INTERNET CONTENT FILTERING

To comply with federal law, Lincoln County School District (LCSD) #1 employs Securly for Internet content filtering and monitoring. However, no Internet content filtering system can be 100% effective in preventing access to harmful and inappropriate material. There are times when filtering may not catch objectionable material, and there are ways to bypass any filtering.  There is a risk that students may access material not considered to be of educational value in the school setting. If students mistakenly access inappropriate information, they should immediately disclose this access to their teacher or other supervising staff member. If students find that other users are visiting offensive or harmful sites, they should report such use to the supervising teacher. Students should always use vigilance, care, and caution when using the internet.  Users should not use district resources to view or otherwise gain access to potentially objectionable materials. This includes text materials, video, images, or sound files that may be considered objectionable in an educational setting.

QUESTIONS

What devices are protected by the content filter?

By law, all connections made from within the District network to any Internet resource are filtered.  This includes student traffic, staff traffic, and any users on our "guest" network. 

As a receiver of federal E-rate monies, LCSD #1 must provide Internet content filtering on all connections from  the district network and from any district owned devices reguardless of location. We filter district owned devices using Securly, a web-based filter that can filter both inside and out the district network.

What content is automatically filtered by the district?

Sites we block and/or filter are divided into three categories: 

• Sites we must block: Federal requirements state that sites categorized as adult and pornography must be blocked for all educational users (students and staff).  
• Sites we should block: We choose to block additional categories such as security and malware, “parked” network domains, and peer-to-peer traffic.  We also choose to block proxy/VPN sites and services that would allow savvy students to bypass content filtering by using an offsite service as a “stand-in” for their Internet requests.  These sites are not required to be blocked, but are considered undesirable for security.    
• Sites we choose to block: These vary by school level but are generally considered time-wasters, waste of network bandwidth, and/or undesirable in an educational setting.  These include alcohol, drugs, gambling, “offensive,” some streaming music and video hosting sites, and sites allowing the posting of anonymous comments, chat, and bullying. 

How do we accomplish content filtering?

We employ Securly as our content filtering method: 

• We filter all traffic on one-to-one students devices, even if the student device is used outside of the network boundaries (at home, at the public library, etc). E-rate requires us to provide filtering to student-issued devices that we own, no matter where they may be used. Securly is an “active” agent that is force installed on every Chromebook, iPad, and lab computer.  
• We also use Safe Search to limit search results.  Unforturnately Safe Search, still allows results that the district feels are inappropriate for the school setting, so many keywords are also block from searches.  We currently block most Youtube videos, only allowing videos that teachers submit for use.  Students preparing for college or taking college classes have a few more rights as they are needed for those classes. 

However, a growing number of students possess smartphones with their own third-party Internet connection (i.e. Verizon or Union.) These are not on the district network or owned by the district; therefore, they are not protected by district filtering.