Technology for Families

Digital Student Safety Video (October 2023) (opens in new window/tab)

Digital Student Safety Video Transcript (to help with translations)

Data Privacy and Cybersecurity

Welcome! We hope you will find resources here to better understand how Holliston Public Schools is protecting student and staff data and highlight our plans to minimize cyberthreats.

Due to the rapid expansion of digital learning resources, we partnered with the Massachusetts Data Privacy Alliance to secure student data privacy agreements to hold our vendors accountable and control what data may be shared . Every day there are new resources available that our staff may want to use to support our students and the curriculum. We are creating workflows to streamline the approval process so that staff can use them to support the curriculum at that time timely while ensuring these tools meet our privacy requirements.

We also plan to expand our efforts to protect all of our students, staff, and data from cyberthreats. Design improvements in our infrastructure, and robust cybersecurity training for staff that handle sensitive student and financial data, highlight some of the initiatives that have been implemented to prevent and minimize the impact of cyberattacks.

In addition, we are grateful for the efforts of our newly formed Cybersecurity Club at Holliston High School who have offered to create a series of cybersecurity and privacy tips for students, staff, and the Holliston community.

Feedback on this page is welcome and appreciated using the form at the bottom of this page.

All the best,

Daniel L. MacLeod

Director of Technology & Digital Learning

Quick Resources

PowerSchool

PowerSchool Parent/Guardian Info

The “PowerSchool Parent/Guardian Portal” and “Annual Student Verification Form” are two separate and independent modules of PowerSchool. All parents/guardians will receive a system-generated email containing a snapcode link to an Enrollment ("Annual Student Verification Form") page for you to confirm and update the information in our new student database. This process will occur annually prior to the new school year. Please contact the school if you have any questions about the "Annual Student Verification Form".

PowerSchool Parent/Guardian Portal Setup Information (Grades 6-12)

Note: If you have already completed the PowerSchool Parent/Guardian portal account setup, then you may disregard the information below.

You should have received an email with a password-protected attachment containing your student’s Access ID and Access Password.

Below is a link to directions to create the PowerSchool Parent/Guardian Portal account using the Access ID and Access Password.

Directions for PowerSchool Parent/Guardian Portal Setup

Once your account is set up, follow this link to the PowerSchool Parent/Guardian Portal.

This link provides instructions for checking student schedules, grades, and attendance, as well as other features including course registration.

This link provides you information on how to add an additional student to the Parent Portal.

If you run into any issues in this process or if you are new to the district, please submit a ticket to our help desk.

Clever (PreK - 5)

Help Desk

Device Protection

Acceptable Use

TECHNOLOGY ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY

Purpose

The Holliston Public Schools shall provide access for employees, volunteers, and students to the system/network, including access to external networks, for limited educational purposes. Educational purposes shall be defined as classroom activities, academic research, professional development, and high-quality self-discovery activities of an educational nature. The purpose of the system/network is to assist in preparing students for success in life and work by providing access to a wide range of information and the ability to communicate with others. The system/network will be used to increase communication (staff, parent, and student), enhance productivity, and assist staff in upgrading existing skills and acquiring new skills through a broader exchange of information. The system/network will also be utilized to provide information to the community, including parents, governmental agencies, and businesses.

Availability

The superintendent or designee shall implement, monitor, and evaluate the district’s system/network for instructional and administrative purposes.

Access to the system/network, including external networks, shall be made available to employees and students for instructional and administrative purposes and in accordance with administrative regulations and procedures.

Access to the system/network is a privilege, not a right. All users shall be required to acknowledge receipt and understanding of all administrative regulations and procedures governing use of the system and shall agree in writing or electronically to comply with such regulations and procedures. Noncompliance with applicable regulations and procedures may result in suspension or termination of user privileges and

other disciplinary actions consistent with the policies of the Holliston Public Schools. Violations of law may result in criminal prosecution as well as disciplinary action by the Holliston Public Schools.

Acceptable Use

The superintendent or designee shall develop and implement administrative regulations, procedures, and user agreements, consistent with the purposes and mission of the Holliston Public Schools as well as with law and policy governing copyright.

Monitored Use

Electronic mail transmissions, web postings, podcasts, messaging tools, blogs, and other use of emerging technologies by students, employees, and volunteers shall not be considered confidential and may be monitored at any time by designated staff to ensure appropriate use for instructional and administrative purposes.

Liability

The Holliston Public Schools shall not be liable for users' inappropriate use of electronic resources
or violations of copyright restrictions, users' mistakes or negligence, or costs incurred by users.
The Holliston Public Schools shall not be responsible for ensuring the accuracy or usability of any information found on external networks. The Holliston Public Schools shall not be liable for any damage to or loss of personal equipment brought in from the outside.

