IJNDB-E1 - Guidelines for Student on Email,

Confidentiality, and Record Retention

GUIDELINES FOR STUDENTS ON E-MAIL, CONFIDENTIALITY AND RECORD RETENTION

 

E-mail makes it much easier to collaborate with students and teachers to quickly and easily communicate and share information. At the same time, student use of e-mail raises important issues of privacy, confidentiality, and cyberbullying which students need to keep in mind.

First, the School Committee has adopted a student computer use policy and rules (IJNDB/IJNDB-R) that specifies that students have no right to privacy in using school computers and that e-mail use may be monitored.

Second, e-mail communications containing personally identifiable information about students will usually be subject to disclosure as the result of a parent request for education records under FERPA. Be extremely careful what you say in e-mails.

Third, a great deal of information about both students and teachers is confidential under state and federal laws, including information shared via e-mail. Students should take appropriate steps to safeguard confidential information when writing about students or teachers, and/or sharing documents via e-mail.

Some basic guidelines for students to follow when using e-mail:

  1. Don't share computer passwords or access information stored on computers/networks without authorization.

  2. Avoid the use of full names of students and staff in e-mails whenever possible.

  3. Do not leave confidential emails open on computer monitors or leave printed materials on printers/copiers where others may see them.

  4. Be very careful when using the "reply" function in e-mail. Think carefully about to whom emails are being sent and whether the recipient(s) are authorized or need to see them, particularly when using the "reply to all '' or "forward" functions.

  5. Remember that you lose complete control of an e-mail once it is sent and it could be forwarded to others. Think hard about whether it would be better to discuss the particular issue by phone or by talking in person, particularly when the subject matter is sensitive.

  6. Write e-mails very carefully -- the tone should always be professional and appropriate to the school setting, and check spelling and grammar. Don‘t write e-mails in anger and be careful about making disparaging remarks about third parties. Write e-mails as if they are going to end up on the front page of the newspaper, because sometimes they do.

  7. Many e-mails constitute student records, or other records that schools are required to retain under various laws and rules. Be sure to retain these e-mails as required by school department procedures.

  8. NEVER delete emails or other documents after you have received notice that a document request has been made. Even after you delete documents, they can still be retrieved. Trying to circumvent the system can create potential legal issues for students, teachers, and the school department.

Cross Reference:

EGAD - Copyright Compliance

GCSA - Employee Computer and Internet Use

IJNDB - Student Computer and Internet Use and Internet Safety

IJNDB-R - Student Computer and Internet Use Rules

IJND - Distance Learning Program

Adopted: 05/14/2013

Revised: 12/12/2023