Viking Connect

Each family must complete this form in its entirety.  You only have to fill this form out once but must include all children attending school.  Your total payment will be calculated at the end, and only those children listed in this form will be issued a device.

A copy of the handbook and complete details of the policies associated with this form can be downloaded using the link below.

Viking Connect Handbook, Policies, and Procedures

List all children in your household who will be attending school during the 2024-2025 school year.

Click "SAVE & ADD CHILD" after EACH child including the last one you enter.  

Technology Use Fee

Hopewell Area School District annual tech fee is a non-refundable fee. The fee is NOT a deposit or insurance. The fees help cover cost of wear and tear repair and replacements. The annual fee amounts below based off number of students within the district.

# of Students	Standard Technology Fee	Discounted Technology Fee*
1	$25.00/Student	$15.00/Student
2	$22.50/Student	$12.50/Student
3	$20.00/Student	$10.00/Student
4+	$15.00/Student	$5.00/Student

 

*Discount Eligibility

A discounted Technology Use Fee is available for those students who are currently enrolled in the free and reduced lunch program. All families who apply this discount will be cross referenced with the school's records.  If the discount is selected, and the school records do not indicate enrollment in the free and reduced lunch program, the remainder of the fee will be required.

When using the device at home, at school, and anywhere else I may take it: 

• I will follow the policies of the Hopewell Area School District including but not limited to, the Student Code of Conduct, Acceptable Use Policy and Loan Agreement, and abide by all local, state and federal laws.
• I will treat the device with care by not dropping it, getting it wet, leaving it outdoors or submitting it to extreme conditions/temperatures.
• I will keep my device in its District-issued protective case at all times.
• I will not lend my device to anyone, not even my friends or family.
• I will not remove District-owned programs or files from the device.
• I will bring the device to school every day.
• I will recharge the device nightly.
• I agree that my device is not to be taken into locker rooms or restrooms.
• I agree that pictures, videos, apps, and other media that are not educational do not belong on my device.
• I will keep all the accounts and passwords assigned to me secure and will not share them with anyone else.
• I will not attempt to repair the device.
• I will return the device when requested or upon my withdrawal from the Hopewell Area School District.

I have read, understand, accept, and will abide by the rules and procedures which govern my use of the Internet and the Technology of the Hopewell Area School District. I understand that the Internet account is designed for educational purposes only. I understand that failure to follow the procedures listed above may result in suspension or loss of the right to access the Internet and/or use the Hopewell Area School District’s Technology and may result in other disciplinary or legal actions as noted above. I will not hold my teacher, other District personnel, or the Hopewell Area School District responsible for or legally liable for materials distributed or acquired from the Internet or network. I also agree to report any misuse of Internet or network to a teacher or administrator.

This agreement applies to each child associated with this form.

Signatures will be collected for each child at the end of the form and will apply to each of the statements associated with the policies set forth in the Viking Connect Handbook.

• I will supervise my child’s use of the device at home.
• I will discuss our family’s values and expectations regarding the use of the internet and email at home. I will supervise my child’s use of the internet and email.
• I will not attempt to repair the device, nor will I attempt to clean it with anything other than a dry cloth.
• I will report to the school any problems with the device and will not delete any district-installed software. I will make sure my child recharges the device nightly.
• I will make sure my child brings the device to school every day.
• I agree to make sure that the device is returned to school when requested and upon my child’s withdrawal from the Hopewell Area School District.
• I agree that I am responsible if the device is lost or stolen.
• I agree to immediately report a lost device (that occurs outside of the school day) to the Hopewell Area School District principals as well as emailing the vikingconnect@hopewellarea.org account to notify the district.
• I agree to immediately report a stolen device (that occurs outside of the school day) to the Hopewell Area School District principals and to provide them with a copy of a police report that was filed with my local police department.
• I agree web-filtering tools to monitor content accessed by my child are in use at all times.
• I agree that HASD employees may randomly check my child’s internet history for inappropriate websites visited.

I have read the Acceptable Use Policy for Technology. I understand that any Internet/Network account is designed for educational purposes only. I understand that the Hopewell Area School District will do everything it can to adhere to the CIPA (Act 197-PA House Bill 2262) and filter questionable material. I also understand that teacher, District personnel, and the Hopewell Area School District are not responsible or legally liable for materials distributed to or acquired from the network. I also agree to report any misuse of information to District administration. I accept full responsibility for my child’s use of the Internet/Network in the school setting both on an independent basis and as outlined in the Internet/Network and Computer technology policy and when the student accesses these services when not in school. I hereby give my permission to issue an account for my child and certify that the information contained on this form is correct. Once signed, this authorization will remain in effect until I notify the District otherwise.

