Designing a Responsible Use Policy
School Administrator, May 2022

School districts that want to transform their acceptable use policy into a responsible use policy to reflect their emphasis on responsible digital citizenship might consider the following:

»Include students in the policy formulation process. Although the policy most impacts students, they are rarely invited to participate in its formulation.

»Include input from IT and instructional leaders regarding the continuum of responsible use behaviors, ranging from safety, privacy and security to engagement, inclusivity and collaboration.

»Discuss the values the district wants to reflect in the policy. In the Los Angeles Unified School District, we discussed what it means to be a responsible digital citizen and why this differentiation is important to include.

»Design the policy as an instructional tool. To ensure the district policy plays a central role in reflecting the district’s aspirations, design it as a resource that teachers can leverage across digital citizenship discussions. As such, it becomes less of a document requiring a signature and more of a living agreement on how to engage as a responsible digital citizen in your school community.

»Revisit and update your key policies annually. As the world changes, so does our definition of digital citizenship.

— VANESSA MONTEROSA