Professional Documents
Culture Documents
After reviewing the district’s acceptable use program (AUP) for Long Beach Unified
school district, I would like to commend you on the district’s mission statement and position on
technology for our district. In the introduction of the acceptable use program, the idea is
expressed that users of all ages have rights; the right to freedom of speech and the right to access
information. These same values follow the National Education Technology Plan, as you both
strive for the goal of knowledge that is empowered through technology (NETP, 2017).
However, there are some areas of concerns that I have noticed related to the district’s
acceptable use program. One such concern is that as an employee of the district, I was unaware
of the acceptable use program for our district. This should be a concern, because if an employee
of the district is unaware of the policy, how can I inform my students of this policy? After
research, I was able to locate where the acceptable use program for students is located. Placing it
in the district’s guidelines for parents and students may seem like an ideal place to address it.
However, because this document is only accessible online, it may not be accessible for those
In addition to the acceptable use program, the district’s technology master plan, in
Security and Infrastructure, goal 2, objective 2.1, addresses the school district’s intent to support
and provide accessibility to task appropriate online safety resources (LBUSD Technology Master
Plan, 2009). As a teacher for the district, this is a topic that is very important, but has not been
directly addressed in our schools. This should be a matter that should be discussed and reviewed
with teachers and administrators. This goal also coincides with Goal 3 under Teaching and
Learning in the master plan. Objective 3.4 states that students and staff will be educated in
online safety and the ethical behaviors needed for technology use. (LBSUD Technology Master
Plan, 2009). In the California Education Technology Plan, under Ed tech plan criterion for 2e, it
states that goals and a plan should be in place with yearly activities that will address internet
safety and the correct, appropriate use of technology (California Department of Education,
2015). This is a very important topic and consideration should be in place to assist teachers and
provide support with resources to ensure proper internet safety. LBUSD’s master plan should
consider adding a more detailed plan that involves educating teachers and providing proper
training with a specific goal and objective so all teachers across the district will have the same
information.
Furthermore, after further review of the technology master plan, in the area of Teaching
and Learning, Goal 1, Objective 1.1, the information is outdated and refers to the year 2007 for
the International Society for Technology in Education’s standards for students. As the current
update for the standard is 2016, the information should be updated to include the most current
version year. It would seem that a review of the master plan should be considered and brought
up to date. Although your mission statement concedes that the master plan is a living document
and changes do occur, after nine years, it is time our district’s technology master plan is once
Another suggestion is a revision of the title of our acceptable use program. This should
be considered in that the title should be changed from an acceptable use program (AUP) to a
responsible use policy (RUP). The reason this should be considered is due to the intended nature
of the information provided in the acceptable use policy. With our innovative district’s outlook
and vision towards responsible use, the document should convey that message, starting with the
title.
Sincerely,
Lisa Cantwell
References:
https://tpb.lacoe.edu/tpb/docs/TechPlan_v1.10.pdf
International Standards for Technology in Education. (2016). ISTE standards for students.
Long Beach Unified School District. (2017). Long Beach Unified School District guidelines for
http://www.lbschools.net/Asset/files/District/Guidelines/Guidelines-EN.pdf
Long Beach Unified School District. (2017). Student technology - acceptable use program.
Retrieved from
http://www.lbschools.net/Asset/files/Information_Services/AUP/Student%20AUP.pdf
Long Beach Unified School District. (2009). Technology master plan. Retrieved from
http://www.lbschools.net/Asset/Files//Technology_Master_Plan/FINAL-LBUSD-
Technology-Master-Plan_1.pdf
Newport-Mesa Unified School District. (2006). Newport-Mesa Unified School District rules and
http://www.nmusd.us/district/net_aup/nmusd_net_aup.pdf