Statement of Educational Purpose

THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION, SCIENCE,
TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION
SCHOOLS NETWORK USE POLICY and

THE ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY FOR
MOBILE PHONES AND OTHER
MOBILE TECHNOLOGIES in
NURSERY, PRIMARY AND
SECONDARY SCHOOLS
Ministry of Education,
Science, Technology and
Innovation
ELSIE PAYNE COMPLEX, CONSTITUTION
ROAD, ST. MICHAEL
THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION, SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION / SCHOOLS NETWORK USE
POLICY and THE ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY FOR MOBILE PHONES AND OTHER MOBILE TECHNOLOGIES
in NURSERY, PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS
1.0 STATEMENT OF EDUCATIONAL PURPOSE
1.1 The Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation /

schools network system has been established for limited educational
purposes. The term educational purpose is used in the context of
instruction-related activities, including but not limited to classroom-
based projects and student works, college and career explorations, and
high-quality, academically-enriching research.
1.2 Recognizing the value of the Internet, the Ministry of Education, Science,
Technology and Innovation / school supports teachers and students being
engaged in an online environment that allows them to discuss, collaborate,
communicate, create, and share in a safe, ethical, and responsible manner.
1.3 With that educational purpose in mind, it must be emphasized that the
Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation /schools
network system has not been established as a public access service or a
public forum.
1.4 The Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation / schools has
the right to place reasonable restrictions on the material students access or post
through the system. Students may not use the Ministry of Education, Science,
Technology and Innovation / school's network system for commercial
purposes. This means students may not offer, provide, or purchase products or
services through the Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and
Innovation / school's network system.
1.5 Students are expected to follow the rules set forth in this policy, the
student disciplinary code, and all relevant laws in use by the Ministry
of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation / schools network
system. Teachers and/or other staff members will provide instruction
and guidance to students regarding the appropriate use of and access
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to the Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation /

school's network system.
2.0 ACCESS TO ONLINE MATERIALS

2.1 The material students access through the Ministry of Education, Science,
Technology and Innovation / schools network system should be for class
assignments or for research on subjects similar to what students might study in a
class or in the school library. Students are not to post non-academic messages
to others within the network system.
2.2 Use of the Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation
/ schools network system for entertainment purposes (e.g., accessing
social networking sites, such as Instagram, Snapchat, MySpace,
Facebook, and YouTube) is not allowed.
2.3 If students mistakenly access inappropriate information, students should
immediately report this access to a teacher or an administrator. This will
protect students against a claim that they have intentionally violated this policy.
schools has taken reasonable steps to restrict access to materials it
considers harmful and to materials that do not support or conform to
accepted educational or ethical objectives. These steps include the
Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation / schools
installing filtering software to protect against access to inappropriate
material.
2.5 Students will not use the Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and
Innovation / schools network system to access the following: material that is
obscene; child pornography; material that depicts, or describes in an offensive
way, violence, nudity, sex, death, or bodily functions; material that has been
designated as for adults only; material that promotes or advocates illegal
activities; material that promotes the use of alcohol or tobacco, school
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cheating, or weapons; or material that advocates participation in hate groups or

other potentially dangerous groups.
2.6 If students feel that the filtering software is blocking their access to an
appropriate site, report this to your school librarian, information and
communication technology coordinator, teacher, or an administrator.
2.7 Students will not seek to bypass the filtering software by using a proxy site or
some other technology, such as USB flash drives or discs.
2.8 The use of the Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and
Innovation / schools network system is a revocable privilege for all
users.
3.0 COMMUNICATION SAFETY EXPECTATIONS
3.1 Students should not give out personal contact information to anyone.
Personal contact information includes students full name, together with
other information that would allow an individual to locate them, including
their family name, their home address or location, their work address or
location, or their phone number.
3.2 Students may disclose personal contact information to educational
institutions, companies or other entities for college/career exploration
purposes, or with specific staff approval.
3.3 Students will not disclose names, personal contact information, or any other
private or personal information about other students. Students will not forward
a message that was sent to them privately without permission of the person
who sent them the message.
3.4 Students will promptly disclose to their teacher or other school staff
any message they receive that is inappropriate or makes them feel
uncomfortable. Students should not delete such messages until
instructed to do so by a staff member.
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4.0. UNLAWFUL, U NETHICAL, UNAUTHORIZED, AND

