BISD Technology

Blanco ISD may provide Internet access, desktop computers, mobile computers or devices, videoconferencing capabilities, online collaboration capabilities, message boards, email, and more.

As new technologies emerge, Blanco ISD will attempt to provide access to them. The policies outlined in this document are intended to cover all available technologies, not just those specifically listed.

Educational Purpose & System Scope

• Scope of Policy: This policy applies to all district-owned technology resources, whether used on or off school property, as well as any approved devices utilizing the district network. The policies outlined cover all available technologies and any new tools that emerge over time.
• Educational Purpose: District systems are established for instructional purposes, including classroom activities, career development, and teacher-directed research projects. Downloading video games, movies, or other non-school-related material on school devices is strictly prohibited.
• Instructional Integration (Texas Ed. Code Alignment): Following HB 3489, and as advised by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) and the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC), student technology use should occur only when intentionally integrated within the instructional program. Teachers must actively balance screen time and exposure over the course of the instructional day, week, and unit. Frequent technology breaks are highly encouraged.

• Device Restrictions (No BYOD): To maintain network security and safety, students are strictly prohibited from connecting personal electronic devices (laptops, tablets, smartphones) to the Blanco ISD network. Exceptions are permitted only under pre-approved circumstances authorized by campus administration and the IT department. Authorized personal devices remain subject to all guidelines, filtering, and monitoring.
• No Expectation of Privacy: Students have no expectation of privacy or confidentiality regarding any digital activity, files, data, or communications stored on or sent through the Chromebook, school network, or school applications. The school may log, access, view, monitor, and record usage at any time, without prior notice or consent. Routine monitoring may be utilized in investigations or shared with law enforcement.
• Account Security: Students are issued individual or group accounts. Passwords and login credentials must never be shared. Students are responsible for their folders and data, and they must not provide files to peers for the purpose of cheating or plagiarism.
• Network Integrity: Students may not attempt to gain unauthorized access to any system, log in through another person's account, forge communications, or deliberately disrupt systems or data. Unauthorized hardware or network equipment may not be brought into any district building. Students must notify IT staff immediately if a security vulnerability is found and are prohibited from seeking out network flaws.

• Web Filtering: Internet access is restricted and filtered in compliance with federal regulations, including the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA).
• Circumvention Prohibited: The web filter is a critical safety precaution. Bypassing, disabling, or circumventing network filters via VPNs, proxy sites, mobile hotspots, or any other method is strictly prohibited and results in disciplinary action. If an educational site is blocked, students must follow official district protocol to submit the site to IT for review.
• Teacher Monitoring: Teachers, administrators, and IT staff utilize monitoring software (Lightspeed Teacher and Lightspeed Admin) to view student screens and assess progress in real time only during school hours.
• Lightspeed Safety Alerts & After-Hours Limitation: Lightspeed actively filters devices both at school and at home. It is configured to safeguard students from online threats and flag "risk to life" or self-harm concerns. In the event a safety alert is triggered outside regular business hours, Blanco ISD is not responsible for real-time monitoring or emergency reporting. Staff will review flagged alerts when regular business hours resume.
• Lightspeed Parent Portal (Texas SCOPE Act Compliance): In compliance with Article III of the SCOPE Act (Texas House Bill No. 18), Blanco ISD partners with parents to manage home internet use on district devices. Through the Lightspeed Parent Portal, parents/guardians may:
  • Allow, restrict, or block after-school access to YouTube and social media platforms.
  • Temporarily pause web browsing at home for 1 hour, 3 hours, or overnight.
  • Access detailed internet activity summaries and receive automated weekly browsing reports.
  • Parents can sign up via the Lightspeed Parent Portal Request Form Account creation may take up to one week.

Blanco ISD provides students with district-managed email accounts for school-related communication. Availability and features are restricted based on grade level and school board policies.

