4 Internet Safety Considerations for the New School Year

Responsible use policies at the school or district level are critical when it comes to using online learning solutions, Hartman says. Such policies keep students and their data safe, give parents peace of mind, and build transparency for all stakeholders.

When creating a responsible use policy, there are four internet safety questions K–12 IT professionals and administrators should ask.

1. How Are We Vetting Classroom Tools?

At the start of the school year, it’s crucial that schools have a process for vetting applications and other software that educators want to use in the classroom.

“Make sure that things integrated into the system are cleared, and that the tools are purpose-built for education, not just consumer products,” Hartman says, pointing to K–12 education’s very particular privacy laws. He says schools should also ensure responsible intention behind products that use or plan to integrate artificial intelligence.

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2. Are We Filtering Content Appropriately Across Grade Levels?

In addition to federal law requiring schools to filter harmful content, many states are beginning to take an interest in age-appropriate filtering.

High school students, for example, may legitimately need to access social media sites for a class. They may need to contact individuals outside of their school systems about jobs, internships and college applications. They may generally need more leeway with filters than younger students.

Middle school would have a few more restrictions than high school, and elementary school students would have the most guardrails.

“It’s not just a blanket policy across an entire school system,” Hartman says. “Some systems give teachers the ability to override content filters. If you’re teaching a high school science class, for example, you might say, ‘This shouldn’t be blocked. It’s National Geographic.’”

3. Where Do We Send Alerts for Bullying and Self-Harm?

Another safety concern when it comes to internet access is student mental health and physical safety. “We know there’s a mental health crisis among kids,” Hartman says. So, schools need ways to monitor for and flag “cyber bullying, threats and self-harm.”

But where should those alerts go? Hartman recommends they be routed to school counselors, not IT admins. “I love my IT admins, but they’re not trained to get intimate information about a kid who may be thinking about harming themself.”

DISCOVER: Learn how technology-powered mental health initiatives save students’ lives.

Find a filtering system that sends alerts to counselors or other school support staff and mental health professionals.

4. Do Our Filtering Technologies Work Well Together?

The final piece of the online safety puzzle is ensuring all the filtering technologies work in concert. Adding new filtering tools adds complexity to a K–12 IT environment.

“Make sure one filter doesn’t block another filter. Make systems integrate,” Hartman says. “Having some interoperability and a set of common standards is really helpful.”

IT admins can build a sandbox to test new filters before deploying them on their networks. They can also choose vendors that offer multiple filters built to be interoperable in a school’s online environment.

However they choose to integrate these technologies, K–12 IT professionals are keeping staff and students safe online when they ask the right questions about digital filtering and data privacy.