Information Technology

Parents of school-aged children under the age of 13:

In order for schools within Yelm Community Schools to be able to provide your student with the most effective web-based tools and applications for learning, they need to abide by federal regulations that require parental signature as outlined below.

Our district utilizes several computer software applications and web-based services, operated not by this school, but by third parties.  A complete list of the programs with the privacy policy can be found below.

In order for our students to use these programs and services, certain personal identifying information - generally the student's name and email address - must be provided to the website operator. Under federal law entitled the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), these websites must provide parental notification and obtain parental consent before collecting personal information from children under the age of 13.

List of COPPA website sites

The law permits schools such as ours to consent to the collection of personal information on behalf of all of its students, thereby eliminating the need for individual parental consent given directly to the website operator.

Our district's Student Electronic Resources Acceptable Use Policy and Agreement (Policy 2022) , once signed by a parent and on file with the school, constitutes consent for our schools to provide personal identifying information for your child, consisting of first name, last name, an email address and user name, to the operators of any current and additional web-based educational programs and services which our school may add during the upcoming academic year.

What is ERATE = E-rate is a discount program that lowers the cost of Internet access, and telecom and network data services for schools and libraries. It's a tiered system of reimbursement for which OSPI applies on behalf of all K-12 schools connected to the K-20 network.

Yelm Community Schools is offering this guest Wi-Fi wireless Internet service (the “Service”) according to this Guest Wi-Fi Wireless Networking Responsible Use Policy (the “Policy”) as a free, non-public service to its visitors for the duration of their official visits.  All users of this Service acknowledge and agree to the terms of this Policy when accessing our Guest network. We do not guarantee the Service or specific rates of speed. We also have no control over information obtained through the Internet and cannot be held responsible for its content or accuracy. Use of the service is subject to the user’s own risk. We reserve the right to remove, block, filter, or restrict by any other means any material that, in our sole discretion, may be illegal, may subject us to liability, or may violate this Policy. We may cooperate with legal authorities and/or third parties to investigate any suspected or alleged crime or civil wrong. Violations of this Policy may result in the suspension or termination of access to the Service or other resources or other actions as detailed below.

Responsibilities of Service Users:

Users are responsible for ensuring they are running up-to-date anti-virus software on their wireless devices. Users must be aware that, as they connect their devices to the Internet through the Service, they expose their devices to worms, viruses, Trojan horses, denial-of-service attacks, intrusions, packet sniffing, and other abuses by third parties.  Users must respect all copyrights. Downloading or sharing copyrighted materials is strictly prohibited.  Running programs, services, systems, processes, or servers by a single user or group of users that may substantially degrade network performance or accessibility will not be allowed. Electronic chain letters and mail bombs are prohibited. Connecting to "Peer to Peer" file sharing networks or downloading large files, such as CD ISO images, is also prohibited. Accessing another person's computer, computer account, files, or data without permission is prohibited. Attempting to circumvent or subvert system or network security measures is prohibited. Creating or running programs that are designed to identify security loopholes, decrypt intentionally secured data, or gain unauthorized access to any system is prohibited. Using any means to decode or otherwise obtain restricted passwords or access control information is prohibited. Forging a user's or machine's identity in electronic communication is prohibited. Saturating network or computer resources to the exclusion of another's use, for example, by overloading the network with traffic such as emails or legitimate (file backup or archive) or malicious (denial of service attack) activity, is prohibited.  Users understand that wireless Internet access is inherently not secure, and users should adopt appropriate security measures when using the Service. We highly discourage users from conducting confidential transactions (such as online banking, credit card transactions, etc.) over any wireless network, including this Service. Users are responsible for the security of their own devices.

Limitations of Wireless Network Access: 

We are not liable for any damage, undesired resource usage, or detrimental effects that may occur to a user's device and/or software while the user’s device is attached to the Service. The user is responsible for any actions taken from his or her device, whether intentional or unintentional, that damage or otherwise affect other devices or users of the Service. The user hereby releases Yelm Community Schools from liability for any loss, damage, security infringement, or injury which the user may sustain as a result of being allowed access to the Service. The user agrees to be solely responsible for any such loss, infringement, damage, or injury. 