• Safety Protocols: Users must never email sensitive personal details (addresses, phone numbers, Social Security numbers, passwords). Students must never open attachments, download files, or follow links from unknown or untrusted senders.
• Domain Restrictions by Campus:
  • Blanco Elementary School (BES): Students are strictly restricted to internal communication and may only email within the @blancoisd.org domain.
  • Blanco Middle School (BMS) & Blanco High School (BHS): Students are permitted to communicate with external email domains for verified academic, educational, and school-related purposes. All communications remain subject to district filtering and retention.
• Oversight: All district email usage is actively filtered, monitored, and archived indefinitely in alignment with record retention laws.

To provide a modern, engaging, and individualized learning experience, Blanco ISD utilizes various digital software applications, cloud-based tools, and web-based platforms. Many of these educational services are created, operated, and serviced by third-party vendors rather than by Blanco ISD directly.

• Core Applications: Commonly used third-party tools across the district include Google Apps for Education, Clever, NWEA Map Growth, IXL, and other specialized educational platforms. While some of these digital tools are used district-wide, others may be used selectively by individual classroom teachers to target specific learning goals.
• Safety Evaluation Process: To maintain a safe, secure, and compliant learning environment, the Blanco ISD Technology Department biannually evaluates all web applications submitted by our instructional staff. Every submitted tool is thoroughly vetted against a strict Security and Internet Safety Rubric to verify data privacy standards and age appropriateness.
• Approved Software Directory: The district maintains an ongoing list of approved digital tools, spanning from K-12 applications to advanced tools approved specifically for grades 9–12. The most current registry of vetted and approved digital software tools can be publicly reviewed at any time by CLICKING HERE
• Parental Consent Representation: In accordance with federal data privacy regulations—such as the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA)—schools are permitted to act as the parent's agent and provide consent for students to utilize vetted educational platforms. By signing the mandatory technology agreement for enrollment, parents grant Blanco ISD authorization to provision basic student directory information (such as student name, grade level, and district-issued email address) solely for the purpose of creating educational accounts within these approved third-party systems.

A. Student Conduct & Safety Rules

1. Personal Information: Students will not post personal contact details about themselves or others online (including phone numbers, home addresses, or daily schedules). Online collaboration tools under direct teacher supervision may transmit minimal required information to fulfill an educational project's goals.
2. Online Contact: Students must never agree to meet face-to-face with anyone they met online outside of an official, teacher-supervised school project.
3. Mandatory Reporting: Students must promptly disclose to a teacher or school employee any online communication or experience that is inappropriate, threatening, or makes them feel uncomfortable.
4. Platform Restrictions: Students are prohibited from participating in social media, unauthorized chat rooms, message boards, or newsgroups that are not explicitly approved for instructional use by Blanco ISD.

B. Prohibited Behaviors, Cyberbullying, & Sexting

• Appropriate Language: Students must not use obscene, profane, lewd, vulgar, inflammatory, or disrespectful language. Personal, prejudicial, or discriminatory attacks are strictly prohibited.
• Cyberbullying: In accordance with state law, cyberbullying using any electronic communication device (including text messages, emails, social media apps, cameras, or websites) is completely prohibited.
• Sexting Prohibitions and Legal Penalties: Students are strictly prohibited from possessing, sending, forwarding, posting, accessing, or displaying electronic messages that are sexually oriented, obscene, or damaging to another’s reputation. This prohibition applies to conduct off school property (on district or personal equipment) if it substantially disrupts the educational environment.
  • Any student engaging in "sexting" or distributing obscene materials will be disciplined under the Student Code of Conduct, may be reported to law enforcement, and may be required to complete an educational program regarding the dangers of this behavior. Families are encouraged to review the state-developed "Before You Text" Sexting Prevention Course.

C. Academic Integrity & Intellectual Property

• Plagiarism: Presenting the ideas, writing, or digital work products of others as one’s own is strictly prohibited. Students must properly cite all sources used in research.
• Copyright Compliance: Students must respect the rights of copyright owners and follow expressed licensing requirements for text, images, programs, music, and video. Downloading, sharing, or posting pirated or illegally obtained media is an AUP violation. Use of peer-to-peer file-sharing software is strictly prohibited.

