for operators of websites, online services, and applications that are marketed and used for K-12 school purposes, even if those operators do not contract with educational agencies. While primary responsibility for compliance with SOPIPA lies with website operators, LEAs should proceed with reasonable due diligence when evaluating technology service providers, especially providers based outside of California, to ensure their policies and procedures comply with SOPIPA.

AB 1584 :: California Student Privacy Protection
Technology services agreements entered into, amended, or renewed by a California LEA on or after January 1, 2015 must follow specific requirements. These requirements apply to contracts for services that utilize electronic technology, including cloud-based services, for the digital storage, management and retrieval of pupil records, as well as educational software that authorizes a third-party provider to access, store and use pupil records.

Collection of Student Information from Social Media :: California Education Code § 49073.6 California Education Code section 49073.6 requires that LEAs considering “a program to gather or maintain in its records any pupil information obtained from social media” first notify pupils and their parents or guardians about the proposed program, and then provide an opportunity for public comment at a regularly scheduled public meeting before adopting the program. “Social media” means an electronic service or account, or electronic content, including, but not limited to, videos, still photographs, blogs, video blogs, podcasts, instant messages, email, text messages, online services or accounts, or Internet website profiles or locations. For purposes of this law, “social media” does not mean an electronic service or account used exclusively for educational purposes or primarily to facilitate the creation of school-sponsored publications, such as a yearbook or pupil newspaper, under the direction or control of a school, teacher, or yearbook adviser.

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