General Policy Provisions

Commercial use of the system/network is prohibited.
The district will provide training to users in the proper use of the system/network.
The district will provide each user with copies of the Acceptable Use Policy and Procedures.
Copyrighted software or data shall not be placed on the district system/network without permission from the holder of the copyright and the system administrator.
Network access will only be granted to employees with a signed (written or electronic) access agreement and permission of their supervisor.
Network access will only be granted to students with a signed (written or electronic) access agreement and permission of the building administrator or designee(s).
Network access will only be granted to volunteers and visitors with a signed (written or electronic) user agreement and permission of a school or district administrator.
All passwords are confidential and shall be protected by the user and not shared or displayed.
Students completing required coursework will have first priority for after hours’ use of equipment.
Principals or their designee will be responsible for disseminating and enforcing policies and procedures in the building(s) under their control.
Principals or their designee will ensure that all users complete and sign an agreement to abide by policies and procedures regarding use of the system/network. All such agreements are to be maintained at the building level.
Principals or their designee will ensure that training is provided to users on appropriate use of electronic resources and emerging technologies.
Superintendent or his/her designee shall be authorized to monitor or examine all system activities, including but not limited to electronic mail transmissions, web postings, podcasts, blogs, messaging tools as deemed appropriate to ensure proper use of electronic resources and emerging technologies.
Superintendent or his/her designee shall be responsible for establishing appropriate retention and backup schedules.
System users should purge electronic information according to district retention guidelines and in compliance with Public Records Laws.
Superintendent or his/her designee shall be responsible for establishing disk usage limitations, if needed.
Individual users shall, at all times, be responsible for the proper use of accounts issued in their name. Users should not leave their workstations logged in and unattended.
The system/network may not be used for illegal purposes, in support of illegal activities, or for any activity prohibited by district policy, including circumventing firewalls and/or accessing forbidden or inappropriate material.
System users shall not use another user’s account.
System users may redistribute copyrighted material only with the written permission of the copyright holder or designee. Such permission must be specified in the document or in accordance with applicable copyright laws, district policy, and administrative procedures.
System administrators may upload/download public domain programs to the system/network. System administrators are responsible for determining if a program is in the public domain.
Any malicious attempt to harm or destroy equipment, materials, data, or programs is prohibited.
Deliberate attempts to degrade or disrupt system performance may be viewed as violations of district policy and/or as criminal activity under applicable state and federal laws. This includes, but is not limited to, the uploading or creation of computer viruses.
Vandalism will result in the cancellation of system privileges and will require restitution for costs associated with hardware, software, and system restoration.
Forgery or attempted forgery is prohibited.
Attempts to read, delete, copy, or modify the digital media, including but not limited to electronic mail, websites, data files, digital images, podcasts of other users or to interfere with the ability of other users to send/receive electronic mail or digital media is prohibited.
User shall use appropriate language. Swearing, vulgarity, ethnic or racial slurs, and other inflammatory language are prohibited.
Pretending to be someone else when sending/receiving messages or posting digital media including but not limited to websites, digital images, and podcasts is prohibited.
Transmitting or viewing obscene material is prohibited.
Individuals should exercise extreme caution before revealing personal information (address, phone numbers, etc.) on an open internet site.
The district will cooperate fully with local, state, or federal officials in any investigation concerning or relating to misuse of the district’s system/network and emerging technologies.
A user who violates district policy or administrative procedures will be subject to suspension or termination of system/network privileges and will be subject to appropriate disciplinary action and/or prosecution.
Cyber-bullying, as defined in School Committee Policy JICFB, using either school-owned or not school-owned equipment is strictly prohibited.

User Agreement for Participation in an Electronic Communications System (To Be Completed by Employees, Volunteers, and Students)

This user agreement must be renewed each academic year by employees, volunteers, and students.

New Panel

Data Privacy

Current Policies

Directory Information

Directory information is an exception to the Family Education and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974 that allows schools to function normally without violating federal privacy laws. Without this exception, schools might violate FERPA by placing name tags on students, creating playbills with student names, or announcing football player names at games.

The U.S. Department of Education (USDE) has recommended that the following directory information be shared with families in school district’s annual notice to parents:

Student Name
Address
Telephone listing
Email address
Student Photo
Date of Birth
Place of Birth
Dates of Attendance
Grade Level
Participation in official activities and sports
Weight and height of members of athletic teams
Degrees, honors, and rewards received
Student ID number, user ID or other unique identifier

Currently Holliston Public Schools has adopted USDE’s standard directory information model per the policy JRA . Further details about how directory information is shared is detailed below.

Principal or designee may release directory information to educationally based groups or organizations for purposes deemed by the principal to be in the interest of the students and the school. Groups and organizations receiving this information will not be allowed to release lists to other parties or use the information for any other reason than the expressed purpose approved by the principal. The principal may require the group or organization to sign a statement agreeing to these provisions.

Directory Opt-Out

Military Recruitment

The Department of Elementary & Secondary Education (DESE) recently updated its Student Records: Questions, Answers and Guidelines to clarify that under federal law, local educational agencies receiving assistance under the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act are required to provide military recruiters, upon request for military recruiting purposes, access to secondary school students' names, addresses, and telephone numbers unless the student's parent or the eligible student has requested in writing to opt out of such a disclosure. Section 8528 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act gives military recruiters the same access to secondary school students as is provided generally to institutions of higher education or prospective employers. For more information, please see this November 2016 Dear Colleague Letter from the U.S. Department of Education.