What acceptable use is#

Acceptable use is a set of guidelines that outline how staff and students can use your school’s devices and internet in an acceptable use agreement. It is also known as the:

• responsible use agreement
• acceptable use policy (AUP)
• internet usage policy
• fair use policy.

Acceptable use agreements set guidelines around:

• digital interactions and behaviour
• cyber security measures
• use of digital resources
• consequences for violating the agreement.

Why acceptable use agreements are important#

Acceptable use guidelines help your school create a safe and productive environment while using digital resources like their devices, Google Classroom and your school’s internet connection.

It can help your school:

• protect students from cyber bullying by setting interaction expectations
• manage school resources efficiently by highlighting its exclusive educational use
• promote good digital citizenship by setting clear expectations for ethical online behaviour
• deter resource misuse by outlining consequence for any violations
• outline security measures such as strong password use and incident response
• raise cyber security awareness by helping users recognise potential threats and take actions.

Who should sign an acceptable use agreement#

Your school should have separate policies for:

• students and parents
• whānau | families and caregivers
• staff and teachers.

This will help each group understand and meet their specific needs.

Creating an acceptable use agreement#

When creating your acceptable use policy, we recommend you:

• outline acceptable and unacceptable behaviours such as to avoid engaging in harmful or disrespectful forms of behaviour
• encourage use of digital resources for educational purposes
• create guidelines for strong passwords and reporting incidents
• outline consequences for violating the guidelines.

Your policy should be developed to fit your school values, security requirements and branding.

Netsafe has templates you can use to develop acceptable use agreements for your staff and students.

Acceptable use of technology staff guidelines – Netsafe Kete

Acceptable Use for Students Agreement Template – Netsafe Kete

Implementing acceptable use#

All students, staff, parents and whānau should sign the acceptable use agreement to confirm they understand and agree with its expectations. Staff should discuss the agreement with students.

The agreement should be signed:

• before access to school devices or accounts is granted
• at the start of the academic year
• during onboarding for new staff and teachers.

Maintaining and championing acceptable use#

Promote accountability and support on good technology use by maintaining championing acceptable use at your school. We recommend:

• regularly reviewing and updating the agreement
• regularly reinforcing the guidelines set in the acceptable use agreement through posters, announcements and classroom discussions
• clearly setting out roles and responsibilities for students, staff and parents, along with expectations and consequences outlined in the agreement
• teaching acceptable use principles in class
• translating the policy for non-English speaking communities
• making your policy readily available to everyone, for example, via your website.