All district staff shall adhere to the provisions of the federal copyright law and maintain the highest ethical standards in using copyrighted materials. The district shall provide no legal support to any employee who violates the copyright law. Willful infringement of this law by students or staff may result in disciplinary action.
The Governing Board recognizes that computer software piracy contributes to higher costs and decreases commercial incentives for the development of quality educational computer software. In circumstances where the interpretation of the copyright law is ambiguous, the district shall determine appropriate use of computer software by referring to the license agreement and/or policy statements contained in the software packages used in the district. Computer-related instruction for students and staff shall address the ethical and practical problems caused by software piracy.
The Superintendent or designee shall be the only individual who may sign license agreements for software for district schools. Each school using licensed software shall have a signed copy of the software agreement.
The Superintendent or designee shall maintain regulations to discourage violation of all copyright laws and prevent illegal copying activities.
Legal Reference:
EDUCATION CODE
35182 Computer Software
UNITED STATES CODE, TITLE 17
Policy HOPE SCHOOL DISTRICT
adopted: July, 1992 Santa Barbara, California