Terms of Service: 

By accessing the Guest Network, the user agrees to comply with and to be legally bound by the terms of this Policy. If this Policy or any terms of the Service are unacceptable or become unacceptable to the user, the user's only right shall be to terminate his or her use of the Service. 

Lawful Use: 

The Service may only be used for lawful purposes and in a manner consistent with the rights of other users. The Service shall not be used in a manner that would violate any law or infringe any copyright, trademark, trade secret, right of publicity, privacy right, or any other right of any person or entity. The Service shall not be used for the purpose of accessing, transmitting, or storing material that is considered obscene, libelous or defamatory. Illegal acts may subject users to prosecution by local, state, federal, or international authorities. We may bring legal action to enjoin violations of this Policy and/or to collect damages, if any, caused by violations. 

The user specifically agrees to the following conditions: 

The user will use the Service only as permitted by applicable local, state, federal, and International laws. The user will refrain from any actions we consider negligent or malicious. The user will not send emails containing viruses or malicious or damaging software. The user will run appropriate anti-virus software to remove such damaging software from his or her computer. The user will not access websites that contain material that is grossly offensive to us, including clear expressions of bigotry, racism, or hatred. The user will not access websites containing material that defames, abuses, or threatens others. 

Changes to Service: 

We reserve the right to change the Service offered, the features of the Service offered the terms of this Policy, or its system without notice to the user. 

By accessing the Guest Network, you acknowledge that you understand and agree to this Policy. 

Introduction: Computer access is available to qualifying students, teachers, staff, and administrators. These resources are provided and maintained at the district’s expense and are to be used by members of the school community with respect for the public trust through which they have been provided. Our goal is to promote innovation and educational excellence by using technology tools for research, worldwide resource sharing, communication, and storage of student work.

The Internet is an electronic highway connecting computers all over the world. Internet services provide access to electronic mail, public shareware of all types, and massive databases at universities, government agencies, and private industry. Students may be assigned several student accounts with passwords granting access to different data. All students are assigned a Skyward Account that provides access to student records. Some students may be assigned an account with a data storage area on one of the district servers. Students are also assigned a Google Apps for Education account and that service is hosted on many Google servers off campus. Students must remember that accounts are not private and can be viewed at any time by district administration. In order to ensure the appropriate use of the network, the district administrator reserves the right to monitor, access, and disclose files contained, stored, or transmitted using district equipment.

Issues: With access to computers and people all over the world also comes the availability of material that will not be considered to be of educational value in the context of the school setting. The Internet may contain material that is objectionable from many points of view. There is, however, a wealth of educational material available. Yelm Community Schools uses a content filtering system to comply with CIPA (Children’s Internet Protection Act) regulations. The filtering is designed to block web sites that educators believe are inappropriate for students. Even though content filtering is automatically maintained and customized on a daily basis, it is impossible on a global network to control access to all materials that are objectionable or inappropriate. The filter will block most of the inappropriate sites; however, no system is perfect. With the constantly changing internet landscape, students may be able to gain access to sites that were previously filtered. The district cannot guarantee that users will not have access to inappropriate or objectionable material and could possibly use unmonitored email and social media services.

Responsibilities: Internet access is coordinated through a complex association of government agencies and regional and state networks. In addition, the smooth operation of the network relies upon the proper conduct of the end-users who must adhere to strict guidelines. As set forth in Policy 2022 Electronic Resources and Internet Safety, responsible use guidelines are provided so that students are aware of the responsibilities that they are about to acquire. In general, student responsibilities require ethical, efficient, and legal use of the network resources. If a student user violates the Responsible Use Policy (RUP), his or her network/Internet access may be modified or terminated.

Responsible Use Policy (English | Spanish)

The YCS Portal is used as a Single Sign on application for staff and students. Access to an individuals district network account (H: drive) and Google Applications is one login away.  Additional software will be added to the portal to reduce the number of accounts and passwords users need to manage.  This also allows students to access Google tools from home under the filtering protection of the district.

The portal is accessible at the top of every school and district website.

YCS Portal

To support the learning goals of the state, students are also supporting in learning how to manage their own password through "challenge questions."  If a student forgets their password at school or home, they can use the "NEED HELP?" link at the top of the website to reset their password without the help of a district staff member.  This is similar to the experience adults have when using a protected website.