Acceptable Use Guidelines

Acceptable Use of GAFE

The use of GAFE by MSMS staff and students is bound by the Chilliwack School District Acceptable Use Agreement.  As as overview, this document states that users will conduct themselves in a courteous, ethical and responsible manner while using all district technology resources, including the MSMS GAFE platform.

Personal account information and any created or uploaded content is hosted by Google in the US therefore there are important limitations to the type of information that can be shared within the MSMS GAFE system.

Both staff and students must remember that the purpose of the GAFE tools are for “educational use’; to better meet the needs of students who are learning in a digital age.  Therefore any and all steps must be taken to ensure that sensitive and personally identifiable information is not shared in any emails, files and documents created or uploaded into the GAFE system.

Staff and Students who are accessing the district GAFE platform need to familiarize themselves with the uses and types of information that are both acceptable and unacceptable:

Acceptable Uses/Types of Information

• Classroom assignments, research notes, presentations, school-based projects (avoiding assignments that involve personally identifiable, sensitive or confidential information)
• Multimedia objects created by students (videos, pictures, audio files, animations, etc)
• Quizzes, tests, surveys
• Professional development materials and documents
• Summative assessments (e.g., teacher comments, peer feedback)
• Calendars for assignment dates, project deadlines,
• Communication with teachers and other students related to educational purposes (avoiding personally identifiable or confidential information)

Unacceptable Uses/Types of Information

• Personal contact information (e.g., home addresses, phone numbers, email address)
• Any personally identifiable information (i.e, full names, addresses, emails, contact information) about others (e.g., teacher, parent, family member) including students who have not obtained consent to use GAFE
• Classroom assignments involving sensitive personal information, (e.g., a family history assignment with full names, birthdates, birth locations, etc of family members)
• Health information (e.g., specialist assessments,psychology reports, IEPs)
• Confidential, sensitive personal information
• Any files in violation of copyright (e.g., illegally obtained music, videos, copyrighted images)
• Any form of harassment or bullying behaviour

If a student is unsure whether a specific type of information or use of Google Apps is appropriate or inappropriate, they should ask their teacher before creating the document or email.

Inappropriate or prohibited use of GAFE may lead to suspension or termination of user privileges, legal prosecution or disciplinary action appropriate under any applicable laws, policies, regulations, collective agreements or contracts.