• Responsible Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

  Blanco ISD recognizes that Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools can serve as valuable resources for learning when utilized ethically and responsibly. However, the unauthorized or deceptive use of AI undermines academic integrity and student development.

• Academic Integrity & AI Plagiarism: Students must not submit AI-generated content (including text, essays, code, artwork, or translations) as their own original work. Utilizing AI tools to complete assignments without explicit, written permission from the classroom teacher is considered plagiarism and a violation of the academic integrity policy.

• Proper Attribution: If a teacher explicitly authorizes the use of AI tools for a specific project or research assignment, students must properly cite the AI tool used and disclose how it contributed to their work.

• Data Privacy & Safety: Students are strictly prohibited from entering sensitive personal information, school records, private communications, or the personal data of themselves or others into any public or third-party AI platform.

• Unauthorized AI Software: Students may not download, install, or bypass network filters to access commercial AI applications, browser extensions, or platforms that have not been vetted and approved by the Blanco ISD Technology Department.

• Verification and Detection Tools (Turnitin Notice)

  To safeguard academic integrity and ensure students are developing authentic critical thinking skills, Blanco ISD utilizes advanced plagiarism and AI detection platforms, such as Turnitin.

• Automated Screening: Student writing assignments, essays, and digital projects submitted across the curriculum may be automatically screened by Turnitin to detect plagiarized material, unoriginal content, and text generated by Artificial Intelligence (AI) platforms.
• Instructional Review: Turnitin is used as an instructional tool by classroom teachers to verify authenticity. If a student's work is flagged for a high probability of AI generation or plagiarism without explicit teacher authorization, it will be reviewed by the instructor and campus administration and may result in disciplinary consequences or a loss of academic credit in accordance with the Student Code of Conduct.

A. Daily Maintenance

• Battery & Readiness: Chromebooks must be brought to school fully charged every evening by the student. Bringing an uncharged Chromebook to school violates this agreement, and repeat offenses will incur disciplinary action. Students must bring their devices to all classes unless told otherwise by a teacher.
• Audio: Device audio must remain muted unless explicitly permitted by a teacher. For sanitary reasons, students are expected to provide their own personal headphones.
• Themes and Backgrounds: Inappropriate media may not be used as backgrounds. To prevent distractions and boundary issues, no images or graphics containing real people may be used as a device background or theme.

B. Physical Handling & Screen Care

• General Precautions: No food or drink should be placed near Chromebooks. Heavy objects must never be placed on top of the device. Cords, cables, and accessories must be inserted carefully into ports.
• No Modifications: No decorative stickers, drawings, markings, or engravings are permitted on Blanco ISD Chromebooks. District asset tags and serial number labels must never be peeled off or altered.
• Transportation: Chromebooks must always be transported with care and with the screen closed. Students must never lift or carry a device by its screen, or carry it while the screen is open.
• Screen Safety: Screens are highly sensitive to excessive pressure, heat, solvents, and rough treatment. Do not place pressure on top of a closed device, and do not store a Chromebook with its screen open.

C. System Management & Software

• ChromeOS Security: Devices update their operating system automatically. Students may not modify or alter the operating system, install alternative software, or place the device into "developer mode".
• App Installations: Students cannot install unauthorized third-party apps or extensions from the Chrome Web Store. Students can request instructional tools by submitting an App Request Form via the Instructional Technologist web page for district review.
• Data Backups: While work seamlessly integrates with Google Apps for Education and stores to the cloud, the student must back up any temporary local files. Blanco ISD is not responsible for the loss of any digital student work or files.

