British American School Use of electronic devices policy

The school has implemented a policy for the use of electronic devices, internet browsing, and digital applications to enrich students’ learning experiences. The school is responsible for setting up the necessary firewall to block inappropriate sites through the internal Wi-Fi network.

For the use of electronic devices by students, the following should be considered:

1. The electronic device is used in the school as a tool for work and learning.
2. The device must arrive at the school fully charged to optimize its use.
3. The family, as the owner of the electronic device, is responsible for supervising its use by the students as well as the applications that are installed on these devices.
4. The electronic device that students bring to school is their responsibility. Therefore, the school recommends that families obtain insurance for damage or accidents and use a protective case suited to the device’s specifications.
5. Families should establish necessary parental controls for safe internet browsing and restrict access to inappropriate information for the students’ age.
6. The family should protect the electronic device with a password, which the student should know to access the device when required by teachers for academic work.
7. Families are advised to take precautions to back up data in case the student accidentally deletes stored information. The school is not responsible for the loss of information on students’ devices.
8. The school assigns institutional email accounts to students, parents, and teachers, which facilitate access to Google Suite applications for education. This email account will be used solely for academic work as requested by the teachers.
9. Electronic devices brought to school by students can only be used for academic work as directed by the teachers. They are not allowed to be used for gaming, listening to music, viewing or taking photos or videos, chatting, communicating via email or messaging apps, social media, downloading videos or movies, streaming platforms, etc.
10. Only the applications suggested by teachers should be installed on the devices. If other applications are present, students will not be allowed to use them at school.
11. The teacher in charge of the group may supervise, check, and ask students to show what they are doing on their electronic devices to ensure proper usage.
12. To protect the privacy of the entire educational community, students are prohibited from taking photos, recording videos, or audio within the school, on school transportation, or during school activities conducted outside the campus.
13. The electronic device may only be used by students for academic activities requested by the teacher and always under their supervision.
14. Students are not allowed to use another student’s electronic device to protect privacy and prevent identity theft in the use of institutional email accounts.
15. The school is not responsible for any misuse of electronic devices by students outside of school hours.
16. The rules for device use will be visibly posted in the classrooms.
17. For privacy reasons, only parents and students can access photos or videos in the device gallery. If any content needs to be deleted, the teacher must request this from the family and notify the relevant school department.
18. Students who fail to comply with this policy may face consequences such as having their device kept in the school office for a day or a week, or being asked to leave the device at home and not use it at school. If this is necessary, parents will be notified.
19. In elementary school, the use of cell phones or smartwatches by students is not allowed.