Separate Acceptable Use Policies?

Why do you recommend having separate Acceptable Use Policies (AUPs) for adults and children?

The standards adults are held to are, or should be, different than those for students. It is also possible that some aspects of employee use of school technology may fall under collective bargaining, and not be appropriate in a student AUP.

As long as everyone follows the rules, it may not matter if adults and students are signing the same document. However, if there is a problem, and you need to enforce disciplinary procedures outlined in the AUP, you're going to want specific guidelines that are appropriate for children, and specific guidelines that are appropriate for adults.

If you are using a single AUP, review it yourself in the context of enforceability. Would your current AUP stand up in situations involving students and adults? If you have doubts, it may be a good idea to work with district officials and an attorney to clean up potential problems.

Submitted by: Susan Brooks-Young

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