#SAFE EDUCATIONAL WEBSITES FOR ELEMENTARY STUDENTS SOFTWARE#

The current generation of website blocking software offers far more flexibility than its predecessors and can conform to the contours of a district’s acceptable-use policy.

Schools may use hardware solutions that could be handled for less in the cloud in some cases, they might even run multiple solutions to manage mobile devices separately from the network, Bennett says. There’s more: older software may not be decrypting SSL traffic. In that way, student searches can lead to mental health interventions and save lives - a phenomenon already documented in American schools. G’s Amy Passow wrote about the potential of AI to act as a “multi-faceted digital assistant,” in part by using machine learning to contextualize internet searches and flag those that raise concerns.“They’re also probably not taking advantage of AI to protect students against things like self-harm.”ĬDW And they may be using blanket policies instead of differentiating by grade or group,” Bennett says. “They’re likely over-blocking that was the norm 10 years ago. What will schools miss out on if they haven’t updated their approach to CIPA compliance? And those abilities have changed over time. He emphasizes striking the right balance between safety and access is a matter of thinking through a policy that takes into account the inherent abilities of the software. “I still believe it’s the right thing to do.” “If CIPA did not exist, I believe most school districts, including mine, would still implement a content filter,” Snow says. In some cases, schools face charges of internet censorship for overzealously blocking access to material. Over its lifetime, CIPA attracted criticism for more than just its narrow scope. Next-Generation Website Blockers Balance Online Access with Safety MORE FROM EDTECH: See how content monitoring tools can help K–12 administrators keep students safe. “CIPA requirements are specifically about access to obscene material, but schools now need to think about safety, bullying, radicalization, and more,” explains Amy Bennett of Lightspeed Systems. “School districts now must contend with an i ncreasingly mobile device-focused student body, a plethora of social media and other web apps, stealth attacks over encrypted traffic, as well as cloud-based SaaS applications,” notes Brian Patch of SonicWall.Īnd CIPA’s narrow focus can also cause administrators to overlook other potential threats. Content Filtering Is an Evolving Problem in K–12 SchoolsĪs the internet evolves, administrators find themselves facing new vectors through which objectionable content can reach students. MORE FROM EDTECH: Check out 5 best practices for adhering to federal privacy laws. The internet of today bears l ittle resemblance to the internet of 20 years ago, and website blocking software likely needs to change, too. It might be a good time to review the policies around CIPA at a federal level,” he says.Įven in the absence of a federal update, K–12 administrators can look carefully at their current internet safety policy. “One-to-one programs really started birthing right around 2010–2012. “The last time was reviewed was 2011,” says Ed Snow, a board member of the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) and director of technology for the School District of Milton in Milton, Wis. The FCC requires three elements for compliance: content filtering to prevent access to obscene, pornographic, or harmful images monitoring of online activities of minors and education in appropriate online behavior and cyberbullying awareness. Congress passed the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) in 2000, tying E-rate program discounts to a school’s internet safety policy.

Safe educational websites for elementary students