Acceptable Use of Technology and Electronic Communications Policy

Introduction and Scope of the Policy

 Welcome to the online educational portal of Am-Can Business and Tech Institute. This Acceptable Use of Technology and Electronic Communications Policy governs all access and activity on our Learning Management System, also referred to as our LMS, at www.techstudy.ca, our public website at www.amcantech.org, and all electronic communications associated with our educational programs.

 As a registered private secondary school seeking credit-granting authority under the Ontario Ministry of Education, we maintain strict adherence to the Education Act and provincial regulations. This policy is designed to protect the academic integrity of our asynchronous course(s) credit courses. It ensures a safe, supportive, and inclusive digital learning environment in accordance with the Ontario Human Rights Code and Safe Schools standards. It also safeguards student confidentiality and personal information in compliance with the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and provincial freedom of information guidelines. Finally, it establishes clear boundaries and consequences regarding digital conduct for students, instructors, and administrative staff.

 Access to www.techstudy.ca and school-provided digital resources is a privilege. By accessing our LMS, student accounts, or website services, users agree to comply with all conditions outlined in this policy.

 Secure Access and Credential Confidentiality

 To maintain academic records integrity, the school enforces rigorous security and confidentiality requirements for all system credentials.

 1. Student Login Confidentiality

 Students are issued a unique, personalized user profile and secure login password to access their course modules, tests, and discussion boards on www.techstudy.ca. Students are strictly prohibited from sharing their secure login credentials with any other individual, including classmates, friends, or external tutors.

 2. Student Identity Verification

 The LMS platform automatically logs IP addresses, login times, session durations, and user navigation patterns. Any user action taken under a student's login is tied directly to that student's academic profile and is used to verify participation hours. The use of third-party software, proxy servers, or virtual private networks (VPNs) to hide or misrepresent user location or identity is strictly prohibited.

 3. Administrative Data Security and the Secure Network Mandate

 To protect student records, the Ontario Education Number (OEN), and the Ontario School Information System (OnSIS), our administrators and coordinators operate under a strict data integrity mandate. In compliance with Ministry Secure Access Terms, staff must only log into the OEN and OnSIS databases from physical school-owned computers connected directly to the school's secure internal managed network at Unit B, 99 Sante Dr., Vaughan, Ontario. Remote administrative access of any kind to OnSIS is strictly prohibited.

 Prohibited Digital Behaviours

 Users are expected to utilize our LMS, communication channels, and technical resources responsibly and professionally. The following is a concrete list of prohibited digital conduct on school platforms:

1. * Creation or transmission of any offensive, obscene, or indecent documents, images, or comments.
2. * Creation or transmission of any materials designed to cause annoyance, inconvenience, or anxiety to another person.
3. * Creation or transmission of defamatory, libelous, or slanderous material.
4. * Transmission of unsolicited commercial or advertising material (spamming) to students, teachers, or administrators.
5. * Plagiarism and Cheating: Presenting another person's work as one's own, copying from the internet without attribution, utilizing unauthorized generative AI systems, purchasing custom essays, or sharing secure final examination materials.
6. * Identity Misrepresentation: Sharing secure LMS accounts or permitting another individual to complete course requirements, modules, or assessments under your name.
7. * Deliberate unauthorized access to other accounts, files, or network services on www.techstudy.ca or associated external networks.
8. * Intentionally causing technical staff to troubleshoot problems where the user is the direct cause, or corrupting or destroying other users' data.
9. * Violating the online privacy of others, including sharing contact details, emails, or chat records of classmates or staff without explicit consent.
10. * Network Disruption: Utilizing school connections or e-LMS servers to deny service to others (such as launching denial-of-service attacks).
11. * Introduction of viruses, Trojan horses, spyware, adware, or other malicious software designed to compromise system security.
12. * Continuing to use software, accounts, or digital systems for which the user has already received official security warnings.

 Safe Schools Code and Cyberbullying

 Am-Can Business and Tech Institute is committed to providing a virtual campus that protects the dignity and self-esteem of all learners. Disrespectful, distasteful, abusive, or harassing communications will not be condoned.

