Ga. educators grapple with Internet censorship

Educators are grappling with questions over how much of the Internet should be accessible to students as they distribute tablets and laptops to supplement classroom learning.

"It's a balance between arming our kids with the ability to make really smart choices and making those choices for them in a filtering environment," said Scott Muri, Fulton deputy superintendent for academics told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (http://bit.ly/1w1vQN7 ).

The American Library Association reviewed how school systems comply with the Children's Internet Protection Act, which was passed in 2000 and is meant to block students from accessing sites that are considered obscene or harmful. However, some school systems have gone beyond what federal law requires and have banned social media, email and media streaming sites, according to the AMA.

"We're censoring big chunks of the Internet because we're afraid of certain content," said Deborah Caldwell-Stone, a deputy director with the American Library Association. "Rather than teaching kids how to handle that and . how to be responsible Internet users, we're just blocking things."

The newspaper reported that Fulton County uses a web-filtering committee of teachers, principals and administrators who can make exceptions to which sites are blocked on school-issued devices.

DeKalb County schools Chief Information Officer Gary Brantley said teachers can override filters to show sensitive material if it's determined to have educational value. Brantley said educators should be given the flexibility to make their own judgment calls in terms of what students are able to access online.

Gwinnett schools spokeswoman Sloan Roach said the district allows a review process to allow restricted sites for instructional reasons.

Continue reading here:
Ga. educators grapple with Internet censorship