Since the addition of Chromebooks at Maize South High School, South has begun to limit the websites that students and staff are allowed to visit.

Junior Addison Manzoor already feels that the student body is being monitored with their daily usage of computers.

“The school can already watch our computers, and see what we are doing, so I think blocking is a little bit overkill,” said Manzoor. “But I don’t go on any of the blocked websites, I try to just focus on my work and get it done.” 

While students may be frustrated with the way sites are blocked at school, Principal Dave Hickerson thinks it is necessary to keep the environment educational and non-distracting.

“It’s needed in an educational setting. All sites should not be open, especially items that fall under the objectionable content area,” Hickerson said

While students at South may think that the blocking of websites isn’t fair or needed, junior Caleb Perry understands that there are some positives that come from restricting access to certain websites.

“The positives of blocked websites, is that we don’t have kids looking at guns at school,” said Perry. “However the negatives are most of the school websites that you should be able to get on to learn stuff and help you are blocked.”

Samantha Cooper, who teaches business courses, has encountered blocked websites that affect her game design course and has had to find additional digital resources for her class.

“They blocked websites mainly for my game design class,” said Samantha Cooper, teacher. “It’s really hard to go to certain websites that we were going to use for educational reasons, so I have to find ways around the sites that aren’t always allowed.”

Marlon Rios, who is the District Network Administrator for Maize South, believes there’s no golden rule in place and that websites may become available later when they are proven educational for students.

“There might be some changes in the future for blocked websites, maybe on an individual bases. We’d have to see if a website is good for the kids,” said Rios. “Or we’d have to see  if its good, it will open up and be unblocked. If it’s not good for the kids then it will have to stay blocked.”