Overview
With the rapid change of technology, the District must constantly evaluate what the market is offering. Both functionality and affordability must guide district purchases of equipment. Following are the current expected hardware and software standards.Hardware
The District annually evaluates hardware in light of hardware/software trends and curricular needs anticipated over the life of the device. From that, appropriate desktop and laptop machines are purchased in bulk.Non-Standard Configuration
In those situations that specialized machines are required, the building principal or supervisor will need to submit a request to Information Technology Services for consideration. Included in the request should be the following:- type of non-standard equipment being requested – as specific as possible
- purpose for which this equipment is being requested
- justification for why the standard equipment is inadequate to meet the stated purposes.
Software
Due to the wide range of available software packages on the market, the District has established some standard software that is placed on each new computer being installed. These programs will allow individuals to accomplish the daily necessary tasks of their jobs. The programs included are:Microsoft Office Pro (e.g. Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, Publisher)
Also, the Curriculum Department, with the help of the Curriculum Coordinators, will take under advisement the establishment of software standards for curricular use. As textbooks are being adopted, software will be considered. As teachers become familiar with new software packages, the Curriculum Department will evaluate and make recommendations for purchase of software for district use. Currently the software packages being used district-wide include:
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Note that our goal is to reduce the number of software packages supported. In part this transition is facilitated by the tremendous availability of resources and information available on the Internet. However, the transition is also necessary in order to reduce the cost and complexity of supporting an overly-large number of software packages.
Building Purchase
Buildings may deem it necessary to purchase software that their building is using as part of the curriculum. This software may be specialized or be previewed with the intent of seeking district –wide adoption. Before software is purchased, the Information Technology Services should be consulted to verify that the software can be supported by the hardware it will be running on, either at the network or the desktop level. It also must be reviewed by the Curriculum Department to ensure that it fits District expectations.It is imperative that building software purchases comply with district standards and copyright laws.
Software Agreement
The District will maintain adequate licenses for the software being used by the District. Teachers and staff are not to install software unless a legal right to that software has been established. Buildings purchasing software must have an equivalent number of licenses as are being installed.Individuals are requested not to bring software from home to be used at the building level.
District personnel will not install any software suspected of being out of copyright compliance. All personnel are expected to comply with district established guidelines.
Copyright Policies
It is the intent of the Lawrence Public Schools to adhere to the provision of the United State Copyright Law (Title 17, United States Code, Sect. (101 Et Seg). The established guidelines are published by the District in the Administrative Regulations & Guidelines for Copyright Compliance and are available from the Library-Media department at the Educational Support and Distribution Center.With the advent of the Internet and the ease of accessing tremendous amounts of information, copyright has become even more important. It is imperative that all users of the Internet continue to comply with copyright laws.