What does it mean for school districts?

Protecting Children in the 21 st Century Act Signed into law by Congress in October 2008 Extension of Child Internet Protection Act of 2000 (CIPA), which required filtering of inappropriate materials for students Adds an additional Internet Safety Policy requirement that districts educate students about appropriate online behavior School board must adopt policy in compliance with new requirement prior to July 1, 2012 for district to remain eligible for E-Rate funding

What is E-Rate? Federal program run by the FCC Provides rebates and discounts to assist schools in obtaining affordable telecommunications and Internet access Rebates for eligible products and services range from 20% to 90%, based on poverty levels (ASD average is 45-50%) Eligible products and services include: Phone lines Cell phone service Internet access Website hosting Networking hardware

New E-Rate Requirements: School board must have Internet Safety Policy in place to certify district compliance with: Limiting access to inappropriate materials, including: Depictions and images of obscene material Pornography Information harmful to minors (drugs, weapons, etc.) Prevention of inappropriate network usage, including: Hacking Unauthorized disclosure and use of information about students

New E-Rate Requirements (continued): Education, supervision, and monitoring of student computer use District must educate all students in the areas of: Internet Safety Interacting with others on social networking websites or chat rooms Cyber-bullying awareness and response District must provide ongoing supervision and monitoring of student computer use

Good news: We already do most of these things! Limiting access to inappropriate materials Both ASD and State of Delaware have Internet filters in place to filter inappropriate content Prevention of inappropriate network usage District has Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) in place All students must read and have parents sign AUP before they are granted computer access Education, supervision, and monitoring of student computer use State of Delaware funds iSafe curriculum for all schools

Good news: We already do most of these things! Education, supervision, and monitoring of student computer use (continued) All elementary and middle schools already include iSafe curriculum in Technology Education classes. Topics covered include: Cyber-bullying Internet safety Social networking Online personal safety Online behavior & etiquette Cyber citizenship Student computer use is visually monitored by building staff, and remotely monitored by Technology Services staff periodically All Internet and network activity is logged and can be reviewed whenever necessary by Technology Services.

What’s at stake? Appoquinimink receives nearly $70,000 each year in discounts and rebates for school phone lines, cell phone service, and school websites The State of Delaware also receives annual E-Rate rebates of approximately $65,000 to offset the cost of Internet access in Appoquinimink schools Funding lost if board policy not adopted before July 1, 2012: $135,000 annually

Next Steps: Achieve 100% compliance with education requirement Require high schools to include iSafe curriculum in Technology / Business Education courses Consider adding language in board policy to cover these requirements

Questions?