Acceptable Use Policy

This policy sets out expectations for the use of MEI Academy’s school-issued accounts and online platforms, and for personal devices (laptop, phone, tablet) used to access them, by students enrolled in any MEI program. It applies for the full duration of a student’s enrollment, including the pre-departure period, on-program instruction, and any post-return coursework.

2.1 Accounts and platforms covered

• School-issued @meiacademy.com student accounts.
• Google Classroom — assignments, lessons, grades, Foundation Focus materials, reading list.
• Google Chat and Google Meet — synchronous instruction, breakout discussions, office hours.
• Google Drive — shared readings, assignment materials, submitted work.
• MyMEI Portal and Program Site — administrative access; use of these is governed by this policy where a student or parent/guardian account is involved.

2.2 Personal devices (BYOD)

Students are required to use their own laptop and cell phone to access MEI Academy’s academic platforms. Because these are personally owned devices used for school purposes, this policy applies to a student’s use of that device for anything connected to MEI accounts, coursework, or program communication — not to the device’s unrelated personal use.

• Devices must be kept reasonably updated and secured (passcode/login required) while used to access school accounts.
• MEI Academy is not responsible for loss, theft, damage, or malfunction of a student’s personal device, including while travelling. Students remain responsible for maintaining access to school accounts if a device is lost or replaced.
• Students are responsible for their own data/eSIM arrangements; MEI Academy is not responsible for connectivity gaps arising from a student’s personal device or data plan.

• Use of AI tools in coursework, including on a personal device, is governed by MEI’s Academic Integrity and the Responsible Use of AI policy, not by this document. This policy governs account and device conduct; the AI policy governs what AI use is permitted within a given assessment.
• Use school accounts and platforms for educational purposes connected to MEI coursework and program communication.
• Log in only to your own account; do not share your password or allow another person to access your account.
• Communicate respectfully in Google Chat, Classroom comments, and any other school platform, consistent with MEI’s Discipline Code Contract.
• Keep camera on and remain engaged during synchronous sessions, consistent with MEI Academy’s Attendance and Participation requirements.
• Report any suspected unauthorized access to your account, or any inappropriate content encountered on a school platform, to your teacher or MEI Academy administration promptly.

• Sharing account credentials, or accessing or attempting to access another student’s or staff member’s account.
• Using school accounts or platforms to harass, bully, threaten, or demean another student, staff member, or third party.
• Recording a synchronous session, or capturing and redistributing another student’s shared work, without the explicit permission of the teacher and the students involved.
• Using school accounts or platforms for commercial purposes, or for any activity unrelated to MEI Academy coursework and program communication.
• Uploading, sharing, or transmitting illegal content, or content that violates the rights of others, through any MEI-connected account or platform.
• Circumventing security measures on school accounts or platforms, including on a personal device used to access them.
• Submitting work that is not your own through a school account (see MEI Academy’s academic integrity expectations in each course outline).

MEI Academy staff may access and review content within school-issued accounts and platforms, including Classroom submissions, Chat messages sent through school accounts, and Drive files shared with a course, for educational, safety, and administrative purposes. MEI Academy does not monitor a student’s personal device beyond the school accounts and platforms accessed on it.

• Students are responsible for exercising the same account security practices on public or hotel wifi as they would at home; MEI Academy cannot guarantee the security of third-party networks used abroad.
• Students should be aware that some MEI Academy destinations may restrict access to certain platforms or apps; any such restriction should be reported to the teacher of record.
• Personal devices used to access MEI Academy accounts remain subject to this policy for the duration of travel, including during independent free time.

MEI Academy addresses violations of this policy through its Discipline Code Contract (available on the MyMEI Portal), which sets out the school’s disciplinary process and consequences.

Separately, and independent of the disciplinary process, MEI Academy administration or IT staff may temporarily suspend a student’s access to a school account or platform where there is a reasonable, good-faith concern about account security (e.g., suspected credential sharing or unauthorized access), pending review. This is a protective technical measure, not a disciplinary finding, and does not replace or pre-empt the Discipline Code Contract process.

• MEI Discipline Code Contract (MyMEI Portal)
• MEI Student Attendance and Non-Response Policy
• MEI Academic Integrity and the Responsible Use of AI