The mission of Harnett County Schools is to educate students in a safe environment empowering them to focus on lifelong learning, responsible citizenship, and global awareness. Students must have access to information if this mission is to be accomplished. The Internet is one of the most powerful resources for news, information, and access to the world.
The Internet access available through Harnett County Schools is intended for educationally appropriate use and should be integrated into the educational program. It should be used to teach the North Carolina Standard Course of Study and to meet the educational goals of the Board. The curriculum committee should provide suggestions for the use of the Internet in the curriculum guides as provided in Board policy 3115, Curriculum and Instructional guides. Teachers are encouraged to further incorporate the use of the Internet into their lesson plans.
While there is an incredible amount of information through the Internet, some is inappropriate for students. Every effort is made to protect students. Teachers instruct them in the appropriate use of the Internet and monitor students using it. An Internet content filtering system is used to block inappropriate websites. However, no content filter can block every inappropriate site, and ultimately students are responsible for their own behavior in using the Internet. All system users should understand that the contents of their files are not private and that system administrators can access these files.
This policy appears in every student handbook. Parents and guardians should review and discuss it with their children. Teachers will review the policy with their students. Should any parent/guardian decide not to allow his or her child independent access to the Internet, he or she should contact the principal of the school. The following policy adopted by the Harnett County Board of Education outlines the use of the Internet.
