Teachers, staff, and students will have use of the school’s Wi-Fi network and technology resources, including use of school-issued iPads and laptops for teachers, Chromebooks for students, and on-campus internet access for all. This system is to be used for educational purposes, preparing students for success in their college, their career, and in their home life, for increasing educator-student communication, and enhancing the productivity of the school. These guidelines govern school communication and communication about the school, whether sent over school-owned devices or personal electronic devices. Users shall have no expectation of privacy in the contents of their personal files on school networks and devices and agree to comply with Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) in handling personally identifiable information and student educational records. Protection for Students, Staff, and Schools To safeguard security of data and information, only school-owned encrypted devices will be connected to the school’s Wi-Fi system. Neither employees nor students may use their personal devices for work purposes without authorization in advance from school administration. Employees are responsible for the content of all written text, images, or audio, sent or published over the internet. Employees are prohibited from posting statements, photographs, and video or audio that reasonably could be viewed as obscene, malicious, threatening or intimidating. Employees are prohibited from distributing any message in any form that disparage other employees, students, families, and others with whom we interact or that might constitute harassment or bullying. Furthermore, employees may not transmit messages or other communication by means that hide or mask or their identity or attempt to use someone else’s identity rather than their own. Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash Use of Electronic Communication Tools Teachers should check their email at multiple points throughout the day and respond to emails within 24 hours. Contact with parents or guardians should be made frequently, including positive reports rather than just for student discipline reasons.
Tips for Email Communication with Parents
Communication with Colleagues Any communication sent using school technology and/or school email accounts have no expectation nor guarantee of privacy. We agree to be open, honest, and caring with one another.
Use of Employee-Owned Personal Electronic DevicesMaking and receiving personal calls, text messages, or other communication should be limited. The use of personal cell phones should not result in additional costs to the school and should not interfere with the performance of employee duties or normal business operations. Social Media UseSocial Media is a powerful tool that has a significant impact on the school and student culture. The social media policy is designed to offer practical guidance for responsible, clear, and positive communications via social media channels (Bennett, K. 2018; Fox, S. 2017). Examples of social media channels include but are not limited to the following: LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Skype, TikTok, and Instagram.
School-related social media posts should be sent to the officially-appointed employee who is identified as being responsible for the content of the page rather than be posted on personal social media sites. Employees are liable for anything they post to social media sites. Violations of the above will result in disciplinary action up to and including termination of employment. References
Accel Schools. (July 1, 2019). Employee handbook for employees at Banning Lewis Academy. Retrieved July 25, 2019, from https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_sUa6I1UzeKbmwtQjdnbDB4eF9IY0VUNjVJMjV6SnB1NXlz/view?usp=sharing Bennett, K. (2018, September 13). Families Matter: Engaging Families to Strengthen Community. Retrieved from https://www.teachingchannel.org/blog/2014/02/05/families-matter/ Fox, S. (2017, November). Mass imagineering: Combining human imagination and automated engineering from early education to digital afterlife. Technology in Society, 51. Washington County Public Schools (2020). Acceptable use of telecommunication. Retrieved June 17, 2020, from http://wcpsmd.com/documents/acceptable-use-policy-telecommunications Parent Support for Classroom InstructionConsistency and ease of use facilitate the communication flow with teachers and parents. Every teacher will post assignments, announcements, and class information in Schoology, which is the same Learning Management System (LMS) used in every grade level and content area district-wide. Schoology is also connected to the electronic grade book system, PowerSchool, so students and their families can see grades and attendance reports in real-time. Parent Meetings, Conferences, and ActivitiesRegistration day and back-to-school night are the first opportunities for the school to interact with families. To limit crowding and respect parents’ time, registration times are assigned but alternate times are also available to accommodate various family schedules and needs. Teachers post online open-house information in Schoology for parents who cannot attend face-to-face and record Meet The Teacher videos on FlipGrid to introduce themselves. QR Codes to the videos are posted next to each classroom door so they can be scanned at any time, which helps with crowded times at Parent-Teacher Conferences too.
Parent Volunteer Opportunities The Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) at each building supports volunteerism and tracks hours to follow up with parents and recognize outstanding contributions to the school. Every family agrees to two hours per month of volunteer service or a financial contribution in lieu of time. The PTO communicates with members via remind and email while also inviting nonmembers to participate by posting events and live streaming their meetings via Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Teachers can also send emails to parents for each class to express specific needs or projects or submit requests to the PTO for purchasing items or sponsoring student fees for families in need of assistance. School-Parent Compact The School-Parent Compact has been developed in a joint effort by the PTO, School Accountability Committee, SAC, and Banning Lewis Academy school staff. It is spelled out in the student handbook and starts as follows: “Because every child needs stability, continuity and a champion who believes in his or her human potential, Banning Lewis Preparatory Academy works to foster a close connection between home and school.” Parental Involvement in Decision-Making
Parent ResourcesThe school maintains an active website and uses an app to push notifications to parents regarding upcoming events, deadlines, and safety information during inclement weather. Parent University courses are available at the school biweekly and online in the Schoology LMS in both English and Spanish. Course titles include What You Need to Know About Concurrent Enrolment for students interested in taking college courses while in high school, Parenting with Love and Logic to support healthy family relationships, Digital Citizenship to educate about internet and social media safety, and Financial Peace University which is offered in conjunction with the church that rents space in the building. The courses are promoted through Schoology and the school’s social media. References
Banning Lewis Ranch Academy. (2019). BLPA Student Handbook. Retrieved June 10, 2020, from https://www.blracademy.org Banning Lewis Ranch Academy. (2018). Colorado’s unified improvement plan for schools: Banning Lewis Ranch Academy UIP 2018-2019. Retrieved June 24, 2019 from http://co-uip-cde.force.com/?dcode=1110&scode=0555 Bambrick-Santoyo, P. (2012). Leverage Leadership: A practical guide to building exceptional schools. San Francisco, CA: John Wiley & Sons: Jossey-Bass. Daniel, J. (2017, August). Strong collaborative relationships for strong community schools. National Education Policy Center. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED578684.pdf |
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