The Catholic Church understands that technology has opened the world of Cyberspace where not only adults but also our children live and learn.

The Catholic Church understands that technology is an educational tool the rapidity of whose development sometimes out strips the concerns for its effects. The Internet offers a dizzying array of undifferentiated facts, knowledge and wisdom. It is a place of instantaneous long distance connections and multiple sources of information from newsgroups, to chat rooms, instant messaging, listservs, audio and video conferencing, etc.

New technologies are often seen as good in themselves without consideration of their far-reaching consequences for individual human beings and for humanity as a whole. We must learn to question not only what we are doing but also why and whether we should be doing it.

While it is true that this technology carries with it the potential for unprecedented good, it also brings the possibility of incredible risks of which the Church is ever conscious. This understanding is especially critical in light of the Church’s responsibility to assist its people in the making of good moral decisions.

With these facts in mind, the Church, nevertheless, also understands that it would not be faithful to its mission should it fail to use telecommunications technology to bring others to Christ. Along with other forms of media, today the Church encourages schools to make wise use of the Internet. In a paper promulgated in February 2002, Archbishop John Foley, President of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, stated that, “the Internet is relevant to many activities and programs of the Church – evangelization … catechesis and other kinds of education.” The Pastoral Instruction Communion et Progressio spoke of the urgent duty of Catholic schools to train communicators and recipients of social communications in relevant Christian principles (n.107). In the age of the Internet, with its enormous outreach and impact, the need is more urgent than ever. The world has become a global village through telecommunication, and, as a result, technology has become increasingly more necessary as a means of spreading the message of Christ. Effective catechesis depends on the wise use of the latest communication’s technology, and our teachers must continue to develop themselves in the use of technology not only to advance the cause of academic excellence but also to promote and proclaim the Gospel.

Since as Catholic educators and students in Catholic schools, we are called to follow the teachings and example of Jesus Christ, we willingly agree to comply with the provisions of the Acceptable Use Policy listed below as an expression of our love of God, neighbor and self.

2005-2006 DIOCESE OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY
Internet Safety and Computer Equipment Use
Including Related Systems, Software, and Networks By Students and Staff

I. Office for Education Responsibilities/Rights

1. To create an Acceptable Use Policy for the schools of the Diocese of Bridgeport

2. To publish said policy

3. To review it annually

4. To be free from liability for presence of unacceptable materials

5. To comply with State and Federal Regulations

6. To cooperate with authorities in criminal investigations

7. To be free from liability for financial obligation incurred through unauthorized use of system

8. To amend the policy at any time

II. School Responsibilities/Rights

1. To oversee resources including scheduling

2. To place reasonable restrictions on systems and technology

3. To perform routine system maintenance

4. to search individual Internet activity with reasonable suspicion

5. To own all files on school network

6. To be free from liability for presence of unacceptable materials on the school’s system

7. To comply with Diocesan, State, Federal regulations

8. To provide a filtering system in accordance with CIPA, as protection measures

9. To provide opportunities for technological training for staff

10. To cooperate with authorities in investigations of criminal activities

11. To bypass passwords to determine activity

12. To publish student works on its website

13. To deny student/staff access

III. Parents’/Guardians’ Responsibilities/Rights

1. To see their child’s e-mail file upon request

2. To deny their children Internet access

3. To prevent the use of their children’s names and pictures on the Internet by the school

IV. Student Privileges/Expectations/Understandings

1. To use Internet in distance learning

2. To access World Wide Web for educational purposes

3. To have individual e-mail accounts to send and receive e-mail

4. To receive instruction in technology use

5. To have reasonable protection measures

6. E-mail or Internet correspondence is not privileged or confidential

7. To use Internet to consult experts

8. To communicate with other students

9. To locate information to meet educational needs

10. To have staff assistance to find, use, discriminate among, information sources

V. Prohibitions

1. Modifying documents or files without permission

2. Playing unauthorized games

3. Making purchases

4. Conducting commercial or private business

5. Personal use – unrelated to appropriate educational purposes

6. Political lobbying

7. Installing software for personal use

8. Installing school software at home without school permission

9. Altering, interfering with, dismantling, disengaging internet

10. Installing educational software without Office for Education permission

11. Installing stand alone (CD/Diskette) without Office for Education approval

12. Illegal activities

13. Accessing knowingly inappropriate material

14. Downloading large files without permission

15. Sending chain letters

16. Spamming

17. Plagiarizing

18. Copyright infringements

19. Profane, obscene language/defamation

20. Accessing and transmitting pornography

21. Accessing information advocating violence or discrimination outside the scope of research under direction of a teacher/supervisor

22. Accessing, modifying, erasing, rename, making usable or unusable another’s files or programs

23. Modifying, copying, transferring software provided by school, faculty, another student without permission

24. Aiding or abetting another student in policy violation

25. Introducing or spreading viruses or other harmful programs

26. Divulging passwords

VI. Individual Responsibilities

1. To comply with security measures

2. To report illegal activities

3. To report improper language or unacceptable activities on the Internet

4. To report damage or tampering with equipment or system

5. To report violations of privacy

VII. E-Mail Etiquette

1. Be patient

2. Be polite

3. Keep paragraphs short

4. Use “Subject Line”

5. Include signature

6. Capitalize only to highlight important points