The Principles of Responsible Use

Internet access is available to all students at ZIS. While the Internet offers a great deal of information and resources, it is also a diverse public medium. As such, it is important that students conduct themselves in a way which is compatible with the academic aims and the spirit of ZIS. Our goal in providing access to the Internet is to promote educational excellence by facilitating resource sharing, innovation, and communication. With access to the Internet also comes the potential availability of educationally questionable, politically controversial, and morally inappropriate material. Although we strive to supervise Internet use, it is impossible to guarantee that users will not be exposed to such content. ZIS therefore relies heavily on mature and responsible use by students and believes that Internet usage is a chance to teach students about responsible, ethical behavior. These guidelines have been established to inform the ZIS community of the responsibilities which all users of the school’s Internet facilities must carry.

Access to the Internet is provided for the express purpose of furthering studies at school, engaging in collaborative work with others, and obtaining information which is consistent with the educational objectives of ZIS. Members of our community should not transmit or seek access to materials which violate laws, infringe on copyrights, or have threatening, obscene, or racist content unless in the context of investigative research. Anyone who deliberately accesses such materials and/or distributes slanderous or deliberately hurtful comments which cause personal distress, are considered out of sympathy with the school’s mission and values, in breach of professional ethics, and/or in violation of the school’s Rules and Expectations.

Responsible Use Policy

ZIS expects all students to be responsible users of devices by agreeing to and fully understanding the following statements:

• I understand that any devices loaned to me, my email account, and all other ZIS IT services and resources are to be used for educational purposes and to be cared for appropriately
• I understand that streaming video, use of social networking, instant messaging and online gaming on any device are against school rules, but may be allowed under the guidance of a teacher for completion of course related activities.
• I understand that creating, accessing, displaying, producing, storing, circulating or transmitting pornographic or other offensive material in any form or medium through any device (personal or school) is strictly against school rules and in some cases against the law. Also, sending, posting or displaying offensive images, language or any other type of offensive content, including the bullying, harassment or intimidation of others is strictly against school rules.
• I will not give out my password to anyone, nor use or acquire someone else’s password or log-in identity, and I understand the risks of giving out personal information.
• I will not deliberately introduce any harmful or nuisance executable or file from untrustworthy websites, or deliberately circumvent any precautions taken by the school to prevent this from happening.
• I will not attempt unauthorized access (hacking) to data held by the school or other users. I understand that this is a criminal act.
• I agree to comply with trademark, copyright laws, data protection laws and computer misuse laws, and to give credit to all sources used.
• I understand that school devices and systems are monitored, and will be analyzed in the case of inappropriate use.
• I agree that ZIS may limit, suspend or revoke access to the school’s technology systems, services, or network upon violation of this Responsible Use Policy.

Internet Publishing Principles and Guidelines

Content published by students is not intended to be official ZIS communication and does not necessarily reflect the viewpoint of the school. ZIS is responsible only for official content published through official channels. However, publishing online can be an effective way for students to share their work and ideas, and facilitates the following:

• broad representation from all student groups within the ZIS school community.
• reflects academic and social values of the ZIS Mission and Philosophy.
• encourages students to produce their best work through a process of revision
• creates opportunity for students to discover how to be positive and respectful contributors in an open community.
• serves as a springboard for peer review and collaboration in a global community of learners.
• encourages the conscious development of a positive “digital footprint”.

The following rules apply when preparing material for Internet publishing:

• Students are solely responsible for the content that they choose to publish.
• Students publish material with the understanding that the content must adhere to academic and/or professional norms and appropriately reflect the ZIS Mission and philosophy.
• Students should advocate and practice safe, legal, and responsible use of information technology, exhibit a positive attitude toward using technology that supports collaboration and learning, demonstrate personal responsibility for lifelong learning, and exhibit leadership for digital citizenship.
• In compliance with privacy law, no specific demographic or contact information that identifies a student, faculty, or staff member (i.e. home address, telephone no., etc.) should be published.
• Student names should not be published with images unless consent is collected, for example, in student online magazines. However, students involved in specific academic or ATAC activities, that depend upon posting results of performances, may need to agree that their name and image can be used in publications.

Physical Device Security and General Care

Devices loaned to students, remain the property of Zurich International School and as such must be returned to the school either on demand or at the end of enrollment at ZIS. It is critical that any damage to, or loss of, a school device, is reported to the IT Department as soon as possible.

Students are expected to secure the school device from loss or theft. Should the device be lost or stolen, the student may be deemed negligent. Examples of negligence include, leaving a school device unattended in a public place, a parked car, public transport or unattended on school premises.

School devices should be maintained in very good condition. Students are expected to use the protective case given. Students may be held liable for hardware or cosmetic damage beyond normal wear and tear, including the use of stickers, markings or decorations of any kind.

In instances where the student has been deemed negligent, an invoice will be issued for the replacement cost of the device, and not the depreciated value.

In the event of mistreatment to any school device, or lack of adherence to the ZIS Responsible Use Policy, disciplinary action may be taken as outlined in this handbook.

School Device Applications and Data

School devices are optimized for academic courses delivered by Zurich International School. The student should not alter the core configuration of school owned devices without approval by the ZIS IT Department because this may impact the performance of the device.

Students are expected to take due care with the data they store on the school device, and accept responsibility for the appropriateness of that data. This includes images, videos and information downloaded from the Internet.

Students should not use the device to infringe copyright, or any other applicable trademark, statute or regulation.

Students should not produce, download or access material which is incompatible with the goals and values of ZIS will be considered a violation of the Responsible Use Policy.

Google Accounts

At Zurich International School, we use Google Workspace. Google Workspace is a set of productivity tools that includes Google Classroom, Gmail, Drive, Calendar, Docs, Slides, Sheets. Classroom activities may require access to additional applications and sites such as YouTube, Google Maps, Earth, Jamboard, Hangouts and access to the Chrome Webstore.

Students are provided with a Google account to complete assignments and communicate with their teachers. When creating a student account, Zurich International School will provide Google with certain personal information about the student, including, for example, name, email address, and password. When a student uses Google services, Google also collects information based on the usage, largely for the purposes of product development.

ZIS takes data privacy seriously, and we expect students to care for their personal data by not sharing their credentials with other people.

Social Media and Digital Communications

Students who use social networking or other digital platforms to collaborate or communicate with their peers at any time, including outside of school hours, should do so in a way that reflects school values.

Students are expected to not use offensive language in such settings, including language that makes fun of others because of their appearance, race or ethnicity, gender, or abilities, even if these are intended as a joke. Students should not spread information or pictures that make fun of others or show disrespect to anyone.

Decisions about students’ readiness to use social media rests entirely with parents. Parents should only allow access and use of social media to children who have reached the minimum age in the user agreement and have the knowledge and maturity to use it responsibly.

It is recommended that students keep in mind the following when using social networks:

• If it could cause offense or harm, don’t post or send it.
• If you don’t want everyone to see it, don’t post it.
• Think carefully about the digital footprint you create through your online words and actions and choose to leave a footprint that is positive and reflects positive values.

While social networking can be used positively to discuss schoolwork, homework or assignments, they should never be used to copy work, or to share or send schoolwork for someone to copy. This qualifies as academic dishonesty as described within this handbook.