The Dalton School computer network puts enormous power at the fingertips of all members of this community - students, faculty, staff, and family. Inherent in the use of this power, however, is the understanding that it rests on the school's stated values and therefore requires its users to accept the same ethical responsibilities that govern other spheres of school life. The school assumes that individual users will be responsible for their behavior and communication over the network and that they will comply with school standards. The use of the network, like all other aspects of school life, is built on trust.

In providing links to any off-campus network, the school is required to follow that carrier's acceptable use policy in addition to our own. Those granted either the full or supervised use of the Internet through a Dalton connection must remember that they become online representatives of the school when they exercise this privilege. Violations of the stated rules and guidelines in such situations reflect not only on the individual user but also on the school. Moreover, since a system as vast as the Internet inevitably includes some unethical or even dangerous users, Dalton users are urged not to give out personal information to other users on bulletin boards, chat boards, or other systems.