Blocked Websites

Many students and teachers run into websites blocked by the school's computer filtering system daily. This includes websites used solely for educational purposes, news sources, and websites for class. Seattle Public Schools uses, Securly, a filtering service provider on the Wi-Fi network. Securly blocks websites based on content, however, the categories stated for the reason of blocking are consistently vague with many sites being blocked because of “Other adult content”. Securly offers schools the option of allowing Wi-Fi users to electronically request that a blocked website be reviewed, yet the school district has chosen to not enable this option. 

We asked students for websites they had found. We were told that “The crash course videos on ‘Conflict in Israel and Palestine’ and some other Crash course world history videos on YouTube,” were blocked. This video was assigned for class so there is no reason for it to be blocked based on content as the Israel-Palestine conflict is a tenth-grade history topic.

Another student told us that “Several disability studies websites, as well as a video about the 504 sit-in and a documentary about the same topic. […] I could not find all the information I wanted to- it was specifically first-person accounts and oral histories that were blocked. The perspectives of able-bodied people were not blocked.” Here we can see the school’s filter interfering with student’s research projects and blocking important diverse history. It is crucial for students to be able to learn about perspectives different from theirs as well as their own history.   

Additionally, the entirety of the Stranger Newspaper based in Seattle is blocked, although it is not clear why as the justification is “Other Adult Content”. When websites are labeled “Other Adult Content” it’s hard for students to know why the webpage is blocked. The category is vague enough to be able to be applied to anything.  

The filter also inhibits teachers' ability to share resources with their students and teach their classes. According to an Ingraham history teacher: “I have found that many videos that contain content related to slavery or racism are blocked by the filter. This is challenging when these are very common topics when learning about U.S. History. As a teacher, these restrictions have made it more difficult to share class resources with students on Schoology. I have tried to request that various videos be unblocked, but I haven't had much success.” Not only does the filter impact students’ personal research projects, but their school projects as well.  

The overzealousness of the filter inhibits student learning and teachers’ abilities to share educational content with their students. It also limits students creative thinking and personal engagement as it stops some further research into some topics. The school should definitely enable the button for students and teachers to report and challenge unrightfully blocked websites.