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Internet Safety and The Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA)

Internet safety is a vital issue for education professionals at all levels. Principals must be particularly aware of Internet safety issues, as they must educate teachers on the policies and procedures related to acceptable use of the Internet within their school; communicate with parents about how the Internet is being used in school by children, teachers and librarians; and work with district administration to understand and track the nuances of law and policy in order to assure their school's compliance with the district standards.

In general, districts set out to assure Internet safety through an Acceptable Use Policy (AUP). Every district should have an AUP on Internet access within the schools, and in fact, almost 100% of districts have adopted such a policy. AUPs cover a variety of issues, including parameters for student, teacher and staff use of the Internet; parental consent issues; and goals and opportunities that the district associates with Internet use.

In December, 2000, Congress enacted the Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA). This law is intended to serve as a national standard that assures students' safety when using the Internet in the classroom setting. The law applies to all school districts that receive E-Rate or other federal funds for technology. The law requires districts to filter or monitor student use of the Internet.

What Should Principals Know about CIPA?

As the school leader, the principal may have one or more of the following responsibilities related to complying with CIPA:

• If a school is an applicant and recipient of E-Rate or Title 3 funding, the principal is responsible to certify that the school is moving toward complying with CIPA, the mandatory filtering law.
• If a district is an applicant and recipient of E-Rate or Title 3 funding, the principal is part of the team that ensures compliance with CIPA. In this capacity, the principal is responsible for:
  • Accountability at the building level that the proper filtering and/or monitoring is in process;
  • Understanding and implementing the AUP within his/her school;
  • Helping to educate parents and the community about Internet use in his/her school as well as the school's development and execution of a plan that ensures student safety while working online.

Principals should work closely with district-level staff in developing processes that assure high-quality and safe use of the Internet across the district.

The following documents, a CIPA Compliance Guide, and CIPA Q&A, explain, in detail, the requirements of this law. Principals are encouraged to read these documents and share them with others in the district. Additional information and resources on CIPA and E-Rate are available at:

sl.universalservice.org

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