Online Safety: AUP...huh?

When I moved from a middle school in Hartford that was being phased-out and closed-down to a successful K-8 magnet school in Hartford I knew that I would have much more technology to use with my students, both in the classroom and school computer labs. So, you'd think that there would be a more strict AUP document in place in the building. Think again. Just like the first school that I taught my first 7 years at in Hartford, my new school has no AUP for the students in the building. The people I spoke with downtown at the Board of Education said that there used to be a district-wide policy but hadn't updated it in years and was now a school responsibility to come up with their own. If I had to guess, I'd say that most schools in Hartford don't have their own AUP in place and that it is why we have to monitor the kids so closely when we bring them to a computer lab. I think that not having an AUP for students, that they sign at the beginning of each school year and are held responsible for gives them the wrong message about how important online safety is.
At my old school, there were 3 main rules displayed over any computer or computer lab in the building. Along with these rules were the consequences that students would suffer if they broke any of the overarching rules. It was basically a three strikes and you're out system, but my new building doesn't even have that. Administration in charge of the computer labs say that it is up to us as teachers to explain the rules of the lab every time it's used and to always be walking around to monitor student progress, also making sure that they don't stray onto any sites that they shouldn't be surfing on. The main problem with that is teachers will come up with their own rules to give students and if something goes wrong on the internet while you're the teacher in the room...well that could cause a huge problem. Since there were brand new computers placed in the school's 3 labs, I asked my principal why there wasn't any AUP document for students to sign like the uniform and school rules contract they get at the start of every year, and she said, "It's being created this summer."

I'm not going to hold my breath.