Schools Support Use of Web Filters

Orange County Schools has had filters in place since August of 1999 and the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City School Board voted to implement the filters in schools by June.

The Children's Internet Protection Act requires schools to have Internet filters in place before they can receive federal funding. The ALA and ACLU would like to see this law overturned.

Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools is still shopping for the right filter, and board chairwoman Valerie Foushee said she thinks filters necessary.

"As we allow more Internet access in the schools, we should protect students," she said.

Bob Stocking, director for instructional technology and media for the district, said Chapel Hill-Carrboro schools are getting bids for filters and officials are operating under the premise that the courts will uphold CIPA.

"We're going along assuming the law is the law," he said.

The Orange County school system has used filters for the past three years, and board members say they are happy with how the filters are performing.

"I think the filters we have in Orange County Schools are appropriate for the students," said Kathy Osborne, associate superintendent for the system.

"We feel they offer a benefit to students."

Osborne said that even if the CIPA was overturned, the schools likely would keep the filters in place.

The lawsuit, which some speculate might be brought before the Supreme Court, claims filters limit free speech because they block some Internet sites not containing adult material.

One objection is that some Internet filters do not let students search for topics such as "breast cancer" because the word "breast" is blocked by the filter.

But school officials on both sides of the debate said the technology of Internet filters is progressing to allow better access for students. "The technology is much better about granting access to 'breast cancer' and not granting access to adult sites," Stocking said.

"Our intention is to keep the really egregious stuff from kids' access. We really don't want to block learning."

Osborne said the filters used in the Orange County schools are able to be updated if teachers want an Internet site off the list of sites restricted by the filter.

"If we have blocked sites teachers feel we don't need to block, then we can go and put in the address and it will be released from the filter," Osborne said.

Stocking said that if the Supreme Court does overturn the CIPA, the school board will have to vote again on whether to continue the use of filters.

But until then, district officials say filters are better, on the whole, than not having any sort of protection.

"I would say we want some sort of filter," Stocking said. "It is getting harder and harder to keep kids from seeing things that are not appropriate for school."

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