INAPPROPRIATE USES AND ACTIVITIES
Unlawful Activities
4.1 Students will not attempt to gain unauthorized access to the Ministry of
Education, Science, Technology and Innovation / schools network system, or
to any other computer system, or go beyond your authorized access. This
includes attempting to log in through another persons account or to access
another persons files.
4.2 Students will not make deliberate attempts to disrupt the Ministry of
Education, Science, Technology and Innovation / schools network
system or any other computer system or destroy data by spreading
computer viruses or by any other means.
4.3 Students will not vandalize the Ministry of Education, Science, Technology
and Innovation / schools computer equipment by disassembling or
disconnecting any computer components or peripherals.
Students will not engage in any conduct that modifies, harms, or
destroys any computer or network hardware, such as mice,
keyboards, and components that reboot computers.
4.4 Students will not use the Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and
Innovation / schools Internet system to engage in any other unlawful
hacking activities such as arranging for a drug sale or the purchase of alcohol,
engaging in criminal gang activity, or threatening the safety of any person
(including public officials).
5 Inappropriate Language and Unauthorized/Unethical Activities
5.1 Restrictions against inappropriate language apply to all speech
communicated through the Ministry of Education, Science,
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Technology and Innovation / schools network system, including

public messages, private messages, and material posted on Web pages.
5.2 Students will not use obscene, profane, lewd, sexually oriented, vulgar, rude,
inflammatory, threatening, or disrespectful language.
5.3 Students will not use, access, transmit, or download information that is
hate-motivated, fraudulent, abusive, or racially offensive.
5.4 Students will not knowingly or recklessly post false or defamatory information
that could cause damage or a disruption to their school or any other
organization or person.
5.5 Students will not use a camera phone to record or take pictures of
students or staff anywhere on campus and post on the Internet (e.g.,
YouTube, facebook) without the schools permission.
5.6 Students will not engage in personal attacks, including prejudicial or
discriminatory attacks, or harass or bully another person.
5.7 Students will not use, access, transmit, or download information that
relates to or encourages the illegal use of controlled substances or
other criminal conduct.
5.8 Students will promptly disclose to your teacher or another school employee
any message you receive from any other student that is in violation of the
restrictions on inappropriate language and unauthorized activities.
6 Plagiarism and Copyright Infringement
6.1 Students will not plagiarize works that you find on the Internet.
Plagiarism is taking the ideas, graphics, or writings of others and
presenting them as if they were yours without adequate and accurate
citation.
6.2 Students will respect the rights of copyright owners in their use of materials
found on, disseminated through, or posted to the Internet. Copyright
infringement occurs when you reproduce a work that is protected by a
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copyright without explicit permission from the copyright holder or outside the
limitations of copyright law.
6.3 Students will not use peer-to-peer file-sharing programs, such as
BitTorrent or Limewire, to download or share copyrighted movies,
music, or games.
7.0 SYSTEM SECURITY AND RESOURCE LIMITS
System Security
7.1 Students are responsible for their individual account and should take all
reasonable precautions to prevent others from being able to use their account.
Under no conditions should students provide their password to another person.
Students should protect their files and account by logging out of their account
and regularly backing up their personal files.
7.2 Students will immediately notify a teacher or an administrator if you
have identified a possible security problem. However, do not go
looking for security problems, because this may be construed as an
unlawful attempt to gain access.
7.3 Students will avoid the inadvertent spread of computer viruses by following the
Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation / school virus
protection procedures.
7.4 Students will not engage in any conduct or activities that could disrupt
the use of the system for others, including installing programs or files,
deleting programs or files, modifying settings, changing passwords, or
reconfiguring the system.
Resource Limits
7.5 Students will use the system only for educational and college/career exploration
activities and limited, high-quality research.
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7.6 Students will not download large files unless absolutely necessary. If
necessary, Students will download the file at a time when the system is
not being heavily used and immediately remove the file from the
system computer.
7.7 Students will not misuse Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and
Innovation / schools, or personal distribution lists or discussion groups for
sending irrelevant messages.
8.0 RIGHTS AND PRIVACY LIMITS
Free Speech
8.1 Students right to free speech and access to information applies to their
use of the Internet. The Ministry of Education, Science, Technology
and Innovation / schools may restrict access to materials for valid
educational and ethical reasons. The Ministry of Education, Science,
Technology and Innovation / schools may also restrict their speech for
valid educational and ethical reasons.
Copyright
8.2 Students own the copyright to works that they create in school or for a class
assignment. If the work is created by a group, each student will share joint
ownership of the copyright. Students and their parents or guardians must agree
before their work will be posted on the Ministry of Education, Science,
Technology and Innovation / school Web sites. Students work should be
posted with their copyright notice.
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Privacy Limits

