Acceptable Use Policy

Fundamental Principles

Dayspring Christian Academy (DCA) believes that students should honor the Lord while advancing their education through the acquisition of computer knowledge and skills.  Therefore, each student bears the responsibility of self-government in accordance with biblical standards when using a computing device.  The use of electronic devices is a privilege, not a right; thus, the student who uses the computer inappropriately will incur consequences.

DCA believes that home use of technology is to be governed by the parents, but that while students are in the charge of the school, DCA reserves the right to govern any and all technology used on school grounds or at school functions under the mandate of CIPA, the Children’s Internet Protection Act.  To this end, DCA will monitor the use of all devices on school premises and at school through a variety of means including but not limited to: filtration software, firewalls, random screening, and other means.

In the interest of developing a relevant technology program DCA has enacted a 1:1 Google Chromebook Policy. This policy is a privilege for students of grades K-12* who are in good standing with the school and have signed the Acceptable Use Policy (AUP). To this end, specific rules have been established for personal devices in use on school grounds or at school functions. See Chromebook Policy.

Students in Grades K-7 are assigned their own individual Chromebook to use while here at school. Chromebooks for these grades are stored on a charging cart or charging stand at the school and are expected to be returned on a daily basis. Chromebook usage in these grades is initiated by direct instruction from teachers. Students in grades 8-12 are issued their own Chromebook, which should be brought home with them daily. Students in grades 8-12 should charge their Chromebooks at home and report for school each morning with a charged Chromebook. Both the Chromebook and charger are expected to be returned to a location communicated by their teachers by the final day of each school year. Students do not keep their Chromebooks over the summer. (*Depending on availability)

Privacy Policy

In accordance with our own procedures and policies as well as CIPA and COPPA (Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act) DCA will provide only limited individual identifiable information to external service providers for each student as is necessary for the furtherance of his or her education.  By undersigning this form, DCA is authorized to create those accounts that are deemed helpful to the educational process for the student.

A complete list of all current school-created accounts is available upon request as well as a description of each account service.

Rules and Expectations

Mobile devices of any kind including but not limited to, cell phones, “smart” devices (such as watches, glasses, rings, etc), hotspots, cameras, laptops, netbooks, iPods/mp3 players, tablets and handheld computers, must be turned off and are not allowed to be on any student’s person during the hours of 7:50 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

All students must utilize the DCA student network and devices provided for students.  The use of another wireless network or mobile network (3g/4g/5g data plans) or personal device (without prior administrative approval) will constitute a breaking of the AUP, see Consequences section below. Students are not to attempt to connect to any faculty or staff network or any other network while at school other than the one designated for students, which is preconfigured on each assigned Chromebook. Students in grades 8-12 may use the device on their home wireless network with their parent’s permission. 

Even though the school is providing a device for each student, the teacher still governs the use of technology. Therefore, students must receive permission from their instructor or supervising staff person to use any device. This is a requirement for every instance of use.

It is the expectation of DCA that the download and subsequent installation of software is legal in nature and monitored by the parents of the students. DCA reserves the right to review the software installed on any device and remove inappropriate content and programs from student devices.

At any point in time, a teacher may request of a student, his or her device, at which point any teacher may evaluate open documents and programs for adherence to this policy.

At any point in time, an administrator may request of a student, his or her personal device, at which point an administrator may evaluate all contents of the device even if not open.

“Netiquette”, Cyberbullying, and Privacy

Students are expected to maintain a cyber-presence which reflects a Christian witness.

Cyberbullying of any kind, whether in school or out, and whether on a school device or personal device, will not be tolerated and evidence thereof will be considered breaking of the AUP as well as a violation of the Code of Conduct. If you are a victim of cyberbullying or observe it being done to someone else, you should report that situation to your teacher/principal immediately.

Activities performed on the school network and on school devices are monitored and discoverable by the school. This includes email, web history, searches, content stored in Google Drive, as well as the contents of what is typed into programs on the Chromebook.

Unauthorized Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Digital Manipulation

Students, staff, and community members shall not use Artificial Intelligence (AI), generative AI tools, deepfake technology, or any digital editing software to:

• Alter Images: Modify, manipulate, or distort the likeness, face, body, or voice of any student, staff member, or family member associated with the school.
• Create Deceptive Media: Generate synthetic media (including “deepfakes”) that portrays a member of the school community (student, staff) saying or doing something they did not say or do.
• Produce Harmful Content: Create, share, or possess AI-generated imagery that is defamatory, harassing, intimidating, bullying, sexually explicit, or otherwise disruptive to the educational environment. 
• Impersonate Others: Use AI voice or video generation tools to impersonate school personnel, students, or family members for any purpose, including communication, entertainment, or academic fraud.
• Misrepresent work or assignments: Submit school work of any kind as your own work that has been done completely or partially by AI. This is a violation of both the AUP and the academic integrity policy.

