Does Your AUP Need Updating?

It seems, these days, that our Acceptable Use Policies are constantly in need of updating. It’s difficult to cover every possible problem our schools and students may encounter, which means that in your AUP, you have to be both specific and general. Sometimes, I wonder whether our AUPs are simply reminders and warnings to students and their parents about the misuse of technologies and the Internet. We have written them both for guidance and for evidence of wrongdoing. While I understand it’s necessary to remind students about their digital behavior, I don’t know why we need a separate list of rules for technology. Wouldn’t school policies about behavior, respect for others, expectations, etc. cover tech issues as well? That’s just a thought, and I know that today schools have both school rules and tech rules. In the future, this may not be so. In the meantime, if you need help with your AUP development, t|h|e Journal offers a link to a white paper that covers why we need AUPs, how far our AUP should go, how to better manage student’s online behavior, and the essentials of a strong AUP.