Section 4 — Technology and Communication

Personal Electronic Devices

The Emanuel County Board of Education believes all students achieve better academically in a learning environment free from distraction. ECS is committed to maintaining a distraction-free environment that minimizes interruptions, improves academic outcomes, and increases meaningful interaction and focused learning.

Students in grades K–12 are not permitted to access personal electronic devices while on school premises during school hours. This includes but is not limited to:

Cell phones and smartwatches
Tablets and e-readers
Headphones and earbuds
Any other device with wireless communication, internet access, messaging, video recording, gaming, social media access, or data transmission capability

Parents wishing to reach their child during school hours should contact the school's front office.

Any student found in violation of this policy during the school day is subject to progressive discipline consequences as outlined in the Student Code of Conduct (Section 8).

During school activities such as field trips, athletic events, and extracurricular activities, personal electronic devices may be used in accordance with appropriate use guidelines in the Student Code of Conduct.

Exceptions: A student whose IEP, Section 504 Plan, or medical plan explicitly requires the use of a personal electronic device shall be permitted access to that device as necessary to fulfill the requirements of their plan.

The district and individual schools are not responsible for the theft, loss, or damage of any personal electronic device brought to school.

HB 340 — Georgia Distraction-Free Education Act

Plain-English Summary: Georgia's HB 340 requires all K–8 schools to restrict student access to personal electronic devices during school hours and at school-sponsored events. The Emanuel County Board of Education has extended this distraction-free policy to all students in grades K–12, going beyond the minimum required by state law. Exceptions apply for devices required by an IEP, Section 504 Plan, or medical plan.

Official Policy Language

HB 340 requires local school systems and boards of education to establish clear policies and procedures to remove access to personal devices or personal electronic devices at school-sponsored events and during school hours ("bell-to-bell") for K–8 students. Exceptions apply for medical devices, certain district-provided devices, and device usage required by an IEP or 504 Plan.

District-Issued Technology (Chromebooks)

Students who are issued a school Chromebook are responsible for its care.

Students are expected to ensure that district-issued devices are not lost or damaged beyond normal wear and use.
Loss or excessive damage to a Chromebook will result in the student and/or parent being charged for repair or replacement.
Georgia law holds parents and students financially responsible for materials loaned to them by the school.
Students will be notified in writing of any debt. If a family is unable to pay, the superintendent or designee may arrange for the student to satisfy the debt through services to the school district.

Internet Acceptable Use

Plain-English Summary: Internet access at ECS schools is a privilege provided for educational purposes. Students are expected to use the network responsibly and only for school-related purposes. Students may not access social media on school equipment except under direct supervision of school personnel for an approved educational purpose. Misuse can result in loss of access, disciplinary action, and in some cases, legal consequences. Parents who wish to deny internet access — or restrict access to specific social media platforms — for their child may contact the principal's office. The district maintains content filtering on all school computers in compliance with federal and state law.

Official Policy Language — Board Policy IFBG, Adopted 05/11/2026

Internet use must be in support of education and research and consistent with the educational mission, goals, and objectives of ECS. Internet access is a privilege, not a right. The Superintendent or designee may deny, revoke, or suspend access at any time.

ECS maintains a qualifying technology protection measure (content filter) on all school computers with internet access, in compliance with the Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA) and the Protecting Georgia's Children on Social Media Act of 2024. These filters are designed to block access to obscene material, child pornography, and material harmful to minors.

Social Media

Students are prohibited from accessing social media platforms on any school-owned, leased, or provided device or internet connection. The only exceptions are:

When directed by school personnel
For the exclusive purpose of accessing age-appropriate educational resources
Under the direct supervision of school personnel
During a school-related activity

Parent Rights Regarding Internet and Social Media Access

Parents may request a copy of the full AUP at any time from the principal's office
Parents may request information about which social media platforms may be accessed for educational purposes
Parents may request that their child be prohibited from accessing one or more specific social media platforms on school equipment
Parents may provide written consent for the principal to disable content filtering for their child for bona fide research or other lawful purposes

Student Responsibilities — Prohibited Conduct

Students are responsible for all actions and activities involving the school network. The following conduct is prohibited:

Accessing or sending any material that is:

Damaging to another's reputation
Abusive, obscene, or sexually oriented
Threatening or harassing
Contrary to ECS harassment policy
Related to unauthorized access (hacking) or other unlawful activities

Other prohibited uses:

Using the network for any illegal activity, including copyright violations
Copying, downloading, or distributing copyrighted material without the owner's written permission
Using the network for personal financial gain or commercial advertising
Wasting network resources or using software designed to damage systems
Gaining unauthorized access to any account, system, or entity
Invading the privacy of others or using another user's account or password
Posting material created by another person without their consent
Posting anonymous messages or forging email
Attempting to read, delete, copy, or interfere with another user's email
Using the network while access privileges are suspended or revoked
Using the network in a manner inconsistent with teacher or staff directions

Additional Responsibilities:

Security: Report any security problem or breach immediately to the principal, designee, or appropriate staff. Do not demonstrate the problem to other students.
Vandalism: Any malicious attempt to damage school equipment, data, or the network — including uploading viruses — will result in loss of privileges and additional disciplinary action.
Financial responsibility: Students and parents are responsible for any losses or damages the school system incurs due to a violation of this policy. The Board assumes no responsibility for unauthorized charges, fees, or equipment costs.
Unauthorized disclosure: Sharing personal information about minors is prohibited under CIPA and the Protecting Georgia's Children on Social Media Act of 2024.