The parent/guardian signature will be collected at the end of the form and will apply to each of the statements concerning parents/guardians outlined in the Viking Connect Handbook.

Students of the Hopewell Area School District are provided technology devices of the District. These devices include, but are not limited to laptop computers, tablet/iPad devices, Chromebooks, and/or other portable computing devices. These devices are to be used for District purposes only and any information contained upon them, including email, files, and digital assets becomes the property of the District.

All portable, District-owned devices will be configured, tracked and managed by the District technology staff using a mobile device management tool, which can provide very detailed information on the device's location and status, to within 30 feet of its actual physical location. This gives the District the ability to control permissions and settings, filter content, perform necessary updates when needed, and the ability to track lost or stolen devices, and will ONLY be used for these purposes, in accordance with privacy, confidentiality laws and regulations.

Also, each device will be tagged with District identification and will have a District barcode, which must never be removed. It is the student's responsibility to ensure their device is fitted with an asset tag, and to report immediately to the District if a device has one removed or is missing. The District also employs a content filtering service that is applied to all devices on the District network. The District leverages methods to apply to filter for off-site networks, but like all filtering products, are not 100% foolproof against determined efforts to circumvent them.

The student to which the equipment is assigned is fully responsible for the use and/or misuse of their equipment. It is a violation of this procedure to give any person or entity not assigned by the District access to this device. This includes the sharing of any District assigned passwords, access to any content, data or intellectual property of the District, and/or use of assigned device. The assigned device is to be used only for district use, and is not to be considered personal possession.

If any device is stolen or missing, District staff is to be immediately notified by filling out a Device Damage Report Form and submitting to the student’s building principal. Students may be held accountable for financial reimbursement of lost or stolen devices and information. Each case is reviewed individually.

For details on the District's policy on acceptable use of electronic resources, please see Acceptbale Use of Electronic Resources on Page 16. The policy (815) can also be found in the District Policy Manual.

Dear Parents & Guardians of school-aged children under the age of 13,

In order for schools within the Hopewell Area School District to continue to be able to provide your students with the most effective web-based tools and applications for learning, students need to abide by federal regulations that require a parental signature as outlined below.

Our District utilizes several computer software applications and web-based services, operated not by the District, but by third parties. These include contracted content providers (Lexia, Freckle, Class Dojo, etc.), and websites/ apps that support educational programs. In order for our students to use these programs and services, certain personally identifying information might be requested by the service provider, such as the student’s name, a username, password and occasionally a school email address.

Under the 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. (For more information on COPPA, please visit http://www.ftc.gov/privacy/coppafaqs.shtm.)

With your permission, the law allows the District to create and manage student accounts. If you have any questions, contact your building principal.

I have been provided with a notice of the websites and online services the District may consent to on our behalf. This form constitutes permission for our District to create accounts for my child on these district approved websites and services for instructional purposes.

Legal

1. 47 CFR 54.520

2. 47 U.S.C. 254

3. 24 P.S. 1303.1-A

4. Pol. 249

5. Pol. 237

6. Pol. 814

7. 24 P.S. 4604

18 Pa. C.S.A. 2709 18 Pa. C.S.A. 5903 18 Pa. C.S.A. 6312 24 P.S. 4601 et seq

17 U.S.C. 101 et seq

18 U.S.C. 2256

20 U.S.C. 7131

Pol. 103

Pol. 103.1

Pol. 104

Pol. 218

Pol. 218.2

Pol. 220

Pol. 233

Pol. 317

Purpose

The Hopewell Area School District provides its employees, students, and guests (“users”) access to technology resources including, but not limited to, electronic communications systems, computers, computer networks, networked devices, hardware, software, internet access, mobile devices, peripherals, copiers, and cameras.

The Board supports the use of the District’s technology resources to facilitate teaching and learning, to provide access to information, to aid in research and collaboration, to foster the educational mission of the District, and to carry out the legitimate business and operation of the District.

The use of the District’s technology resources is for appropriate school-related educational and operational purposes and for the performance of job duties consistent with the educational mission of the District. Use for educational purposes is defined as use that is consistent with the curriculum adopted by the District as well as the varied instructional needs, learning styles, abilities and developmental levels of students. All use for any purpose must comply with this policy and all other applicable codes of conduct, policies, procedures, and rules and must not cause damage to the District’s technology resources.

All employees and students are responsible for the appropriate and lawful use of the District’s technology resources. This policy is intended to ensure that all users continue to enjoy access to the District’s technology resources and that such resources are utilized in an appropriate manner and for legitimate purposes.