A. Device Distribution Model

• Grades K–5: Chromebooks remain at school, stored and charged inside classroom carts. Teachers assign a specific device to each student for internal use.
• Grades 6–12: Every student is checked out a Google Chromebook and an AC power adapter for use at school and at home. Whenever possible, the student will retain the same device each year they attend Blanco ISD schools, until they move campuses.
• Inventory Records: The district maintains a secure log containing each device's serial number, asset tag code, and the assigned student's name, ID number, credentials, and fee history.

B. Terms of the Loan & Ownership

• Legal title and ownership of the property always remain with the District. Right of possession is limited and fully conditioned upon compliance with this AUP. Any failure to comply may terminate possession rights immediately and result in repossession.
• The right to possess the device terminates on the final day of the school year, or immediately upon a student withdrawing or transferring out of Blanco ISD. Withdrawing students must return all devices and accessories to campus office personnel on their last day of physical attendance.

C. Optional Device Insurance

To protect families against accidental damage costs, Blanco ISD highly encourages enrolling in our optional third-party insurance portal:

• Provider: Worth Ave. Group
• Enrollment Link: Click here to enroll in Blanco ISD Chromebook Insurance

D. Loss, Damage, & Estimated Repair Pricing

If property is damaged, lost, or stolen, the student and parent/guardian are responsible for the reasonable repair cost or fair market value.

• Theft Reporting: Loss or theft of a device must be reported to the district by the next school day following the occurrence.
• Repeat Damage: Repeat offenders will not be checked out brand-new Chromebooks; they will only receive older, used devices that are in operable condition.
• Authorized Repairs Only: Broken devices must be reported to a teacher or administrator immediately. School-owned Chromebooks must NEVER be taken to an outside computer service for repairs or maintenance.
• Loaner Policy: Loaner Chromebooks may be temporarily issued while a device is undergoing repair after any applicable fees have been paid or a payment plan is established.

E. Accountability Enforcement

At the end of the school year, all devices, power cords, and accessories must be turned in. Failure to return items or clear outstanding balances will trigger the following district enforcement penalties:

• Exam Exemptions: Students will immediately lose their semester exam exemptions.
• Graduation Restrictions: Seniors must clear all technology records and pay all outstanding fees before being permitted to participate in graduation ceremonies.
• Fee Rollover: Unpaid balances will automatically carry over to the student’s financial record for the next school year.
• Legal Action: Because these devices are public property, Blanco ISD or its school designee may file an official stolen property report with the local law enforcement agency if devices are not returned.

F. Financial Hardships

If any technology fee creates a severe financial hardship, please contact campus administration directly regarding payment options. Upon verification of financial hardship, the administration may elect to establish a customized payment plan to allow the student/parent to pay off the fee over time.

(THIS FORM IS AVAILABLE ONLINE AS PART OF THE REGISTRATION PROCESS)

Parent/Guardian Acknowledgment & Consent

As the parent or guardian of this student, I have read the Student Responsible Use of Technology Guidelines. I understand that my child’s use of district technology resources, devices, and networks is not private and that the district actively monitors, logs, and retains digital activity.

I understand that this access is designed for educational purposes and that Blanco ISD has taken precautions to restrict student access to material that may be offensive or harmful to minors. I recognize, however, that Blanco ISD can't restrict access to all controversial or offensive material, and I will not hold the District responsible for materials acquired on the network. Further, I accept full responsibility for the supervision of my child when my child’s use of the internet and district devices occurs outside of the school setting.

I agree to abide by all provisions outlined in these guidelines. I understand that any violation of these rules may result in disciplinary action under the Student Code of Conduct, including the suspension or loss of access to district technology resources.

Mandatory Enrollment Acknowledgment By signing below, I acknowledge that digital technology is an essential component of the required instructional curriculum at Blanco ISD. I certify that I have reviewed these guidelines with my child, and we agree to accept and comply with the terms and responsibilities required to utilize Blanco ISD technology resources and devices.

Student Name (print): ____________________________________________________

Student Grade: ___________________________________________________________

Student Signature: ________________________________________________________

Parent/Guardian Signature: ________________________________________________

Date: ____________________________________________________________________