Acceptable Use Policy

Fundamental Principles

Dayspring Christian Academy (DCA) believes that students should honor the Lord while advancing their education through the acquisition of computer knowledge and skills.  Therefore, each student bears the responsibility of self-government in accordance with biblical standards when using a computing device.  The use of electronic devices is a privilege, not a right; thus, the student who uses the computer inappropriately will incur consequences.

DCA believes that home use of technology is to be governed by the parents, but that while students are in the charge of the school, DCA reserves the right to govern any and all technology used on school grounds or at school functions under the mandate of CIPA, the Children’s Internet Protection Act.  To this end, DCA will monitor the use of all devices on school premises and at school through a variety of means including but not limited to: filtration software, firewalls, random screening, and other means.

In the interest of developing a relevant technology program DCA has enacted a 1:1 Google Chromebook Policy. This policy is a privilege for students of grades K-12* who are in good standing with the school and have signed the Acceptable Use Policy (AUP). To this end, specific rules have been established for personal devices in use on school grounds or at school functions. See Chromebook Policy.

Students in Grades K-7 are assigned their own individual Chromebook to use while here at school. Chromebooks for these grades are stored on a charging cart or charging stand at the school and are expected to be returned on a daily basis. Chromebook usage in these grades is initiated by direct instruction from teachers. Students in grades 8-12 are issued their own Chromebook which should be brought home with them daily. Students in grades 8-12 should charge their Chromebooks at home and report for school each morning with a charged Chromebook. Both the Chromebook and charger are expected to be returned to a location communicated by their teachers by the final day of each school year. Students do not keep their Chromebooks over the summer. (*Depending on availability)

Privacy Policy

In accordance with our own procedures and policies as well as CIPA and COPPA (Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act) DCA will provide only limited individual identifiable information to external service providers for each student as is necessary for the furtherance of his or her education.  By undersigning this form, DCA is authorized to create those accounts that are deemed helpful to the educational process for the student.

A complete list of all current accounts is available upon request as well as a description of each account service.

Rules and Expectations

Mobile devices of any kind including but not limited to, cell phones, “smart” devices (such as watches, glasses, rings, etc), hotspots, cameras, laptops, netbooks, iPods/mp3 players, tablets and handheld computers, must be turned off and are not allowed to be on any student’s person during the hours of 7:50 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

All students must utilize the DCA student network and devices provided for students.  The use of another wireless network or mobile network (3g/4g/5g data plans) or personal device (without prior administrative approval) will constitute a breaking of the AUP, see Consequences section below. Students are not to attempt to connect to any faculty or staff network or any other network while at school other than the one designated for students which is preconfigured on each assigned Chromebook. Students in grades 8-12 may use the device on their home wireless network with their parent’s permission. 

Even though the school is providing a device for each student, the teacher still governs the use of technology. Therefore, students must receive permission from their instructor or supervising staff person to use any device. This is a requirement for every instance of use.

It is the DCA expectation that the download and subsequent installation of software is legal in nature and monitored by the parents of the students. DCA reserves the right to review the software installed on any device and remove inappropriate content and programs from student devices.

At any point in time, a teacher may request of a student, his or her device, at which point any teacher may evaluate open documents and programs for adherence to this policy.

At any point in time, an administrator may request of a student, his or her personal device, at which point an administrator may evaluate all contents of the device even if not open.

“Netiquette”, Cyberbullying, and Privacy

Students are expected to maintain a cyber-presence which reflects a Christian witness.

Cyberbullying of any kind, whether in school or out, and whether on a school device or personal device, will not be tolerated and evidence thereof will be considered breaking of the AUP. If you are a victim of cyberbullying or observe it being done to someone else, you should report that situation to your teacher/principal immediately.

Activities performed on the school network and on school devices are monitored and discoverable by the school. This includes email, web history, searches, content stored in Google Drive, as well as the contents of what is typed into programs on the Chromebook. 

Specific Expectations

During the course of a school day, students may not access the following: Gaming, Social Media, Texting Software, Blogs (with exclusions set by administration or teachers on a case-by-case basis), instant messaging or any other program type defined by any teacher or administrator. Just because a site is not filtered does not mean it is acceptable to access during a school day. Just so there is complete clarity: playing games on your Chromebook at school will result in the progressive consequences outlined in this policy.

Students may not check any personal email accounts during the school day.  An account is provided for students for their use in classroom and coursework activities (grades 6-12).  Students must limit the use of the given email address to school-related activities. All coursework and correspondence with DCA Staff must be done via the school-provided email account. The contents of any and all emails sent from a DCA-provided email account may be reviewed at the discretion of the administration. Parental access to student accounts is available upon request. Students in grades 6-9 are unable to send or receive email to or from other students and will receive an error when they try to do so. Students in grades 6-9 are still permitted and able to email teachers and staff members.

DCA expects that students will vigilantly refrain from the visitation of sites not befitting the gospel to which we have been called as Christians.

Students may not circumvent, reverse-engineer, hack, or otherwise compromise the integrity of school filtering methods, technology infrastructure (network, servers, etc) or other student accounts/devices. While these items would be included in the above statement, the use of a proxy server or VPN service is strictly forbidden.