Network Etiquette — Expected Behavior Online:

Be polite — do not send abusive messages
Use appropriate language — no profanity or vulgarity
Do not share other students' personal addresses or phone numbers
Understand that email is not private — system operators may access all messages, and messages related to illegal activity may be reported to authorities
Do not disrupt other users' access to the network
Treat all communications and information on the network as private property
Limit streaming of music and video to educational purposes only

Internet Safety Instruction

ECS provides age-appropriate instruction to students on safe and appropriate behavior on social networking sites and chat rooms, behaviors that may constitute cyberbullying, and how to respond when subjected to cyberbullying.

Complaints

Any complaint regarding a possible violation of the AUP will receive a written response from an appropriate school or district official. Expedited review is available for any claim that the AUP is being applied in a way that wrongly restricts access to permitted material. Contact your school's principal to initiate a complaint.

Questions about this policy may be directed to the school principal, media specialist, or technology coordinator.

Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying is a serious offense and is treated the same as in-person bullying under the ECS Code of Conduct. Cyberbullying is defined as bullying committed through the use of data or software accessed through a school computer, computer system, computer network, or other electronic technology provided or owned by ECS.

Electronic communication includes any transfer of signs, signals, writings, images, sounds, data, or intelligence of any nature transmitted in whole or in part by wire, radio, electromagnetic, photo electronic, or photo optical system.

See Section 8 for full definitions and consequences related to bullying and cyberbullying.

Photo and Video of Students

Unless a parent or guardian submits a written opt-out request, ECS and news media may photograph or record students during sporting events, awards ceremonies, and general interest activities. These images may appear on school websites and in publications.

To opt out, written notification must be submitted to the school principal within 10 days of the start of the school year or the date of enrollment.
Photos or recordings that identify a student as receiving special education services will not be taken or shared without prior written approval.

District Recording of Students

The school system reserves the right to videotape or audiotape students:

While on school premises
During school events and extracurricular activities
For student evaluation purposes
On school bus routes and during field trip transport
During any school meeting where a parent may be present

Infinite Campus Parent and Student Portal

Infinite Campus is ECS's online student information system, available as both a web portal and a mobile app with push notifications. It gives students and parents 24-hour access to:

Grades and assignments
Attendance records
Historical state assessment data (through Georgia's Statewide Longitudinal Data System)
Instructional resources

Access the portal at: https://campus.emanuel.k12.ga.us/campus/portal/emanuel.jsp

Additional information is available in the Parent Resources section of www.emanuel.k12.ga.us.

District AI Academic Integrity Policy

I. Purpose and Philosophy

Our district recognizes that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is an evolving tool in the modern landscape. In order to ensure a meaningful educational experience while also fostering AI Literacy, our district has implemented the following practices*.

II. Assignment Tiering System

To provide clarity, assignments will be categorized using a "Stoplight" tiering system:

● Red (AI Prohibited): The assignment must be completed entirely through original student effort without the assistance of generative AI.

● Yellow (AI Restricted): AI may be used as a supplemental tool for specific tasks (e.g., brainstorming, outlining) as directed by the teacher.

● Green (AI Permitted): Students are encouraged to use AI tools to enhance their work, provided all use is transparently documented.

III. Verification of Originality

To ensure students are making authentic progress, the following measures are in place:

● Baseline Writing Samples: All students will provide a supervised, hand-written original writing sample at the start of the term to establish their unique "voice" and skill level.

● Quarterly Benchmarks: Once per nine weeks, students will complete a summative task in a controlled, supervised environment without the use of AI or outside resources.

● Process Documentation: Teachers may require students to submit chat histories/prompts used with AI, provide "evidence commentary," or participate in short oral defenses of their work.

IV. Protocol for Suspected Misuse

If a teacher suspects AI has been used in a way inconsistent with the , the district defaults to a re-demonstration model. Students may be required to:

Conference with their teacher
Complete a supervised re-demonstration

Successful Re-demonstration: The work is graded normally or averaged with the re-demonstration.
Partial Re-demonstration: The student will perform targeted revisions in a controlled environment and complete a reflection on AI misuse.
Failure to Re-demonstrate: The initial submission will be invalidated, and the student must follow standard district academic integrity protocols, which may include redoing the assignment in a supervised setting.
Review modules and educational materials about proper AI usage

*These practices outlined above are based on current guidance, and may evolve as the technology evolves.