With the increase use of videoconferencing this year, the Reading Public Schools have developed protocols and procedures regarding videoconferencing and recording of lessons.

The Reading Public Schools is dedicated to providing engaging and effective remote learning opportunities for our students.  As part of our remote learning opportunities, the District is offering these opportunities via a virtual platform. Prior to engaging in these virtual opportunities, the District seeks to clarify expectations around appropriate use of virtual technologies for educational opportunities.  For questions regarding school policies and procedures, please contact your child’s building principal.

1. Parents should review and sign electronically on the portal the Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) for Internet and Technology Use as soon as possible.  The documents can be found for viewing in the first day of school fliers located here.  During this transition time, when students are accessing remote lessons the AUP is in effect for all students.
2. Please note that during remote recorded or live telecommunication sessions, your child’s image and voice will be transmitted over the internet and into other students computers and homes, and that by allowing your child to participate in these telecommunication services you understand and consent to the dissemination of your child’s image and voice during these remote telecommunication sessions.
3. The District strictly prohibits screenshots, pictures, downloading, audio/video recording and distribution of any virtual educational experience by students or parents in order to protect student privacy, proactively prevent potential cyberbullying, prevent the distribution of copyrighted materials and comply with Massachusetts law.   Please note that in Massachusetts, it is illegal to audio record another person through any medium without his or her knowledge.
4. Teachers will record lessons when they are using Zoom or Microsoft Teams for synchronous teaching and learning.  Recorded instruction will be maintained by the teacher and will be available for instructional purposes using the protocol described below.   Teachers may determine that some lessons will not be made available to students and will not provide access.
5. The District has made good faith efforts to ensure virtual platforms used comply with child Internet protection and confidentiality laws and do not sell, use or disclose any personally identifiable information or data for commercial purposes or to third parties. There are potential risks for Internet interruptions, unauthorized interruption by third party and technical difficulties. You can minimize the risk of breaches in confidentiality by not sharing any links, user name and passwords provided used for virtual opportunities access.  
6. Students, and where appropriate parents/guardians, agree to engage in virtual educational experiences dressed appropriately, in a quiet, private area to the extent practicable given the circumstances, in order to minimize background noise and distractions and to protect the integrity of student engagement as well as student confidentiality.  It is the expectation that students use appropriate backgrounds for their virtual calls.
7. The laws that protect the privacy and confidentiality of your child’s personally identifiable information apply to virtual educational opportunities just as they do during an in-person services. Parents/guardians and other household members who normally are not privy to day-to-day classroom and group service discussions agree to respect and keep confidential any personal or private information (e.g. disability status) inadvertently discovered about other students due to proximity of virtual education.
8. Parents and guardians agree that attendance in virtual education is necessary and required.  Parents will make best efforts for the student(s) to be present during live lessons.  Attendance will be taken each class period at the middle and high school level and once in the morning and once in the afternoon at the elementary school level. 

Protocol for Access to Recorded Lessons

1. Teachers will use only Zoom or Microsoft Teams to record their lessons.
2. Recorded instruction will be maintained by the teacher.
3. Recorded lessons are available to the student for instructional purposes only and under the following guidelines. 
   • The student has been absent from virtual or in person lessons for several days due to illness that did not allow them to access virtual or in person instruction.  Medical documentation will be necessary to support this guideline.
   • The student has been struggling academically and it has been determined by the teacher that reviewing the recorded lessons would benefit the student’s academic progress.
   • Teachers may decide that other one time events (i.e. power outage or extra help session prior to an assessment) would be an appropriate reason to make a recorded lesson available.
4. Since the expectation and requirement is that students attend all synchronous lessons, recorded lessons will not be available for general use.  If a student needs extra help on a particular topic, it is encouraged that the student/parent reach out to the teacher for additional academic support.
5. If a student qualifies for one of the above categories, the teacher will contact the parent/guardian to make the lesson available to them.