In recent years at Park, several websites have been blocked by the school district. This has led to an increase in problems accessing news pages and other educational websites that are necessary for students and their schoolwork. In other words, I believe that while the school district may have good reason in denying access to certain websites, it doesn’t change the fact that many useful websites and other resources unintentionally get caught up in the crossfire. Blocking websites that are needed to be used as a learning resource can affect the ability of students to get their work done, and if students don’t have access to a personal Gmail account, then they are more likely not to have access to those resources.

Many times, classes will require students to conduct their own research using website links and access codes that they cannot use due to restrictions on Park devices. An example of these restrictions causing problems would be pretty much any entertainment review website. If you were a student who needed to do a project involving the analysis of movie critics and their opinions, then you would be out of luck, as a majority of movie review websites are blocked due to being restricted by the district’s automatic blocking. This is not only the case with movies, but also with review websites centered around things like video games or TV (television) shows, which are also often blocked by the district. Websites like IGN (Imagine Games Network) and Rotten Tomatoes, which are both some of the largest review sites for their respective fields, are completely blocked, making it impossible to get information from them on school computers. This sometimes makes it necessary for students to use their personal devices in order to complete their classwork. This is something that is made even more difficult due to the fact that the building has outside connectivity issues.

One interpretation of the district’s blocking of so many different resources is that the district does not trust its students enough to use these resources properly. While certain students might have given the district a good reason to block certain websites due to misuse, this does not change the fact that these students are likely only a small portion of the total student body, and because of these actions by the few, the district has decided to punish the many other students who use these resources appropriately. I believe that blocking websites for the actions of a few is a form of collective punishment. In lower grade levels, where the average student is less mature, these types of measures can make more sense, but this type of punishment should have no place in the highest level of secondary education.

I think it would be in the student body’s best interest if the district were to begin cutting back on these restrictions. At the very least, for their high school students. It would allow students to more easily access the resources they need to access for class work while also showcasing a higher level of trust in them, something that will be important as students begin transitioning into adulthood and begin to have more responsibilities placed on them. If some students break this trust, which will inevitably happen, then the school should focus on individual punishment, not collective.