E-MAIL POLICY

The school district provides computer equipment, computer services, and Internet access to its pupils and staff for educational purposes only. The purpose of providing technology resources is to improve learning and teaching through research, teacher training, collaboration, dissemination and the use of global communication resources. The “system administrators” referred to herein as employees of the school district who administer the school district computer network(s)/computers and the system administrators reserve the right to monitor all activity on network(s)/computer facilities/computers.

Because of the complex association between so many government agencies and computer network(s)/computers, teaching staff members must adhere to strict regulations. Regulations are provided here so that teaching staff members are aware of their responsibilities. The school district may modify these regulations at any time by publishing modified regulations on the network(s) and elsewhere.

Teaching staff members are responsible for good behavior on computer network(s)/computers. Communications on the computer network(s)/computers are often public in nature. Policies and Regulations governing teaching staff members behavior and communications apply. The school district’s network(s), Internet access and computers are provided to conduct research and as a tool for instruction and to communicate with others. Access to computer network services/computers is given to teaching staff members who are expected to act in a considerate, responsible and professional manner. Access is a privilege, not a right. Access entails responsibility. Individual users of the district computer network(s)/computers are responsible for their behavior and communications over the computer network(s)/computers. It is presumed that users will comply with district standards. Beyond the clarification of such standards, the district is not responsible for the actions of individuals utilizing the computer network(s)/computers who violate the policies and regulations of the Board.

Computer network(s)/computer storage areas shall be treated in the same manner as other school storage facilities. Computer network(s)/computer administrators may review files and communications to maintain system integrity and ensure that users are using the system responsibly. Users should not expect that files stored on district servers will always be private. Users should expect all files stored on district servers will be available for review by the Supervisor of Technology and/or school administrators.

Electronic Mail
Electronic mail (“E-mail”) is an electronic message sent by or to a member in correspondence with another person having Internet mail access. All messages sent and received on the school district computer network(s) must have an educational or administrative purpose and are subject to review. A sender of an E-mail message should expect the E-mail messages will be reviewed by the system administrators or the school administration. Messages received by the system are retained on the system until deleted by the recipient or for a maximum of thirty calendar days. A canceled account will not retain its E-mail. Members are expected to remove old messages within thirty calendar days or the system administrators may remove such messages. The system administrators may inspect the contents of E-mail sent by one member to an addressee, or disclose such contents to other than the sender or a recipient when required to do so by the Board policy, regulation or other laws and regulations of the State and Federal governments. The Board reserves the right to cooperate fully with local, state, or federal officials in any investigation concerning or relating to any E-mail transmitted on the school district computer network(s) or computers.

For External E-mail and Other Electronic Correspondences
Please read the following carefully as it explains the guidelines of electronic communications between you and the Essex County Schools of Technology.

Unless otherwise specifically indicated, the contents of any electronic communication (E-mail) and its attachments are for information purposes only and should not be regarded as an offer to sell or as a solicitation. Electronic communications are not intended for distribution to, or use by, any person or entity in any location where such distribution or use would be contrary to law or regulation. Electronic communications contain privileged or confidential information or may otherwise be protected by work product immunity or other legal rules. No confidentiality or privilege is waived or lost by any mis-transmission. Access, copying or re-use of information by non-intended or non-authorized recipients is prohibited. If you are not an intended recipient of an E-mail, please notify the sender, delete it and do not read, act upon, print, disclose, copy, retain or redistribute any portion of this E-mail. The transmission and content of the E-mail cannot be guaranteed to be secure or error-free. Therefore, we cannot represent that the information in the E-mail is complete, accurate, uncorrupted, timely or free of viruses, and Essex County Schools of Technology cannot accept any liability for E-mails that have been altered in the course of delivery. Essex County Schools of Technology does not waive any intellectual property rights in the E-mail. For your protection, we recommend that you not send us any individual personal information via nonsecure methods of communication, including via public electronic communication channels, such as Internet E-mail, which are generally not secure and could be intercepted by a third party. Information in an E-mail is subject to change without notice and any views or opinions presented are solely those of the author and may not reflect the views of Essex County Schools of Technology. Essex County Schools of Technology reserves the right to monitor, review and retain all electronic communications, including E-mail, traveling through its networks and systems (subject to and in accordance with local laws). If any of your details are incorrect or if you no longer wish to receive mailings such as this by E-mail please contact the sender by reply E-mail. The information in an E-mail is not intended to replace a recipient’s own internal business processes for evaluating proposed transactions. References to “Essex County Schools of Technology” are references to any school in the Essex County Schools of Technology. Attachments that are part of this E-mail may have additional important disclosures and disclaimers, which you should read.