A Dunedin secondary school has become the first in Otago to approve a new "cyber citizen agreement", which could see pupils stood down or suspended if they misused the school's computer equipment.
The agreement was drafted by Secondary Principals' Association of New Zealand president Patrick Walsh and was distributed to all secondary schools in New Zealand for voluntary adoption.
While the majority of schools already had their own contracts or agreements with pupils about information communication technology (ICT) use, the new agreement from Spanz was designed to be more "user-friendly".
Kaikorai Valley College principal Rick Geerlofs said although the school already had procedures in place, they were complicated and the board of trustees decided this week to implement the new agreement.
"Our procedures were a little disjointed and it was a way of tidying up our current policies and procedures, and trying to engage families in responsible ways of using cyber communication."
Mr Geerlofs said cyberspace had become "the Wild West", and a minority of young people believed they could use technology to bully, intimidate, harass and threaten with impunity, despite the best efforts of schools to take an educative approach.
"Others believe it to be a forum where they can express any views they like, regardless of the impact that it may have on others.
"Inevitably, the effects of this flow over into schools, and often we can be left to pick up the pieces."
Kaikorai Valley College pupils will be asked to sign the agreement at the start of next year, which will encourage them to use the school's ICT equipment for advancing their education, legitimate communication and entertainment.
The agreement also stipulates all communication via any technological device and internet system must not be used to humiliate, degrade, harass, threaten or defame any person associated with Kaikorai Valley College, and it will forbid pupils from undermining the good name and reputation of the school.
If the agreement is breached, pupils may be stood down or suspended under the Education Act 1989.
They may also be removed from a leadership position or not be considered for one, and the school may not recommend the pupil for a scholarship or to a tertiary institution, employer or external programme.
The agreement would give school staff the right to collect evidence for the purposes of establishing a breach of the agreement, including electronic communication, to lay a complaint with police, Netsafe and internet companies.
However, the agreement recognises the pupils' rights to privacy and freedom of expression, and undertakes not to disclose any information about a pupil or their communication except when it is in breach of the conditions of the agreement.
Both John McGlashan College principal Mike Corkery and Columba College principal Elizabeth Wilson said their schools already had cyber safety agreements in place because all pupils at their schools had laptops as part of the one-to-one laptop programme.
All pupils must sign the agreement, they said.
Bayfield High School principal Judith Forbes said her school also had its own cyber safety agreement for pupils to sign, as well as providing good information and regularly addressing issues of cyber-bullying in assemblies.
"At this stage, we are not making any short-term changes to our policies and procedures in this regard, but may well do even more in 2013 to ensure our students fully understand their rights and responsibilities as cyber citizens and know how to keep themselves and others safe."
Cyber agreement
• ICT equipment will be used for advancing education, legitimate communication and entertainment.
• Communication via any technological device and internet system will not be used to humiliate, degrade, harass, threaten or defame any person associated with the school.
• Staff have the right to collect evidence to establish a breach of the agreement, including electronic communication, to lay a complaint with police, Netsafe and internet companies.
• The school will not disclose any information about a pupil or their communication, except when it is in breach of the conditions of the agreement.
