Usage of the Wide Area Network (WAN)

Usage of the Wide Area Network (WAN)

Submitted : 14th May 2001

This policy document describes the arrangements which must be implemented in all Education Service organisations when using the Education Wide Area Network (WAN).

The Policy

The Education Committee requires all schools, colleges and other Education Service organisations to protect the integrity of the Education Service WAN by taking every reasonable measure to ensure the network is protected from unauthorised external users or agents and to publish and enforce acceptable use policies for Internet Access and Email.

It is produced in accordance with the Education Committee’s aims:

“To ensure that the people of Jersey have access to education and training opportunities which support the fulfillment of their potential and which meet the present and future needs of the Island.”

“Develop strategies which meet the challenges and opportunities of information and communications technology.”

“Ensure that all pupils and students have access to appropriate information and support.”

(States of Jersey Education, A Five Year Strategy Plan 1999 - 2004).

Consultation Process

This policy was amended on 17th April 2001 to include comments from Secondary and Primary Headteachers, members of the Corporate Board, the Data Protection Registrar, the British Educational Communications and Technology Agency, before being presented to the Education Committee on 26 April 2001.

Roles and Responsibilities

The Governing Body (where applicable) is responsible for ensuring that there are school policies in place to enable delivery of this policy.

The Headteacher, Principal, Section Head or Youth Officer of each Education Service organisation is responsible for administering the policy and ensuring that the criteria laid down by the Education Committee are met.

Guidance on the WAN policy is available from Richard Cheal, Senior ICT Project Manager, Education.

The Education Department will take every reasonable measure to provide a safe managed Internet Service over the WAN which is filtered and monitored.

All WAN Policies will require compliance with the following criteria:

i.  There is only one official route out of the WAN to the Internet which is the one provided at the hosting centre.

ii.  No other proxy servers are running or connected in any school.

iii.  No computers, desktop or mobile must connect to the Internet via attached/internal modems whilst connected to the WAN.

iv.  Virus software must be kept up to date.

v.  Information about the WAN Services (WWW and Email) offered by the Education Department must be conveyed to parents (using the Appendices A and B attached).

vi.  Acceptable use guidelines and Codes of Conduct for all WAN users must be adopted and published (as at Appendix C attached).

vii.  Parents and Students must be made aware of the Code of Conduct and any sanctions to be imposed.

viii. Acceptance of any Policies that the States Security Policy Group and/or States of Jersey IT Policy Project Board impose for connection into the States Network.

Guidance documents to assist in the implementation of this policy are attached in Appendices A, B and C.

Further guidance on States Policies and/or Data Protection can be found on the States Intranet (Cafe Cyril).

Implementation

To be implemented in schools, colleges and other educational organisations using the WAN from May 2001.

EDUCATION COMMITTEE

USAGE OF THE WIDE AREA NETWORK (WAN)

1.  Introduction

As part of the Education Committee’s Information Systems Strategy ‘Putting Jersey’s Future First’, a Wide Area Network (WAN) is in the process of being installed to connect all local educational establishments, including the Library, Instrumental Music Service and Youth Projects. In addition, it is planned that this Network will have controlled access to the World Wide Web. It is intended that pupils, from year 3 upwards, will be given individual access rights access to this network and hence be provided with filtered email, Internet and Intranet services. This is one of the key projects to establish a connected learning community in Jersey, with massive potential to improve information availability to all pupils.

Policy Requirement

It is of extreme importance that all schools, colleges and other Education Service organisations using this WAN, protect its integrity, by taking every reasonable measure to ensure that the network is safe-guarded from unauthorised external users or agents.

Filtered Internet and Email

All unsuitable Internet web-sites will be filtered and automatically blocked from access by Education’s security systems and will not be made accessible to pupils. In addition, pupils usage of the network will be continuously monitored and repeated attempts to access unsuitable sites will alert the network administrators. Although this filtering uses the latest in current security technology, some pupils may find ways to access material which is inaccurate, defamatory, illegal, or potentially offensive to some people.

Pupils, from year 3 upwards, will be allocated a unique E-mail address/account which will provide them access to email facilities to use in school and from home. This will enable them to email anyone in the world with an E-mail address and receive E-mails to their own E-mail address. All pupil E-mail traffic will be continuously monitored and the system will automatically protect students from any unsolicited email, abuse and bullying by blocking bad language, viruses, program attachments and encrypted mail.

Policy Requirement

Due to the provision of these services, it is necessary to have acceptable use policies for Internet Access and Email, which are also in accordance with the regulatory requirements of Jersey’s Data Protection Law.

Recommendation

The Committee is recommended to approve this policy for implementation in schools, colleges and other educational organisations intending to use the WAN from May 2001.

APPENDIX A

Pupil Access to the World Wide Web (WWW) and Email Services

Dear Parent,

As part of the Education Committee’s Information Systems Strategy ‘Putting Jersey’s Future First’ we are in the process of installing a Wide Area Network (WAN) which will connect all local educational establishments, including the Library, Instrumental Music Service and Youth Projects. In addition, it is planned that this Network will have controlled access to the World Wide Web (WWW). It is intended that pupils, from year 3 upwards, will be given individual access rights access to this network and hence be provided with filtered email, Internet and the States Intranet services. This is one of the key projects to establish a connected learning community in Jersey, with massive potential to improve information availability to all pupils and is likely to have a significant impact on us all.

Internet (WWW) Access (Filter Controlled)

Having Internet access will enable pupils to explore thousands of global libraries, databases, and bulletin boards. They will also be able to exchange messages with other learners and teachers throughout the world.