Students may not enter, change, or duplicate any other person’s personal files as this is a violation of DCA plagiarism rules as well as Federal Law.

Students may not share their password information with anyone other than their parents/guardians.

Students should not log in as or digitally impersonate any other student or staff member.

Students may not install, modify or remove any software installed by the school without permission and direction therefrom.

Students must not have food or drink at any computer area or on any surface upon which a device rests.

Students are held responsible for the proper saving of their work.  To this end, students who have signed the AUP are provided with an email account and Google Drive account to store their work and files. Do not save your work on the devices themselves as this data cannot be backed up or restored in the event of a device failure. Students in grades K-9 are unable to share files with other students, neither can other students share files with them. Students in these grades are able to share files with teachers and staff members.

Students are expected to properly log off and/or shut down the device they are working on when their work is completed or when their time for work is ended.

Students are expected to treat DCA property with care and respect. Students should not use their Chromebooks as folders for their physical papers as this causes damage to the device. 

Students are expected to maintain a high level of awareness when choosing to download files to their device. The downloading of illegal or illicit materials will be considered a violation of the AUP.

Students may not record classes in any form without the express written permission of the instructor and the school administration.

The contents of any recording may be subject to random or periodic searching at the discretion of the administration. Any approved recording may not be shared without express permission from the instructor and school administration.

Students are not allowed the use of any camera or video recording device without express written permission from the administration. This includes webcam devices.

Authority and Consequences

DCA reserves full authority over its network, grounds, and events.

The consequence of any action taken by a student which is in violation of the AUP relieves DCA from any culpability as an entity.  The full responsibilities for the misuse of technology are the student’s to bear.

Violation of any of these rules will result in appropriate disciplinary action. For the upper school student, DCA will operate on a three-strike policy for AUP violations.

Strike 1: Device will be confiscated by a staff member and given to the principal. Principal will return the device to the student at the end of the day and make a note in FACTS. 

Strike 2: Device will be confiscated by a staff member and given to the principal. Principal will only return the device to the parent who must come into school to retrieve it.

Strike 3: In addition to strikes 1 & 2, a technology suspension may be instituted for a period of time to be determined by the principal. During this time, the student will not be able to use any school or personal electronic devices at school. All digital work will either be done by hand or away from school.

Chromebook insurance

Chromebook insurance is included with the cost of tuition for grades 6-12. This insurance covers accidental breaks, theft, and vandalism. Most causes of accidental breaks are covered including: water/liquid damage, damage in a book bag, power surges, pet damage, drops and falls, etc. We use an outside insurance company to manage these claims so acceptance of the claim is ultimately at their discretion. The list of possible causes here is not a comprehensive list. One item that is not covered is if the device is simply lost or misplaced. It is the responsibility of the student to keep track of their Chromebook and charger and to return it in good condition at the end of the year. Additionally, it is the responsibility of the student to report accidents or issues with their Chromebook as soon as they happen. Failure to report accidents within a reasonable amount of time may result in the insurance claim being denied. Accidents and issues should be reported directly to the IT Manager.

Students in K-5 do not have Chromebook insurance, however, since their use of the device is much more limited and directly supervised, the occurrence of any accidents is statistically much lower. Any accidents with their Chromebooks are handled on a case-by-case basis with parents only being held responsible for damages in cases of observed intentional neglect or vandalism of another student’s device. 

It is the responsibility of students to take appropriate steps to secure and care for their personal technological devices as well as those assigned to them. The school accepts no responsibility or liability for lost or stolen items. Locks for lockers are available upon request from the principal.

Access cards

Students in grades 6-12 will be issued electronic access cards on their first day of school along with navy blue lanyards and clear badge holders to hold the access card as well as their student ID card (issued after school pictures have been taken). The purpose of these cards is to allow for much easier and more secure access to and from the outdoor modular classrooms. 

Some notes on the access card expectations and procedures:

• The cards are programmed to work only during school hours which will be Monday-Friday from 7:45am-3:10pm.
• The lanyard, badge holder, and cards are to be considered a part of your uniform and should be worn at all times during school hours unless otherwise instructed by a teacher or staff member.
  • Only a school-provided lanyard is to be worn. Please see the office for replacement lanyards and badge holders.
• You must report lost access cards to the IT manager immediately. Unreported lost cards present a security risk for the school. In the event of a lost access card, it will be remotely deactivated to prevent unauthorized access.
• Failure to immediately report lost access cards will be considered an AUP violation
• If your card is lost, there is a $5 fee to replace the card
• Cards will only be replaced twice per school year
• Cards must be turned in at the same time as your Chromebooks to your homeroom teacher at the end of each school year. Specific instructions on how to return these items will be given to you by your homeroom teacher.

Next Steps:

Read our full Chromebook-Policy-2024-25

Get questions answered through our Chromebooks-FAQ

Have your student read, sign, and return our 2024-2025 AUP form using the links below:

Upper School – http://forms.gle/bqfK9z1RbagDD42S6

Lower School – http://forms.gle/iEz9Qocy6h4yy5Xs5