Please note that these actions are a violation regardless of whether a school device/network/account was used to create or access the AI service(s) used to create such content.

Specific Behavior Expectations

1. During the course of a school day, students may not access the following: Gaming, Social Media, Texting Software, Blogs (with exclusions set by administration or teachers on a case-by-case basis), instant messaging or any other program type defined by any teacher or administrator. Just because a site is not filtered does not mean it is acceptable to access during a school day. If you ever have a question whether a particular site is safe or appropriate, please ask your teacher or the IT Director. Just so there is complete clarity: playing games on your Chromebook at school will result in the progressive consequences outlined in this policy.
2. Students may not check any personal email accounts during the school day.  An account is provided for students for their use in classroom and coursework activities (grades 6-12).  Students must limit the use of the given email address to school-related activities. All coursework and correspondence with DCA Staff must be done via the school-provided email account. The contents of any and all emails sent from a DCA-provided email account may be reviewed at the discretion of the administration. Parental access to student accounts is available upon request. Students in grades 6-9 are unable to send or receive email to or from other students and will receive an error when they try to do so. Students in grades 6-9 are still permitted and able to email teachers and staff members.
3. DCA expects that students will vigilantly refrain from the visitation of sites not befitting the gospel to which we have been called as Christians.
4. Students may not circumvent, reverse-engineer, hack, or otherwise compromise the integrity of school filtering methods, technology infrastructure (network, servers, etc) or other student accounts/devices. While these items would be included in the above statement, the use of a proxy server or VPN service is strictly forbidden.
5. Students may not enter, change, or duplicate any other person’s personal files as this is a violation of DCA plagiarism rules as well as Federal Law.
6. Students may not share their password information with anyone other than their parents/guardians.
7. Students should not log in as or digitally impersonate any other student or staff member.
8. Students may not install, modify or remove any software installed by the school without permission and direction therefrom.
9. Students must not have food or drink at any computer area or on any surface upon which a device rests. Students should not have their Chromebooks out while eating lunch, including while in the lunchroom or during a lunch detention. Food and drink should be completely finished and put away before using the Chromebook.
10. Students are held responsible for the proper saving of their work.  To this end, students who have signed the AUP are provided with an email account and Google Drive account to store their work and files. Do not save your work on the devices themselves as this data cannot be backed up or restored in the event of a device failure. Students in grades K-9 are unable to share files with other students, neither can other students share files with them. Students in these grades are able to share files with teachers and staff members.
11. Students are expected to properly log off and/or shut down the device they are working on when their work is completed or when their time for work is ended.
12. Students are expected to treat DCA property with care and respect. Students should not store papers or any other item in the fold of their Chromebook (AKA use their Chromebooks as folders for their physical papers) as this causes damage to the hinges, screen, and keyboard.
13. Students are expected to maintain a high level of awareness when choosing to download files to their device. The downloading of illegal or illicit materials will be considered a violation of the AUP.
14. Students may not record (audio or video) classes in any form without the express written permission of the instructor and the school administration.
15. The contents of any recording may be subject to random or periodic searching at the discretion of the administration. Any approved recording may not be shared without express permission from the instructor and school administration.
16. Students are not allowed the use of any camera or video recording device unless express written permission has been granted by the administration or they are acting under specific instruction from their teacher. This includes webcam devices.

Authority and Consequences

DCA reserves full authority over its network, grounds, and events.

The consequence of any action taken by a student which is in violation of the AUP relieves DCA from any culpability as an entity.  The full responsibilities for the misuse of technology are the student’s to bear.

Violation of any of these rules will result in appropriate disciplinary action. For lower school, situations will be handled individually by the teacher and principal. For the upper school student, DCA will operate on a three-strike policy for AUP violations.

Strike 1: Device will be confiscated by a staff member and given to the principal. Principal will return the device to the student at the end of the day and make a note in FACTS. 

Strike 2: Device will be confiscated by a staff member and given to the principal. Principal will only return the device to the parent who must come into school to retrieve it.

Strike 3: In addition to strikes 1 & 2, a technology suspension may be instituted for a period of time to be determined by the principal. During this time, the student will not be able to use any school or personal electronic devices at school. All digital work will either be done by hand or away from school.