school computer system, equipment, and the associated user accounts
are the Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation /
schools property. Student do not have any right of privacy as to their
usage or any information or files maintained in or on the Ministry of
system or equipment and should understand that there is no
expectation that any communication or materials they send, access,
view, or receive will be private.
8.4 All students usage of the Internet will be supervised and monitored. The
Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation / schools
monitoring of Internet usage can reveal all activities.
8.5 Students engage in using the Ministry of Education, Science,
Technology and Innovation / schools network system. For purposes
of inspecting or investigating a students use of the Ministry of
system or the students files or documents maintained on the network
system, the Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and
Innovation / school may override any applicable passwords, codes, etc.
Student accounts are erased (expunged) annually.
8.6 Routine maintenance and monitoring of the Ministry of Education, Science,
Technology and Innovation / schools network system may lead to discovery
that Students have violated this policy, the student disciplinary code, or the
law.
8.7 Students parents have the right to request to see the contents of your
computer files at any time.
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9.0 CONSEQUENCES FOR VIOLATIONS

9.1 Inappropriate, unauthorized, unethical, and unlawful use of the Ministry of
Education, Science, Technology and Innovation / schools network system can
result in termination of the students user privileges, liability for damages,
disciplinary action (suspension/expulsion), and/or legal action in accordance
with the law and Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation
/ schools policy. Depending on the circumstances, criminal charges against a
violator may be filed by the Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and
Innovation / schools. If Students are 18 years old, these charges will become
part of your permanent record.
9.2 Disciplinary actions are applied to student misconduct on-campus, in
school vehicles, and at school-sponsored activities.
9.3 Disciplinary actions are applied to student misconduct off-campus when it is
determined that such misconduct creates a hostile environment or threatens
substantial disruption at school or interference with the rights of students to be
secure.
9.4 Disciplinary actions are applied to student misconduct that involves
the use of the following technologies: cell/camera phones, Bluetooth
devices, iPods, computers/Notebooks, pagers, or other tools. These
personal technologies that are used inappropriately in and out of
classrooms without permission will be confiscated and held until
picked up by a parent or guardian.
9.5 The Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation / school will
comply with applicable law and will cooperate with local, state, or federal
officials (FBI, DEA, ATF) in an investigation related to any unlawful activities
conducted through the Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and
Innovation / schools network system.
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10.0 LIMITATION OF MINISTRY OF EDUCATION, SCIENCE,

TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION / SCHOOL LIABILITY

schools will not guarantee that the functions or services provided
through the Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and
Innovation / schools network service will be without error.
10.2 The Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation / schools will
not be responsible for any damage students may suffer, including but not
limited to loss of data, interruptions of service, or exposure to inappropriate
material or people.
schools will not be responsible for the accuracy or quality of the
information obtained through the system.
10.4 The Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation / schools will
not be responsible for financial obligations arising through the unauthorized
use of the system.
10.5 Students parents can be held financially responsible for any harm that
may result from their intentional misuse of the system. Students may
use the system only if their parents have signed a disclaimer of claims for
damages against the Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and
Innovation / schools (see Acceptable Use of Technology Agreement)
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MOBILE TECHNOLOGIES USE POLICY FOR NURSERY, PRIMARY

AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN BARBADOS
Acceptable Use Policy for mobile phones and other mobile technologies
1. Purpose
1.1 The widespread ownership of mobile phones and other mobile

technologies among school students requires that education managers,
policy makers, school administrators, teachers, students, and parents
take steps to ensure that mobile phones and other mobile technologies
are used responsibly at schools. This Acceptable Use Policy is designed
to ensure that potential issues involving mobile technologies/ mobile
phones can be clearly identified and addressed, ensuring the benefits
that mobile technologies / mobile phones provide (such as increased
safety and educational/academic benefits) can continue to be enjoyed
by our teachers and students.
1.2 The Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation] has

established the following Acceptable Use Policy for mobile technologies
/mobile phones that provides teachers, students and parents guidelines and
instructions for the appropriate use of mobile phones and other mobile
technologies during school hours.
1.3 Teachers, Students, their parents or guardians must read and

understand the Acceptable Use Policy before students are given
permission to bring mobile phones to school.
1.4 The Acceptable Use Policy for mobile phones and other mobile technologies
also applies to students during school excursions, camps and extra-curricular
activities.
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2. Rationale
2.1 Personal safety and security and academic/ educational research and
teaching and learning.
The Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation

accepts that parents give their children mobile phones or other mobile
technologies to protect them from everyday risks involving personal security
and safety. There is also increasing concern about children travelling alone on
public transport or commuting long distances to school. It is acknowledged
that providing a child with a mobile phone gives parents reassurance that they
can contact their child if they need to speak to them urgently or vice versa.
Furthermore it is also accepted that other mobile technologies can

make a tremendous contribution to the Academic/educational
achievements of students and teachers. Mobile connectivity provides
an opportunity to offer new ways of teaching and learning that
ultimately will improve performance and results. It is therefore
important that its use will become more important in our schools for
education, research, examination and assessment. Responsible and
ethical use therefore has to be emphasized.
3. Responsibility
3.1 It is the responsibility of students who bring mobile phones or other mobile
technologies to school to abide by the guidelines outlined in this document.
3.2 The decision to provide a mobile phone or other mobile technologies

to their children should be made by parents or guardians.
3.3 Parents should be aware if their child takes a mobile phone or other mobile
technologies to school.
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3.4 Permission to have a mobile phone or other mobile technologies at

school while under the schools supervision is contingent on
parent/guardian permission in the form of a signed copy of this policy.
Parents/guardians may revoke approval at any time.
4. Acceptable Uses
4.1 Mobile phones and other mobile technologies should be switched off and kept
out of sight unless needed during classroom lessons. Exceptions may be
permitted only in exceptional circumstances if the parent/guardian specifically
requests it. Such requests will be handled on a case-by-case basis and should be
directed to [the office pf the principal]. Parents are reminded that in cases of
emergency, the [schools office] remains a vital and appropriate point of contact
and can ensure your child is reached quickly and assisted in any appropriate
way.
4.2 While on school premises, students should use soundless features such
as text messaging, answering services, call diversion and vibration alert
to receive important calls.
4.3 Mobile phones should not be used in any manner or place that is disruptive to
the normal routine of the school.
4.4 Students should protect their phone numbers by only giving them to
friends and keeping a note of who they have given them to. This can
help protect the students number from falling into the wrong hands
and guard against the receipt of insulting, threatening or unpleasant
voice, text and picture messages.
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5. Unacceptable Uses
5.1 Unless express permission is granted, mobile phones should not be used to
make calls, send SMS messages, surf the internet, take photos or use any other
application during school lessons and other educational activities, such as
assemblies. Students should only use their mobile phones before or after school
or during recess and lunch breaks.
5.2 Mobile phones must not disrupt classroom lessons with ringtones or
beeping.
5.3 Using mobile phones to bully and threaten other students is unacceptable and
will not be tolerated. In some cases it can constitute criminal behavior.
5.4 It is forbidden for students to gang up on another student and use

their mobile phones to take videos and pictures of acts to denigrate
and humiliate that student and then send the pictures to other students
or upload it to a website for public viewing. This also includes using
mobile phones to photograph or film any student without their
consent. It is a criminal offence to use a mobile phone to menace,
harass or offend another person and almost all calls, text messages and
emails can be traced.
5.5 Mobile phones or other mobile technologies are not to be used or taken into
changing rooms or toilets or used in any situation that may cause
embarrassment or discomfort to their fellow students, staff or visitors to the
school.
5.6 Should there be repeated disruptions to lessons caused by a mobile

