Information Security

Boulder Valley School District (BVSD) values accountability and transparency at all levels including ensuring that student data privacy and security are a top priority. BVSD has taken action to ensure that all student data is handled securely and in compliance with the Colorado Student Transparency and Security Act. Through rigorous processes and high standards of compliance, our goal is to not only abide to state and federal law, but to provide students, parents, and our community with the resources and information needed to protect student privacy.

Click here for more information.

• Saving to your local computer could result in losing all your data if your hard drive fails.

• Instead, save to your network folder (aka H: Drive or private folder) or your Google Drive.

• Regularly archive, destroy, or remove data you don't need

• Principle of Least Privilege: Grant the least amount of rights to get the job done.

• Use Groups and Folders to manage permissions.

• BVSD Staff Acceptable Use Agreement (AUA)

• Policy on Student Use of Technology

• Student AUA, Grades 4&5

• Student AUA, Secondary

• Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

• Use a firewall and virus protection on your personal devices.

• Your BVSD Windows device is already protected. 

• Three Ls: Log out and Lock it up when you Leave.

• Use a passcode or pattern to lock your smartphone.

Bring in your Windows laptop once a month, connect with a network cable, and let it run overnight to receive security updates.

• How to stay safe on public wi-fi networks.

• Never enter your bank account or credit card information over a public wi-fi network.

• "Think before you link": don't open email attachments or click on links from people you don't know.

• Never reply to spam emails; instead, mark them as Spam in Gmail.

• Strong passwords help protect your privacy and our network.

• Employee Passwords Page

• Student Passwords Page

• Passwords for Elementary 

• A trusted source will never ask for your bank account number, password, or credit card number in an email.

• Don't share your password with anyone.

• "Look for the lock" before you enter a password in any website.
  

• There are no black and white answers when it comes to Copyright and Fair Use. It is every educator's professional obligation to understand copyright law.
• Every institution has a different amount of risk they are willing to take when it comes to copyright. You can never reduce your risk to zero.
• Copyright Law has risk mitigation built in for libraries and public education institutions. If we make (and document) good faith efforts, then damages are remitted.
• It's important to tie in how you apply Fair Use to the goals of your institution. You might be willing to assume more risk, for instance, if using that copyrighted material supports an institutional goal.
• When a question of Copyright or Fair Use comes up, first do your research, then document why you made the choice you made. Your documentation could be as simple as a sticky note or a lesson plan.
• Educate, don't police! Once you become the copyright police, you open yourself up to secondary liability. The better option is to educate and redirect.
• Social media and other online companies have their own contracts and policies that you need to be aware of before you use them.
• Violation of vendor contracts is a separate issue from copyright and fair use. A vendor contract is a legal document that you agree to abide by.

"The distinction between what is fair use and what is infringement in a particular case will not always be clear or easily defined. There is no specific number of words, lines, or notes that may safely be taken without permission. Acknowledging the source of the copyrighted material does not substitute for obtaining permission."

http://www.copyright.gov/fls/fl102.html

You must evaluate all four criteria below to determine whether you can claim fair use of a copyrighted work.

1. The purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes
2. The nature of the copyrighted work
3. The amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole
4. The effect of the use upon the potential market for, or value of, the copyrighted work

• U.S. Copyright Office

• Fair Use (Section 107)

• Copyright for teachers and librarians in the 21st century, by Rebecca Butler [book]

• Complete copyright for K-12 librarians and educators, by Carrie Russell [book]

• The Educator's Guide to Copyright and Fair Use | Education World

• Copyright Basics | copyrightlaws.com

• Use Google Search to find copyright friendly images (video)

• Is It Fair Use? 7 Questions to Ask Before Using Copyrighted Material

• StaySafeOnline videos
• Stop.Think.Connect
• CERIAS: Center for Education and Research in Information Assurance and Security

• Submit an IT Service Request or call 720-561-HELP when you suspect an information security breach.

• Report all other security issues to BVSD Security, 720-561-5051.

• Submit an IT Service Request or call 720-561-HELP to get the serial number, model, and manufacturer of the stolen device.

• File a police report.