Internet Filtering

Does your school/school district use Internet Filtering Software? Yes they do.
Richmond County School System (RCSS) has a web filter in place for
the protection of our students and to comply with federal
regulations. It is never appropriate for students, faculty or staff to
circumvent the filter by any means.

Who makes decisions about what is blocked (filtered) in you district?

Procedures have been adopted to address Internet safety, which
include: (a) Access by minors to inappropriate matter on the Internet
and World Wide Web (b) Safety and security of minors when using
electronic mail, instant messaging, chat rooms and other forms of
direct electronic communications (c) Unauthorized access, including
so-called hacking, and other unlawful activities by minors online
(d) Unauthorized disclosure, use and dissemination of personal
information of minors (e) Restricting minors access to materials
harmful to them. The Superintendent is authorized to designate
certain persons in the School System who will be allowed to disable
the blocking or filtering measure placed on the computer system
during the use by an adult to enable access for bona fide research or
other lawful purposes.

Do teachers, parents, and/or students have a voice in this decision? No, they
do not. We have personal at our central office that controls what
comes into our school district.

Does grade level (Elementary, Middle, Secondary) determine what is and is

not blocked? Yes some things are blocked based on grade-level, but
some things are blocked at all levels. For example, YouTube is
blocked at all levels, as well as social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.).

Can you (or one of you colleagues) access the different Web 2.0 tools
discussed in this weeks Module for use in the instructional process. Yes I
can. Web 2.0 tools allow you to create projects as presentations,
visuals, auditory, as well as many other features. I have found Web
2.0 to be very helpful.

Can a teacher request that a site be un-blocked for use in the instructional
process? Is there a process in place for doing this? Who do they have to ask?
Yes, a teacher can request that a site be unblocked. They must
contact the Media Specialist or TTR at their school if they would like
to have a website blocked or unblocked. They must provide them
with the following information: 1. The complete URL for the website.

2. The reason the website should be blocked/unblocked. The Web

Filtering Request form is in the Links folder on the Edmodo group
page. This form should ONLY be filled out by Media Specialists, TTRs
or Administrators).

Given the potential for students to encounter undesirable material on the

Internet, what is the appropriate balance between protection and free access
to information? The Richmond County Board of Education is committed
to: (a) preventing user access over its computer network to, or
transmission of, inappropriate material via Internet, electronic mail,
or other forms of direct electronic communications; (b) preventing
unauthorized access and other unlawful online activity; (c)
preventing unauthorized online disclosure, use, or dissemination of
personal identification information of minors; and (d) complying with
the Children's Internet Protection Act [Pub. L. No. 106-554 and 47
USC 254(h)]. Each user must follow the Richmond County School
System Internet Acceptable Use Procedures found in the Richmond
County Board of Education Code of Student Conduct and Discipline.

What is your professional position on the use of Internet Filtering Software

and its place in schools today and in the future? I am a Media Specialist in
a middle school. I think that many websites should be blocked.
However, I do think that some sites that are blocked should not be. I
agree we do need filtering software to keep our students from
accessing inappropriate sites as well as social media. In the future I
would like teachers to plan early and provide a list of sites that are
related to their academic instructions so we can unblock the sites.
However, I think the filtering software is necessary.