Definitions

District Technology Resources

District technology resources means all technology owned, operated, and/or licensed by the District, including computers, projectors, televisions, video and sound systems, mobile devices, calculators, scanners, printers, cameras, portable hard drives, hardware, software, accounts, routers, and networks, including the Internet.

User

User means anyone who utilizes or attempts to utilize District technology resources while on or off District property. The term includes, but is not limited to, students, staff, parents and/or guardians, and any visitors to the District that may use District technology.

Authority

The Board establishes that access to and use of its technology resources is a privilege, not a right, which may be revoked at any time. The District’s technology resources are the property of the District. The District provides these resources for educational and operational purposes as stated herein and are not provided as a public access service or to provide a public forum.

The Superintendent or their designee is ultimately responsible for overseeing the District’s technology resources. The Superintendent will designate a Technology Director who will serve as the coordinator and supervisor of the District’s technology resources and networks, and who will work with other regional and state organizations as necessary to educate users, approve activities, provide leadership for proper training for all users in the use of the District’s technology resources and the requirements of this policy, and who will establish a system to ensure that users who access District technology resources have agreed to abide by the terms of this policy.

The Superintendent or their designee is directed to implement Internet safety measures to effectively address the following, both through general policy and through the use of filtering technology:[1][2]

 

1. Access by minors to inappropriate or harmful content.
2. Safety and security of minors when using electronic mail, chat rooms, and social networking.
3. Prevention of unauthorized access of District technology resources.
4. Prevention of unauthorized disclosure and dissemination of minors’ personal information.

Delegation of Responsibility

The Superintendent shall develop procedures, in cooperation with the District technology staff, for the acceptable use of all District technology resources including, but not limited to software, hardware, electronic devices, servers and networks.[2]

School District Limitation of Liability

The School District makes no warranties of any kind, either expressed or implied, for the service it is providing through its various technology resources. The District is not responsible, and will not be responsible, for any damages, including loss of data resulting from delays, non-deliveries, missed deliveries, or services interruption. Use of any information obtained through the District’s technology resources is at the user’s own risk.

Guidelines

Use of Personal Electronic Devices

The use of personal electronic devices on the District network is permitted only on designated networks for designated users. When a user connects a personal electronic device to a District network or District technology resources, this policy and its guidelines apply. Users are subject to the same levels of monitoring and access as if a District-owned device were being utilized. Users who connect a personal electronic device to a District network explicitly waive any expectation of privacy in the content exchanged over the District technology resources.

Privacy

The District reserves the right to monitor any user’s utilization of District technology resources. Users have no expectation of privacy while using District technology resources whether on or off District property. The District may monitor, inspect, copy, and review any and all usage of District technology resources including information transmitted and received via the internet to ensure compliance with this and other District policies, and state and federal law. All e-mails and messages, as well as any files stored on District technology resources may be inspected at any time for any reason. The District may decrypt and inspect encrypted internet traffic and communications to ensure compliance with this policy.

Internet Filtering and Children’s Internet Protection Act (“CIPA”) Compliance

The District utilizes content and message filters to prevent users from accessing material through District technology resources that has been determined to be obscene, offensive, pornographic, harmful to minors, or otherwise inconsistent with the District’s educational mission. The Superintendent or their designee shall establish a procedure for users to request that a legitimate website or educational resource not be blocked by the District’s filters for a bona fide educational purpose. Such requests must be either granted or rejected within three school days pursuant to the established procedure.

The Board directs that the Superintendent or their designee ensure that students at the elementary, middle school, and high school levels are educated about appropriate online behavior including interacting via social networks and in chat rooms, cyber-bullying, and disclosure of personal information.[2][3][4]

Monitoring

District technology resources shall be periodically monitored to ensure compliance with this and other District policies including monitoring of users’ online activities. The Technology Director designated by the Superintendent shall ensure that regular monitoring is completed pursuant to this section. However, the Superintendent, or their designee, shall also implement procedures to ensure that District technology resources are not utilized to track the whereabouts or movements of individuals, and that remotely activated cameras and/or audio are not utilized except where necessary to recover lost or stolen District technology.

District Provided Resources

District technology resources may be assigned or allocated to an individual user for his or her use (e.g. individual email accounts, laptop computers, etc.) Despite being allocated to a particular user, the technology resources remain the property of the District and may be revoked, suspended, or inspected at any time to ensure compliance with this and other District policies. Users do not have an expectation of privacy in any District provided technology resource or any of its contents.

Prohibitions

The use of the School District’s systems for illegal, inappropriate, unacceptable, or unethical purposes by Users is prohibited. Such activities engaged in by Users are strictly prohibited and illustrated below. The School District reserves the right to determine if any activity not appearing in the list below constitutes an acceptable or unacceptable use of the systems.

