A violations section should address how and where a student can report violations of the policy or direct questions about its application. It should also explain the appropriate sanctions for violations. As a practical matter, the AUP may simply provide that violations will be handled in accordance with the school's general student disciplinary code. NEA has no formal policy on blocking or filtering software, but there are arguments on both sides that bear consideration. Proponents of this software contend that it greatly assists in preventing student access to inappropriate or harmful sites on the Internet.
Opponents argue that using such software is censorship.
They assert that it also places a reliance on barriers, instead of teaching students good judgment and responsible use of computer network services. There is also some research that suggests that such software is not totally effective and actually blocks sites that should be accessible to students. 2 NEA does not have an official policy regarding AUPs. This paper is intended to assist local affiliates in the process of formulating effective AUPs. This paper should not be construed as NEA endorsement or condemnation of specific student uses of school-provided computer network services, nor should it be construed as legal advice to any particular local affiliate.