Expectations for Technology Use

Minnehaha Academy's vision for education technology is to provide educational technology that is a catalyst for curiosity, connection, growth, and promotes whole and holy living in a digital age. Learn more about our vision. Like any complex tool, however, electronic devices can be misused or abused. Adherence to the expectations provided in this policy will allow us to enjoy the benefits of various technologies in our school.

In addition to the practices and procedures in the Minnehaha Academy Acceptable Use Policy and Student Handbook, faculty will hold students to the following expectations:
*text in yellow applies only to middle school students
*text in orange applies only to upper school students

Category	Expectation
School Use	During the school day: Students will use their iPad only for school-related work, as assigned by their teachers. Students will not engage in content which is not consistent with the educational focus of the school day (e.g. electronic games, movies, videos, and all social media sites). Any exceptions to this will require written approval from a teacher or the direct supervision of a teacher in a classroom or advisor setting. The “school day” is defined as the time between the first and last class period. Students will not use devices at any time during chapels or assemblies. Before and after school: Students may not access games, apps, websites, or social media that have age restrictions above their age. The same expectations apply after school and when students are involved in a school-sponsored event, activity, or trip off-campus outside of school hours. Students in middle school are allowed to do homework on their iPads in the commons area by the office until 8:15am and before students go to their lockers.* Classroom/hallway use: Devices may only be used at the direction of teachers in the classroom and should be kept out of sight until that time. iPads may not be used in the hallways or other non-classroom spaces without specific teacher direction to do so.*
Cheating	Students will not use their learning device to communicate specific content of quizzes or tests to anyone else or to engage in any other form of academic dishonesty or prohibited behavior. (See Student Handbook for further explanation of “academic dishonesty” and consequences.)
Data	Minnehaha faculty reserve the right to delete nonessential apps, photos, and videos from a student's iPad in the event of the iPad becoming full and unable to perform academic tasks. In addition, students will only download apps from the “Self Service” application after specifically being asked to do so by a teacher or faculty member. Students are responsible for safeguarding their data.
Liability	Each user is responsible for their own device and should use it responsibly and appropriately. Minnehaha Academy is not responsible for stolen, lost, or damaged devices, including lost or corrupted data on those devices. While school employees will help students identify how to keep personal devices secure, students will have the final responsibility for securing their personal devices.
Maintenance	Students who bring devices home agree to charge them prior to school, install regular software updates, and to backup their data regularly.
Messaging	Students will not text, video chat, Skype, Snapchat, or make phone calls at any time during the school day, unless instructed by a teacher to do so.
Network	School devices will connect to the school network for filtered Internet access. The school’s network filters will be applied to a device’s connection to the internet and any attempt to bypass the network filters is prohibited.
Passwords	Students agree not to share passwords with other students. Students, starting in grade 3, should make an effort to remember their Minnehaha ID (WiFi, Google, and computer login).
Personal Devices	During school hours, students will refrain from using all personal technology (e.g. cellphone, gaming devices, headphones, smartwatches). Parents who need to contact their children during school hours should call the front office and a message will be relayed to the student. Students are responsible for the safety, operation, troubleshooting and repair of their personally-owned devices. Personal technology needs to be stored in the student’s locker or backpack unless given permission from a teacher in the classroom or written permission of a teacher outside the classroom — this also applies to students in lower school.* If students bring cell phones into the Upper School they will be turned in to their first classroom teacher in the morning and picked up at the end of the day.*
Privacy	Students will not take or publish any photos, videos, or audio recordings of classmates or faculty without specific permission, direction, or expressed consent of those being recorded. Any such recordings must be for educational purposes.
Respect	Treat school-owned devices as if they were your own, with respect and care (e.g., don’t twirl the iPad on your finger, avoid stacking heavy objects on top of the iPad, etc). Students will silence all notifications, ringtones, and other alerts from their device during the school day.
Security	Students will not modify or tamper with the operating systems of school devices (e.g. "jailbreaking" iOS) or subject the school's devices and network to malicious software. Students will not tamper with the learning device of any other student.

The consistent focus of these rules is that, during the school day, electronic devices will be used for educational purposes only. In the event that a student does not comply with these expectations, the student will be subject to discipline as outlined in the Student Handbook. In addition, the school reserves the right to inspect or search a device if there is reason to believe that the student has violated school policies or procedures regarding the use of the device or has engaged in other misconduct while using their personal device. If the device is locked or password protected the student will be required to unlock the device at the request of a school administrator.