phone, the responsible student may face disciplinary actions as
sanctioned by the Principal.
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6. Theft or damage
6.1 Students should mark their mobile phones or other mobile technologies clearly
with their names.
6.2 Students who bring a mobile phone to school should leave it locked
away in their locker/bag when they arrive. To reduce the risk of theft
during school hours, students who carry mobile phones are advised to
keep them well concealed and not advertise they have them.
6.3 Mobile phones that are found in the school and whose owner cannot be
located should be handed to front office reception.
6.4 The school accepts no responsibility for replacing lost, stolen or

damaged mobile phones.
6.5 The school accepts no responsibility for students who lose or have their mobile
phones stolen while travelling to and from school.
6.6 It is strongly advised that students use passwords/pin numbers to

ensure that unauthorized phone calls cannot be made on their phones
(eg by other students, or if stolen). Students must keep their
password/pin numbers confidential. Mobile phones and/or passwords
may not be shared.
7. Inappropriate conduct
7.1 Any student/s caught using a mobile phone to cheat in exams or assessments
will face disciplinary action as sanctioned by the Principal.
7.2 Any student who uses vulgar, derogatory, or obscene language while
using a mobile phone will face disciplinary action as sanctioned by the
Principal
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7.3 Students with mobile phones may not engage in personal attacks, harass
another person, or post private information about another person using SMS
messages, taking/sending photos or objectionable images, and phone calls.
7.4 Students using mobile phones or other mobile technologies to bully other
students will face disciplinary action as sanctioned by the Principal.
7.5 [It should be noted that it is a criminal offence to use a mobile phone to
menace, harass or offend another person. As such, if action as sanctioned by the
Principal is deemed ineffective, as with all such incidents, the school may
consider it appropriate to involve the police.]
8. Sanctions
8.1 Students who infringe the rules set out in this document could face having
their phones confiscated by teachers. The mobile phone would be taken to a
secure place within the school and the students parent informed. Appropriate
arrangements would then be made for the parents to collect the mobile phone.
8.2 Repeated infringements may result in the withdrawal of the agreement to

allow the student to bring the mobile telephone to school.
8.3 As set out in the previous section, failure to heed the rules set out in this
document may result in an alleged incident being referred to the police for
investigation. In such cases, the parent or guardian would be notified
immediately.
Effective: (Date)
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.
Signature
Chief Education Officer
Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation
.
Signature
Minister of Education
Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation
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THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION, SCIENCE,

TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION

SCHOOLS NETWORK USE POLICY and

1.0 STATEMENT OF EDUCATIONAL PURPOSE

1.1 The Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation /

to the Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation /

2.0 ACCESS TO ONLINE MATERIALS

cheating, or weapons; or material that advocates participation in hate groups or

4.0. UNLAWFUL, U NETHICAL, UNAUTHORIZED, AND

Technology and Innovation / schools network system, including

7.0 SYSTEM SECURITY AND RESOURCE LIMITS

8.0 RIGHTS AND PRIVACY LIMITS

8.3 The Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation /

9.0 CONSEQUENCES FOR VIOLATIONS

10.0 LIMITATION OF MINISTRY OF EDUCATION, SCIENCE,

10.1 The Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation /

MOBILE TECHNOLOGIES USE POLICY FOR NURSERY, PRIMARY

1.1 The widespread ownership of mobile phones and other mobile

1.2 The Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation] has

1.3 Teachers, Students, their parents or guardians must read and

The Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation

Furthermore it is also accepted that other mobile technologies can

3.2 The decision to provide a mobile phone or other mobile technologies

3.4 Permission to have a mobile phone or other mobile technologies at

5.4 It is forbidden for students to gang up on another student and use

5.6 Should there be repeated disruptions to lessons caused by a mobile

6.4 The school accepts no responsibility for replacing lost, stolen or

6.6 It is strongly advised that students use passwords/pin numbers to

8.2 Repeated infringements may result in the withdrawal of the agreement to

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