While the strike system is designed to care for the consequences associated with a majority of infractions, the seriousness, nature, frequency, or history of any specific infraction can supersede this system, up to and including the involvement of law enforcement or other appropriate government agencies as required by law.

Chromebook insurance

Chromebook insurance is included with the cost of tuition. This insurance covers accidental breaks and theft. Most causes of accidental damage are covered including: water/liquid damage, damage in a book bag, power surges, pet damage, drops and falls, etc. The list of possible causes of damage above is not a comprehensive list, but it is representative of the types of damage that are covered. If the cause of damage to a Chromebook is due to a behavior that is forbidden in the AUP, then that is not covered by Chromebook insurance. Some examples of this would be, but are not limited to, if a student is using their Chromebook as a folder for their papers and a staple cracks the screen or if damage is caused due to eating or drinking around the Chromebook. Since those are actions which the AUP forbids, those would be considered AUP violations instead of damage covered by insurance. In these cases, the parent/student would be responsible for the cost of repair or replacement.

An item that is not covered is vandalism. Noah Webster defines vandalism in his 1828 dictionary as “Ferocious cruelty; indiscriminate destruction of lives and property.” To this end, if a student is found to be either intentionally destructive to their device or the device of another student or if they are behaving in a way that is reckless, irresponsible, or indiscriminate with their device or that of another, the parent/student will be held responsible for the full replacement value of the device in question.

Another item that is not covered is if the device is simply lost or misplaced. It is the responsibility of the student to keep track of their Chromebook and charger and to return it in good condition at the end of the year. Additionally, it is the responsibility of the student to report accidents or issues with their Chromebook as soon as they happen (at most, 1 school day after the event has occurred unless the student is absent). Failure to report accidents within a reasonable amount of time will result in the insurance claim being denied. Accidents and issues should be reported directly to the IT Director. Students are expected to turn in their Chromebooks and chargers free of damage at the end of each school year. The parent/student will assume all financial responsibility for any damaged Chromebooks or chargers submitted at the end of the school year since failing to report damage within 1 school day from when it happened is an AUP violation.

It is the responsibility of students to take appropriate steps to secure and care for their personal technological devices as well as those assigned to them. The school accepts no responsibility or liability for lost or stolen items. Locks for lockers are available upon request from the principal.

Dayspring expects students to be truthful in their account of the details on how damage to their device occurred. If there is evidence which contradicts a student’s account, that evidence will also be considered in deciding whether damage has been caused by accident or whether it was caused by neglect or intent. 

Access cards

Students in grades 6-12 will be issued electronic access cards on their first day of school along with navy blue lanyards and clear badge holders to hold the access card as well as their student ID card (issued after school pictures have been taken). The purpose of these cards is to allow for much easier and more secure access to and from the outdoor modular classrooms. 

Some notes on the access card expectations and procedures:

• The cards are programmed to work only during school hours which will be Monday-Friday from 7:45am-3:10pm.
• The lanyard, badge holder, and cards are to be considered a part of your uniform and should be worn at all times during school hours unless otherwise instructed by a teacher or staff member.
  • Only a school-provided lanyard is to be worn. Please see the IT Director for replacement lanyards, badge holders and access cards.
• You must report lost access cards to the IT Director immediately (within one school day unless you are absent). Unreported lost cards present a security risk for the school. In the event of a lost access card, it will be remotely deactivated to prevent unauthorized access.
• Failure to immediately report lost access cards will be considered an AUP violation
• If your card is lost, there is a $10 fee to replace the card
• There is also a fee of $5 to replace lanyards if it is lost or destroyed.
• Plastic badge holders will be replaced for free.
• Access cards and lanyards must be turned in at the same time as your Chromebooks to your homeroom teacher at the end of each school year. Access cards must be returned in good condition, free of stickers, dirt, etc, and be in a shape acceptable enough to be used again the following year. Returning a damaged access card at the end of the year will result in being charged for a replacement. Specific instructions on how to return these items will be given to you by your homeroom teacher.

Replacement cost summary

Access cards – $10

Lanyards – $5

Plastic Badge Holders – Free

Chromebook Chargers – $30

Chromebook – $350

Next Steps:

Read our full Chromebook-Policy

Get questions answered through our Chromebooks-FAQ

Have your student read, sign, and return our 2025-2026 AUP form using the links below:

Please note that while only one AUP form is required to be submitted per student, both the parent AND student are required to read and sign the policy. If your student is in lower school, I’d encourage you to read the policy out loud together to confirm that the student understands the expectations and consequences.

Upper School – https://forms.gle/4TWtPq7XmwEGAdcW8

Lower School – https://forms.gle/UU6LMtYE2y7ReJxS8