 1. Bullying and Cyberbullying Definitions

 Under Section 1 of the Ontario Education Act, bullying includes behavior using physical, verbal, electronic, written, or other means. Cyberbullying includes bullying by electronic means, such as:

1. * Creating a web page, social profile, or blog in which the creator assumes the identity of another person.
2. * Impersonating another person as the author of content, messages, or postings on the internet.
3. * Utilizing email, LMS messaging, direct chats, or video conferences to send harassing, intimidating, or threatening messages to students or staff.

 2. Online Communication Standards

 All communication on discussion forums, group threads, and email platforms must remain academic, professional, and respectful. York Regional standards of safety and inclusion apply to all interactions. Any actions determined to jeopardize the moral tone or safety of the school community will be addressed immediately by the Secondary Principal, Aysha Watto.

 Digital Record Audits and Attendance Logging

 Unlike traditional brick-and-mortar schools, an online asynchronous school tracks attendance through systematic digital audit logs. To comply with Ontario Ministry of Education guidelines, the school maintains detailed records to verify that student activity meets the standard instructional expectations:

1. Digital Attendance Standard

 For the purposes of attendance, a student is marked present when they actively log into www.techstudy.ca and engage in course modules, complete a virtual lesson, post to assigned academic forums, or submit coursework.

 2. Course Engagement Standards

1.  * Expected Participation: To maintain satisfactory academic progress, students are expected to log into their courses at least three times per week.
2. * Minimum Progress: Although self-paced, students have up to 12 months from their registration date to complete the required 110 hours of planned instructional study for each full-credit course.

* Inactivity Alerts and Retirement: Students who do not log in or submit work will receive systematic warning notifications.

  - First Warning: 25 to 30 consecutive days of inactivity.

  - Secondary Warning: 90 consecutive days of inactivity.

  - Final Warning and Retirement: If a student remains completely inactive for 180 consecutive days, they will be retired from the class, dropped from the school roster, and their registration closed without a tuition refund.

 3. Full Disclosure Drop Window (Grades 11 and 12 Only)

 Course withdrawals occurring before the midterm point carry no transcript penalty. However, in accordance with the Ontario Student Transcript Manual, any student who withdraws from a Grade 11 or 12 course five or more business days after the issuance of their official midterm report card will have a permanent notation of "W" (Withdrawn) along with their percentage mark at withdrawal recorded on their OST.

 Consequences for Technology Misuse

 Any violation of this Acceptable Use Policy compromises the safety and academic integrity of the school community. Users found to have misused school technology, bypassed secure controls, or engaged in prohibited conduct will face progressive administrative, academic, and legal actions.

 Depending on the severity and frequency of the violation, consequences may include:

1. * Official Written Warning: A formal warning letter sent to the student and their parents/guardians (if the student is under 18 years of age).
2. * Grade Penalty: Assignment of a mark of zero (0) on the affected test, coursework submission, or evaluation, with an academic integrity report placed in the OSR.
3. * Platform Suspension: Temporary suspension of login access to www.techstudy.ca to allow for an academic review by Secondary Principal Aysha Watto.
4. * Expulsion: Permanent revocation of platform access and administrative expulsion from Am-Can Business and Tech Institute without a tuition refund.
5. * Record Transfers and Disclosures: Severe violations of safety, cybersecurity, or system integrity will be reported to the Ministry of Education.
6. * Law Enforcement Escalation: Severe digital breaches, cyber-attacks, distribution of illegal material, or criminal harassment will be escalated immediately to the York Regional Police and appropriate legal authorities.

 Regulatory Compliance and Ownership 

 Am-Can Business and Tech Institute is operated by AM-CAN BUSINESS AND LMS SERVICES MANAGEMENT LTD. and is registered as a private secondary school with the Ontario Ministry of Education. Our school's Board School Identification (BSID) number is pending validation and formal inspection. All platform designs, databases, digital content, and instructional assets remain the sole intellectual property of AM-CAN BUSINESS AND LMS SERVICES MANAGEMENT LTD.

 Personal information collected through school platforms is stored securely, accessed solely for educational and compliance purposes, and is managed in accordance with provincial and federal privacy legislation.