Introduction
It is important to note that any form of the valuable and closed network has a range of serious security concerns. This is why a set of rules and standards are necessary to ensure that the users do not compromise their safety. I currently work as a teacher at the Miami Dade County Public School, and it has a strong and comprehensive Acceptable Use Policy (AUP), which is effective and effortless to follow. The AUP has not changed since the pandemic, but its relevance has become more apparent and critical. The recommended changes should add more points to the network etiquette section to have more specific procedures and practices outlined for people working remotely, such as homes.
Miami Dade County Public Schools: AUP
A comprehensive and effective Acceptable Use Policy is implemented within my public school in Miami Dade County. Its purpose is “to establish a policy for the acceptable use of the network as a tool for learning in Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS)” (Miami-Dade County Public Schools, 2022, para. 1). It is applicable not only to all computer resources, but services, lines, hardware, and software related and connected to the District computer irrespective of their location (Miami-Dade County Public Schools, 2022). The key part is that the AUP applies to the internet as well, which makes adhering to its provisions highly important in order to operate within the permitted boundaries.
Its effectiveness is rooted in the fact that it is strict, easy to follow, and concise. Research suggests that many organizations fail to integrate effective AUPs primarily due to low readability and incomprehensibility of the written rules and standards (Robinson & McMenemy, 2019). However, it is not the case with Miami Dade County Public Schools’ network since it is devoid of complex and unnecessary terms, statements, and legal texts. It directly communicates the purpose of the network and the reasoning behind the AUP (Miami-Dade County Public Schools, 2022). The network etiquette uses direct and short statements to avoid any form of confusion. It is additionally useful as a summary of recommendations made in the document (Miami-Dade County Public Schools, 2022). The section on security is another properly written piece of policy, which only include the necessary information for the users with no extra data (Miami-Dade County Public Schools, 2022). The prohibitions are stated explicitly as ‘prohibited,’ and the conditional statements directly state the conditions.
The key reason why the AUP is effective is the fact that it is short compared to other AUPs of organizations. The entire page can be read with two to three mouse scrolls, but the most relevant sections can be found in the network etiquette and security sections (Miami-Dade County Public Schools, 2022). Whenever I am in doubt about how to proceed when using the school network, I proceed by opening my bookmarked page of the AUP to re-read its sections on network etiquette and security. In addition, the Acceptable Use Policy of Miami Dade County Public Schools’ network is transparent with its users and readers of the document. For example, it explicitly states that “electronic mail (e-mail) is not guaranteed to be private. People who operate the system do have access to all mail” (Miami-Dade County Public Schools, 2022, para. 20). In other words, the network operators are honest about the lack of privacy in the electronic mails used within the system.
Remote Teaching: AUP
As a result of the pandemic, the current environment necessitated a remote type of work for all teachers. This situation impacted the Miami-Dade County Public Schools AUP in terms of its importance and adherence. In other words, the pandemic itself did not alter the Acceptable Use Policy document, but following it under remote work conditions became more challenging. The main reason includes the fact that the computer became the sole mean of communication and teaching during the lockdowns. It was critical to be able to properly prepare the workspace and computer as soon as the work itself began.
The first problem was that the network and access points used during remote teaching were based on the in-home connection, such as Wi-Fi and internet cable. This creates an additional security risk for the platform. The AUP document states that “if a user can identify a security problem on the network, the user must notify a system administrator. The user must not demonstrate the problem to others” (Miami-Dade County Public Schools, 2022, para. 12). In other words, it was not clear what constitutes a network issue, which would merit a notification of the system administrator. The second concern was related to the K subsection of the VI Section, which states that the wireless equipment requires authorization, but there is no specification with respect to wireless connections outside M-DCPS property (Miami-Dade County Public Schools, 2022). A greater degree of clarity for remote working conditions could make adhering to the outlined rules and standards less challenging.
Therefore, I would recommend implementing new specific procedures and practices outlined for people working remotely in the etiquette section. The rationale is that it was easy and effortless to follow the AUP instructions and rules within a professional space of schools, but doing so was more complicated in remote settings. The AUP could incorporate a separate section or additional etiquette points in the document to guide and instruct the teachers of the school on how to proceed properly with remote working. It could list a set of recommended actions and practices which would minimize the risk of accidental platform security undermining.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the AUP document at the Miami Dade County Public School was not affected by the pandemic, but its importance was emphasized, which is why it should include remote work etiquette. The rules apply not only to all computer resources but services, lines, hardware, and software related and connected to the District computer irrespective of their locations. In general, it is effective as it stands at the moment since it is strict, easy to follow, and concise. In addition, it is short compared to other AUPs of organizations, which is the key reason why the AUP is effective. The network operators are honest about the lack of privacy in the electronic mail used within the system, creating a higher level of transparency. Following the Acceptable Use Policy document under the remote work conditions became more challenging, but the pandemic itself did not alter it. The first issue is the lack of specifics on maintaining security with the use of home networks, and the second problem is the wireless connection. The recommendation is to implement new specific procedures and practices outlined for people working remotely in the etiquette section.
References
Miami-Dade County Public Schools. (2022). M-DCPS acceptable use policy. Web.
Robinson, E., & McMenemy, D. (2019). ‘To be understood as to understand’: A readability analysis of public library acceptable use policies. Journal of Librarianship and Information Science, 52(3), 713-725. Web.