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Section A: Copyright Policy

Situation:

Federal and state legislation prohibits duplication of written or electronic materials for commercial or personal use without express consent, citation, or commercial exchange with the author or publishing house. With the advent of new technologies, including the availability of textual and graphic information from on-line services as well as information from reference based CD ROM discs or other sources, this issue becomes a greater concern as new legislation regarding such resources is approved. MAPS currently maintains a documented copyright policy, though knowledge of this policy is not widespread among faculty and staff.

Concerns:

Unauthorized duplication of information, when enforced, can result in felony or misdemeanor charges against the offender, as well as substantial monetary fines. Use of technology provides easier access to information for duplication which may be copyrighted. Determination of such an act, whether performed by administration, faculty, staff, or student, can result in harsh penalties for a school district. Also, students do not have an adequate understanding of copyright concerns when they leave the school system.

Recommendations:

1. Re-evaluation of Copyright Policy for the school district. This policy should address student, faculty, and staff use of copyrighted information, and appropriate cautionary measures to be taken before duplication of information. The policy should include additional specific measures concerning use of various technologies, including video recorders, computers, and various on-line services.
2. Develop a copyright manual for use by students and staff to give guidelines for use of copyrighted or other protected information. This manual should be disseminated to students, faculty, and staff in order to properly communicate this policy. A suggested student manual is included in the appendices, as are reference materials regarding copyright policy and specific use of technologies.
3. Inclusion of copyright policy within the core curriculum for the students of MAPS. Given the nature of copyright and patent policy, it would be recommended that such measures be included in language arts and technology curricula.