Technology Office Resources

Notice Regarding Student Email, Calendar and Other Google Products.

St. George's uses G Suite for Education tools and applications including email, calendars, file storage and web browsing to aid students in completing assignments and communicating with the School Community. G Suite K-12 complies with Federal privacy standards relating to children.

• Review the G Suite for Education Privacy and Security Information.

• Learn more from Google in their Privacy & Security Center.

Policies and Guidelines

The following policies and guidelines outline the standards for acceptable use of institution technology resources. This includes, but is not limited to, campus equipment, software, network, data and communication devices. Each member of the St. George’s School community is required to act in respect of these policies and guidelines and always abide by the standards outlined for acceptable use. Those who do not comply will face suspension or termination of system privileges in addition to the appropriate disciplinary measures.

St. George’s provides and maintains computing and communication technologies to support the education of its students and the teaching and administrative responsibilities of its faculty and staff. Access to our network is a privilege that is granted to members of the school community as long as they use it responsibly. St. George’s retains all rights to monitor network use and user accounts. Users should not have expectations of privacy. Educational and research activities on our network have the highest priority.

Users are expected to understand and abide by the rules for use of technology at St. George’s School. All school rules, particularly those pertaining to dishonesty, bullying and harassment, are applicable to the use of computers, telephones, mobile devices and other related technologies. If a student’s infraction involves the mistreatment of others or the community, it will be dealt with under the guidelines for the Honor Code. For some infractions, a student’s computer, personal equipment, or network access may be restricted, confiscated or denied.

Bullying/Harassment
St. George’s School has a zero-tolerance policy concerning cyberbullying and harassment. Electronic harassment of any kind (e.g. personal email messages, websites, community posts, voice mail messages, texting, social media, etc.) will be treated as a violation of the Honor Code and dealt with accordingly.

Inappropriate Materials
Accessing or distributing materials from the dark web, drug content, pornographic material, and/or any other material inappropriate for a school environment are considered violations of school rules. Furthermore, making public or disseminating any materialpertaining to the dark web or that is drug, pornographic, violent or otherwise harmful will be treated as harassment. Disseminating the Internet address of sites containing such material may also result in disciplinary action.

Intentional Negligence
Knowingly engaging in, or promoting in any way, any activity that might damage the operating systems or the data stored on any computer, removing or modifying system files, or disrupting any network services will result in disciplinary action. This includes intercepting or monitoring any network communications, creating and/or disseminating software deemed harmful to the network operation, or finding ways to compromise or circumvent any network security or restrictions.

Network
Users have access to the school’s wireless network. This network is available in all classroom buildings, Library, Campus Center, dormitory common rooms and many outdoor locations. Students are absolutely prohibited from setting up personal wireless access points, mobile hotspots, routers, wireless printers or any other ad hoc networks in their dorm rooms as they will interfere with the school network. The St. George’s School network and its connection to the Internet are solely for the purposes of education and limited personal use. Selling access to St. George’s School resources, and/or engaging in commercial activities that use any part of the network is theft. Hosting for personal use, including but not limited to game servers and web servers is strictly prohibited.

Content Sharing & Storage
Students are expected to have all file sharing disabled on their computers when connected to the network. This includes illegal folder and music sharing, bit torrent sites/applications, etc. Students are provided with cloud/network storage. This can be used to backup academic-related data. We recommend all students purchase an external storage drive 250GB or larger for running scheduled backups of their personal data. Email Etiquette: All email communications and postings are expected to be in good taste at all times. Understanding that a wide variety of members of our community have access to these public resources, students must not create or send messages with inappropriate language, pictures or innuendo. It is a violation of the Honor Code to access, attempt to access or copy another user’s electronic mail.

Copyright
Members of our community are expected to follow all copyright laws as they pertain to the downloading, copying or distribution of commercial software and copyrighted media (movies, music, etc.). Violators could suffer legal consequences as well as jeopardize the school’s reputation. St. George’s will not install school licensed software on personal devices.

Safety
Never give out personal information (address, phone number, etc.) over the Internet to someone whom you do not know. Students, faculty and staff are expected to keep their passwords private and protect the security of their computers/data. Users are also required to change their passwords semi-annually, when instructed by the Technology Department. Passwords are never to be written down. All devices should be password-protected, including but not limited to laptops, mobile phones and personal tablets. If you believe your password information has been compromised, change it immediately and speak with a Technology Department staff member.

Privacy
St. George’s School reserves the right to examine material stored on or transmitted through its facilities, if there is a potential violation of our acceptable use policy or legal violation. Access to electronic data will be granted to technicians or administrators in order to address issues, perform maintenance or respond to an emergency situation. These designated staff members will not access electronic data unless necessary and will respect the privacy of those users. The school expects that its users will only access files and messages that belong to them, and that messages “from” a particular person’s username were indeed created by that person. Obtaining a password that belongs to someone else, posting a message under someone else’s name or using someone else’s network privileges to access files, school systems or email is a violation of the Honor Code. Changing or “spoofing” the computer name, IP address or MAC address is also considered dishonest under this policy.

Social Media/Networking
Social Media offers a wide array of tools that students use in order to stay connected with family and friends. This includes, but is not limited to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Snapchat and Instagram. Increased access to technology also offers distractions from academic and personal engagement on campus, and therefore we encourage students to limit their time on social media during the school day.

Technology (Laptop) Program
Throughout their tenure at St. George’s, students must be prepared to use their school-issued computer any time a teacher requires them to do so. Therefore, it must be maintained in working order, with all pre-installed SG software. If your laptop is not in working order, visit the Laptop Shop immediately. Students may not dismantle their laptop hardware or allow uncertified individuals to service their machines as this will void their extended warranty. Deleting programs, changing the operating system or installing programs that make the machine unusable, will force the technology staff to return your computer to its original condition. Selling your school-issued computer and SG licensed software during your tenure at St. George’s is considered a violation of the Honor Code and will result in the appropriate disciplinary measures.

Laptop Shop
Students must seek assistance from the Laptop Shop when problems first arise. We strive to provide our students with a comprehensive support environment, offering in-house repairs for school-issued Lenovo and Apple computers. We will assist students with hardware warranty repairs, insurance claims and remedy issues with software applications and network connectivity. All computers must be running the English language version of the operating system. The Laptop Shop is located on the second floor of the Brown Center and is open weekdays from 7 a.m.-4 p.m. The Laptop Shop sells Ethernet cables, power cords and other peripherals for our school-issued Lenovo and Apple computers only. Charges are applied to the student’s SG account. Accessories for personal computers are not supplied by the Laptop Shop.

Lost/Stolen Equipment
Students are responsible for reporting lost or stolen school-issued technology immediately. Reports should be submitted to the Technology staff and Campus Safety. Technology staff manage the insurance claim process for students. Students are required to provide the appropriate documentation/police reports for stolen laptops.