To use this service, pupils will be provided with a unique username and password to enable them access to the network. All unsuitable web-sites will be filtered and automatically blocked from access by Education’s security systems and will not be made accessible to pupils. In addition, pupils usage of the network will be continuously monitored and repeated attempts to access unsuitable sites will alert the local school’s network supervisor/administrator and Education’s Corporate network supervisor/administrator. Administration supervisors in schools will be shown how to tailor the filtering to suit the individual school needs. Although this filtering uses the latest in current security technology, parents will wish to be aware that some pupils may find ways to access material which is inaccurate, defamatory, illegal, or potentially offensive to some people.

However, Education believes that the benefits to pupils with access to the Internet, in the form of information resources and opportunities for collaboration, exceed any disadvantages. However, as with any other area, parents and guardians of minors, along with the Schools and Education Authority, share the responsibility for setting and conveying the standards that children/pupils should follow when accessing and using these media information sources provided by Education and/or available in the home. During school, teachers will guide pupils towards appropriate material on the Internet. Outside school, families bear the same responsibility for guidance as they exercise with other information sources such as television, telephones, films and radio etc.

Pupil Email Facility (Monitored and Controlled)

It is intended that pupils, from year 3 upwards, will be allocated a unique E-mail address/account which will provide them access to email facilities to use in school and from home. This will enable them to email anyone in the world with an E-mail address and receive E-mails into their own E-mail address. All pupil E-mail traffic will be continuously monitored and the system will automatically protect students from any unsolicited email, abuse and bullying by blocking bad language, viruses, program attachments and encrypted mail. Each school will have a nominated supervisor/administrator and any infringements of ‘acceptable use’ will be reported automatically to that person, and to the network’s corporate supervisor in the Education Department. These supervisors will decide the most appropriate course of any necessary disciplinary action. In addition, all such mail will be blocked and not sent or received.

Intranet (Internal network)

An initial Intranet site (JERON) will be a starting point for schools to populate with educational content and materials. It is envisaged that this will be a focal point for future ICT development in terms of evolving e-learning and the digital curriculum. An Intranet User Group, made up of educationalists, will drive this important part of the WAN Project.

Data Protection. (Pupil and Parents Rights)

All computer processing of pupil information relating to this proposed Education Department’s Network system is subject to the regulatory requirements of Jersey’s Data Protection Law. For information concerning pupil information processing and related parental/pupil rights and expectations under this Law please refer to Appendix B, attached.

Until a child reaches an age that he or she can be expected to understand the implications and responsibilities of the use and/or mis-use of computer processing of their information; you as parents are considered as the data subject (the person who the personal information relates to).

If you have any concerns or queries concerning this proposed network’s operation or security please address these to me in writing as soon as possible or by 31st May 2001 at the latest. Otherwise please confirm consent to your child being given access to this Education Network along with confirmation that you and they understand the rules concerning its operation, by signing the enclosed confirmation form.

Yours sincerely,

Headteacher

APPENDIX B

Further Information and Guidance For Parents on proposed pupil Internet Access

What is the Internet?

The Internet is a large number of computers all over the world linked together with cables. In most cases, each of these computers is also linked locally to a number of other computers, in a local network. It is possible for someone using one of these computers to access information on any of the other computers. This system was established by those working in Universities and Government organisations for the fast and efficient transfer of largely text-based information around the world directly from one computer to another.

It is possible for other people, outside these local networks, to connect to the Internet by using standard telephone lines between their computers and those already connected to the Internet. A number of companies specialise in providing this service for a fee.

What is the World Wide Web (WWW)?

To make the appearance of information available through the Internet more attractive, and to assist people in finding information more easily, it is now possible for special pages of information to contain text, colours, and pictures, sound and even video. These pages, collectively, make up what is known as the World Wide Web.

Most of these pages include information on the location of other pages on the World Wide Web, and it is possible to follow up links between pages with similar or related content. Moving from one page to another, regardless of where in the world they might be located, is called browsing, or surfing the net or web. Many of these Web pages contain information that may be useful in the classroom, and it is presented in a way which is often easy to use.

The Education WAN will offer schools the facility of keeping their own pages on the Internet. These school “home pages” might describe the school’s activities to outsiders or explain project work that pupils are involved in.

What is Electronic Mail (E-mail)

This is merely a way of sending messages from one person to another via the Internet. Each Internet user has a unique e-mail address (such as ) and by sending a message to this address, the recipient can read the message the next time he or she connects to the Internet.

What are News/Chat Groups?

These are collections of messages written for public readership rather than addressed to an individual. Each collection, or group, of messages is about a particular subject or theme. Individuals can reply to these messages, and these replies are also public. In this way it is possible to track a multi-way conversation about an important issue of the day. At present there are more than 10,000 different topics available for discussion, from specialist science research to support groups for asthma to fans of James Bond movies. Most of the press concern for pornography on the Internet refers to news and/or chat groups but they are the easiest for schools to police or block.

What are the dangers of the Internet referred to in the media?

It is true that there is some material on the Internet that would be offensive to most people, such as pornography, racist and fascist material, and this could be accessed by children if using unfiltered Internet, whilst unsupervised. The Educational Department will have filtering in place and will constantly ‘filter' known offensive locations of material of this kind. Groups of pupils or even individuals will have filtering policies applied to them as appropriate in school in order to deal with the less savoury side of Internet.

An alternative approach would have been to only allow access to certain Internet sites, but then many of the advantages of the global and dynamic nature of the Internet may have been lost.

Users of the Internet should be aware that they leave an electronic footprint wherever they go and as such can be profiled and they can loose control of who has access and use of their personal information. Consequently, there is a greater risk to an individuals privacy and confidentiality on the Internet. The Data Protection Laws, which protect privacy and confidentiality apply to on-line processing of personal information as much as off-line processing. Information on the rights afforded individuals under our Jersey Data Protection Laws can be found on www.dataprotection.gov.je.