The electronic communication and information resources of Tintern Schools ("the Schools") are part of the Schools’ educational resources. These resources are made available to enhance the educational experiences of students and to provide staff with the tools necessary to implement and enhance the Schools’ educational program.

This Policy specifies the conditions applying to the use of the electronic communication system of the Schools. Electronic communications include, but are not limited to, all Internet, Intranet and email activities and/or communications and all related applications.

The electronic communication system is available for the use of employees and students under the conditions specified in this Policy. This Policy is to be read in conjunction with other statements and policies made by the School and may be amended from time to time.

Authorised users of the Schools’ electronic communication system are required to comply with this Policy. Failure to observe this Policy will result in disciplinary action that could include termination of employment.

All employees and students are to be made aware of the policy. At the time of appointment all new employees will be required to specifically accept that the Policy constitutes part of their employment conditions. All users agree to abide by the Policy by acceptance at login.

Use of the Schools’ electronic communication resources for legitimate work-related purposes is authorised with the issuing of a username and a password.

Employees and students are responsible for maintaining the security of their accounts and their passwords. Passwords should be changed regularly (eg. once a term) and should not be given to a third person. All employees and students are required to take appropriate precautions to prevent unauthorised access to their mailbox.

External access to the Schools’ electronic communications system is available to all staff and students through Web Outlook. It is the responsibility of each employee and student to ensure that all usage that occurs through that access is legitimate and complies with the requirements of this Policy.

The electronic communication system is an important component of the Schools’ internal and external communication systems. This system is available to employees to facilitate efficient communication for work-related purposes.

Authorised users may use the electronic communication system for reasonable personal purposes, provided such use does not contravene this Policy or have any foreseen or unforeseen negative ramifications for the Schools, and does not adversely impact upon personal productivity and professional standards.

All commercial/business communications that are not authorised by the Schools are not permitted. Personal use of the Schools’ electronic communications system will be acknowledgement that authorised users will be personally accountable for any negative ramifications that may result from using the system.

As the Schools provide access to the electronic communication system, the contents of the system, including email messages, remain the property of Tintern Schools. Although Tintern Schools does not make a practice of regularly monitoring this system, the Schools reserve the right to monitor individual usage. Where the Schools deems it appropriate or necessary, the Schools will inspect and disclose the contents of electronic communication transactions in the course of an investigation triggered by indications of misconduct or misuse, or to respond to legal processes, or to fulfil its obligations to third parties.

Care should be taken to ensure that the content, form, grammar and spelling of all email messages meet the professional business standards required by Tintern Schools for all forms of correspondence and comply with all statutory obligations.

Copies of important email messages should be filed in appropriate folders for future reference and access. As there is sometimes some uncertainty as to whether an email has been received, it is good practice to acknowledge receipt of an email.

All users are reminded that electronic communications may not be secure, and from time to time, communications may find their way to an audience beyond that originally intended. For example, electronic communications are capable of being forwarded without the express permission of the original author. Therefore, users must exercise caution in the transmission of messages.

Where the author of a document wishes to minimise the possibility of a document being altered by the recipient, the document should be sent in Adobe Acrobat format. This format should be adopted where Tintern Schools seeks to protect its intellectual property. Please contact the IT Department for help.

As each authorised user is identifiable as having an account at tintern.vic.edu.au, it is necessary to differentiate between personal views and opinions and the official views of the Schools.

The Principal may specifically delegate responsibility to authorised employees to represent the Schools in a professional capacity from time to time. In other circumstances, a disclaimer advising that the views and opinions expressed represent those of the writer and not the Schools is required.

All external messages should contain:

• appropriate salutations

• sender’s name and title (and department/faculty/section, where relevant);

• name and contact details of the Schools;

• standard Tintern Schools’ disclaimer.

All staff and students are required to store the standard "signature" outlined below which includes the sender’s name and title, name and contact details of Tintern Schools, and standard Tintern Schools’ disclaimer for external email.

For example:

Disclaimer:This email is intended for the use of the named individual or entity and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any dissemination, distribution or copying by anyone other than the intended recipient of this email is strictly prohibited. Attachments are opened and transmitted at the user’s own risk. Any representations or opinions expressed are those of the individual sender, and not necessarily those of Tintern Schools.

Broadcast messages can only be sent by the Information Technology Manager and must be authorised by a member of the Schools Management Team.

Staff wishing to use the Schools’ electronic communication system to publish information relating to, and on behalf of the Schools, must obtain prior permission from the Principal.

The Schools’ logo and designs are the property of Tintern Schools and may only be used with the express authorisation of the Principal or the Principal’s designated nominee. Created by P. Buckingham August 2007

Where the Schools has received such authorisation, staff must observe the following guidelines.

1. The Principal or Head of School must approve any communication concerning matters relating to Schools’ policy.
2. Email must not be used when dealing with sensitive, pastoral or confidential matters.
3. Care should be taken when using email to provide advice, such as in relation to subject selection or course, career or personal advice.
4. Often advice is best communicated in discussion, whether in person or by telephone.

Staff should exercise care when communicating with students as email can sometimes be misinterpreted. Responding to student-initiated emails may be inappropriate.

Misinterpretations are quite common and missing body language and tone can cause what was meant as a casual or humorous message to be taken seriously. Assume the honesty and competence of the author and avoid engaging in angry messages in reply.

Restrict the number of people to whom you send an email to those who have an active interest in the subject.

Acceptable messages include:

• replying to messages, provided the reply does not contravene this Policy or any other policy of the Schools;

• contacting persons/organisations for legitimate and reasonable work-related purposes; and

• reasonable personal use, as outlined above.

Unacceptable messages include:

• ordering any product or service on behalf of the Schools unless specifically authorised;

• highly confidential information, unless encryption has been enabled; and

• any prohibited use, as outlined below.

Email messages are neither private nor secret and can be easily misconstrued by recipients or mistakenly sent to the wrong recipient. In Australia, State and Federal legislation prohibits the transmission of email messages that contain objectionable material. In addition, emails that may appear humorous and innocent can be unlawful and infringe racial and sexual discrimination and harassment policies.

Prohibited uses of Tintern Schools’ electronic communication system include any conduct that:

1. violates or infringes the rights of any other person, including the right to privacy.
2. contains real or potentially defamatory, false, inaccurate, abusive, obscene, violent, pornographic, profane, sexually explicit, sexually oriented, threatening, racially offensive or otherwise biased, discriminatory or illegal or any other inappropriate material;
3. has instructions on the manufacture and/or use of illegal and/or dangerous products, substances or materials or any other illegal or subversive activity;
4. violates any other School policy, including prohibitions against harassment of any kind;
5. forwards confidential messages to personnel to whom transmission was never authorised by the School, including persons within the Tintern Schools’ Community and persons/organisations outside that Community;
6. accesses copyright information in a way that violates copyright;
7. attempts or succeeds in obtaining unauthorised access to electronic communication systems, attempts to breach any security measures or any such system, attempts to intercept any electronic transmissions without proper authorisation, or unauthorized use of a password/mailbox, including constructing electronic communication so that the communication appears to be from another person/organisation;
8. broadcasts unsolicited personal views on any matter;
9. fails to use the system as prescribed, thus permitting infection by computer virus or deliberate infection by computer virus;

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