School Wifi Unblocked to Social Media

Talawanda recently unblocked internet access to social media websites, blogs, YouTube, retail websites, message boards, and GoogleChat.

Jim Vajda, the Information Technology Coordinator for Talawanda, said he proposed the decision to unblock the websites and it was then approved by the District Technology Committee.

“It’s legally required by CIPA [Childhood Internet Protection Act] to block certain websites,” said Vajda. “They require minimal, but schools must block obscene content or websites that are considered harmful to a student.” That includes pornography, violence, and any sexual content.

CIPA is a federal law that suppresses information published or viewed on the internet in the United States.

“I’ve noticed teachers using blogs and YouTube more often,” said Vajda. “I don’t think it will become a problem with the students, because there has always been plenty of other unblocked websites to waste time on.”

THS Principal Tom York said he allowed the websites to be unblocked because he felt there was information teachers could use for the classroom. “We wanted to make YouTube the primary website to be available because there are videos on there that teachers could use for educational purposes,” he said. “When school started, we hoped to have more opportunities for students’ learning. But if it does become a problem, we will deal with each problem individually.”

Talawanda is not looking to block the websites at this time.