These prohibitions are in effect any time School District resources are accessed whether on School District property, at School District events, while connected to the School District’s network, when using mobile commuting equipment, telecommunication facilities in protected and unprotected areas or environments, directly from home, or indirectly through another ISP, and if relevant, when an employee or student uses their own or another entity’s equipment.

General Prohibitions

1. The following uses of District technology resources are prohibited:
2. Use of technology resources to violate the law, facilitate illegal activity, or to encourage others to do so.
3. Use of technology resources to violate any other District policy.
4. Use of technology resources to engage in any intentional act which might threaten the health, safety, or welfare of any person or persons.
5. Use of technology resources to cause, or threaten to cause harm to others or damage to their property.
6. Use of technology resources to bully, or to communicate terroristic threats, discriminatory remarks, or hate.[3][4] Use of technology resources to communicate words, photos, videos, or other depictions that are obscene, indecent, vulgar, rude, profane, or that advocate illegal drug use.
7. Use of technology resources to create, access, or to distribute obscene, profane, lewd, vulgar, pornographic, harassing, or terroristic materials, firearms, or drug paraphernalia.[5] Use of technology resources to attempt to interfere with or disrupt District technology systems, networks, services, or equipment including, but not limited to, the propagation of computer “viruses” and “worms”, Trojan Horse and trapdoor program codes.
8. Altering or attempting to alter other users’ or system files, system security software, system or component settings, or the systems themselves, without authorization.
9. The attempted physical harm or attempted destruction of District technology resources.
10. Use of technology resources in a manner that jeopardizes the security of the District’s technology resources, or in a manner that attempts to circumvent any system security measures.
11. Use of technology resources to intentionally obtain or modify files, passwords, and/or data belonging to other users or to the District.
12. Use that conceals or attempts to conceal a user’s identity, including the use of anonymizers, or the impersonation of another user.
13. Unauthorized access, interference, possession, or distribution of confidential or private information.
14. Using technology resources to send any District information to another party, except in the ordinary course of business as necessary or appropriate for the advancement of the District’s business or educational interests.
15. Use of technology resources to commit plagiarism.
16. Installing, loading, or running software programs, applications, or utilities not explicitly authorized by the District technology staff.
17. Installing unauthorized computer hardware, peripheral devices, network hardware, or system hardware onto technology resources.
18. Copying District software without express authorization from a member of the District’s technology staff.[6] Use of technology resources for commercial purposes.
19. Use of technology resources for political lobbying or campaigning, not including student elections (e.g. student government, club officers, homecoming queen, etc.)
20. Use of District technology resources to tether or otherwise connect to a non-District owned device to access an unfiltered and/or unmonitored internet connection.
21. The use of proxies or other means to bypass internet content filters and monitoring.
22. The use of technology resources to gamble.
23. Unauthorized access into a restricted system or changing settings or access rights to a restricted system or account.
24. The use of encryption software that has not been previously approved by the District.
25. Sending unsolicited mass-email messages, also known as spam.
26. Scanning the District’s technology resources for security vulnerabilities.
27. Unauthorized or illegal installation, distribution, reproduction, or use of copyrighted materials.
28. Fraudulent copying, communications, or modification of materials in violation of copyright laws.

Security

System security is protected through the use of passwords. Failure to adequately protect or update passwords could result in unauthorized access to personal or district files. To protect the integrity of the system, the following guidelines shall be followed:

1. Employees and students shall not reveal their passwords to another individual.
2. Users are not to use a computer that has been logged in under another student's or employee's name.
3. Any user identified as a security risk or having a history of problems with other computer systems may be denied access to the network.

Copyright

The illegal use of copyrighted software by students and staff is prohibited. Any data uploaded to or downloaded from the network shall be subject to fair use guidelines.

Consequences for Inappropriate, Unauthorized and Illegal Use

The user shall be responsible for damages to the equipment, systems, and software resulting from deliberate or willful acts.

Illegal use of the network; intentional deletion or damage to files of data belonging to others; copyright violations; and theft of services will be reported to the appropriate legal authorities for possible prosecution.

General rules for behavior and communications apply when using the Internet, in addition to the stipulations of this policy. Violations of this policy may result in the temporary or permanent revocation of a user’s right to access District technology resources. Additionally, users may be subject to other forms of disciplinary actions for violations of this policy and/or local, state, and/or federal law.[7]

Vandalism will result in cancellation of access privileges. Vandalism is defined as any malicious attempt to harm or destroy data of another user, Internet or other networks; this includes but is not limited to uploading or creating computer viruses.

The signatures on this page are binding for all of the policies, procedures, agreements, acknowledgements, and consents outlined in this form and in the Viking Connect Handbook.