Also removed were limits on which search engines can be used on the district network and a ban on students and employees from using personal hot spots and virtual private networks (VPN) when they are not connected to the district network.
The East Baton Rouge (EBR) Parish School Board on Thursday voted unanimously to approve the new policy.
Board member Nathan Rust had previously questioned the wisdom of restricting search engines. Board Vice President Patrick Martin V also had questioned language barring the "taking photos and/or videos" of students and employees and then sharing them.
The prior approval of search engines was subsequently removed; now, unspecified "Internet tools" need to be approved in advance.
The bar on taking photos and videos that Martin questioned was modified to apply when students use "any EBR device" to take "unauthorized" photos and videos. The restrictions on sharing photos and videos expand on a long-standing rule that students and employees can't "distribute private information about themselves or others."
The district's "Internet Safety and Network Use" policy was last updated in 2012. Much of the new language references technology such as artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud-based computing that was rare or nonexistent 12 years ago.
The revisions were suggested by an in-house committee that met this spring and included teachers, school leaders, department heads and technology staff.
In 2022, East Baton Rouge floated but later withdrew a controversial policy that would have set new limits on employees and how they use social media outside of school.
This school year, Louisiana instituted a new law requiring students to turn off and stow away their phones during the school day.
Computer use in schools has grown substantially in the past 12 years.
In 2016, East Baton Rouge became a "one-to-one" district in most grades, meaning that every student in those grades received a Chromebook. Those computers have been in heavy use since, particularly when students routinely used them at home during the COVID pandemic.
Initially, a proposed policy change was to have students now responsible for "the care and maintenance of any EBR device assigned to them."
The final version approved Thursday changed the word "maintenance" to "preservation."
Students who act irresponsibly with Chromebooks and other school-issued devices already face potential discipline or fines if they "willfully" damage such a device.
In a nod to recent scandals where students and adults had inappropriate relations, one new provision specifies that school employees are not to use district resources or devices to "communicate directly with students unless via a method authorized by the district."
AI tools such as Chat GPT would face new restrictions. Students could use them only if they are approved, and they would need to cite their AI use in instances where copyright law might come into play. They also could not use AI to commit crimes or violate codes of conduct.
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