ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS POLICY
Systems, Devices and Materials
Electronic communications systems include, but are not limited to,
electronic mail, voice
mail, facsimile machines, stand-alone or networked computers, intranets, the
Internet/World Wide Web, and any other communications systems that may be
created in the future.
Electronic communications devices include, but are not limited to, regular and mobile
telephones, computers, laptops, electronic notebooks, audio and video equipment,
flash drives, memory sticks, iPods, MP3 players, Blackberries, and other wireless
equipment.
Electronic communications materials include, but are not limited to, DVDs, CDs, laser
discs, audio and videotape, audio and visual recordings, films, microfiche, audio and
visual broadcasts, computer operating systems, software programs, electronically
stored data and text files, computer applications, e-mails, text messages, instant
messages, and all other downloaded, uploaded, retrieved, opened, saved, forwarded,
or otherwise accessed or stored content.
Electronic Communications Systems, Devices and Materials and Users Covered
- All electronic communications systems, devices and materials whether in a parish, school,
- or archdiocesan department or office;
- All electronic communications devices and materials taken from parish, school or
archdiocesan office for use at home or on the road;
- All personal devices and materials brought from home and used on parish, school or
archdiocesan premises during regular business hours;
- All personal devices and materials, regardless of location, that are used in such a manner
that the parish, school, or archdiocese may be implicated in their use.
- All users of electronic communications systems, devices and materials, including, but not
limited to, students, employees, staff, contractors, volunteers, clergy and religious,
and their families.
Ownership and Control of Communications
- All systems, devices and materials located in a parish, a school or an archdiocesan office, and all work performed on them, are property of the parish, school, or archdiocese. These systems, devices and materials are to be used primarily to conduct official parish, school,or archdiocesan business, not personal business.
- With permission from the pastor, principal or other person in charge, individuals may use systems, devices, and materials, including access to the Internet, for personal business and web exploration outside regular business hours or during breaks. All users are expected to conform to appropriate content management and web surfing guidelines, whether during or outside regular business hours.
- Parish, school and archdiocesan systems, devices and materials are not private, and security cannot be guaranteed. Passwords and user IDs are designed to protect confidential information, not to provide users with personal privacy. User account passwords for systems not controlled by a centralized user directory or authentication system must be on record with the pastor, principal, or other person in charge at the parish, school, or archdiocesan department.
- Minors may only access the Internet from devices with updated and functioning filters for prohibited content. All obscene materials, child pornography or materials that are otherwise harmful to minors or in violation of this electronic communications policy must be blocked. Before allowing minors to access the Internet, a responsible person must ensure that content filters are “ON.”
- Content filters for minors may NOT be disabled or turned “OFF” without obtaining prior permission from the archdiocesan Applied Technology Department or the person with equivalent authority at the parish or school.
- All files downloaded from the Internet, all computer disks received from outside sources, and all content uploaded from portable memory devices must be scanned with updated/current virus detection software. Immediately report any viruses, tampering or other system breaches to the person in charge at the parish, school, or archdiocesan department.
- Parishes, schools, and the archdiocese reserve the right to monitor, access, retrieve, read and disclose all content created, sent, received, or stored on parish, school or archdiocesan systems, devices and materials (including connections made and sites visited) to law enforcement officials or others, without prior notice.
Guidelines for E-mail Correspondence and Other Electronic Communications
- All users of parish, school or archdiocesan communications systems and devices should use care in
creating e-mail, text, instant or voice mail messages. Even when a message has been deleted, it may
still exist on a backup system, be restored, be printed out, or may have been forwarded to someone
else without its creator's knowledge. The contents of email and text messages are the same as other
written documentation and cannot be considered private or confidential.
- E-mail and other electronic communications are not necessarily secure.
- Postings to "All Employees," “All Parents” “All Parishioners” and the like on intranets or the
Internet or the World Wide Web must be approved by the pastor, principal, or other person
in charge at the parish, school, or archdiocesan department before they are sent out.
- Use of personal electronic communications devices and materials during regular business hours
should be kept to a minimum and limited mainly to emergencies.
