The Elephant In the Room
RSSSchool districts nationwide are voluntarily filtering the filters—and no one is talking about it
By Mary Ann Bell -- School Library Journal, 01/01/2007
Mention the word filters, and most librarians will say they don’t like them. Sure, some will say the software makes their lives easier: they don’t have to stand over students’ shoulders while they search the Internet, and filters keep anxious parents and administrators off media specialists’ backs. The majority of us, however, will tell you that filters go against everything we stand for—providing free access to information.
But my beef isn’t with filters, it’s with something far more disturbing. School districts across the country are engaging in their own form of censorship—they’re essentially filtering the filters—and librarians need to do something about it.
News of this spreading self-censorship came to my attention a year ago, when my graduate students who were working in a school district in the Houston area reported that some schools were only letting students search sites on district-approved lists, while others were imposing stringent time limits on certain sites. In a few extreme cases, schools banned Internet use entirely.
Why were such restrictive measures being taken to keep kids off the Web? The reasons ranged from one student coming across a photo of a naked woman to the media frenzy over online safety. The bottom line seemed to be fear—and the need to have more student oversight.
To find out if this was a growing trend, I conducted two informal surveys in the spring and fall of 2006 on LM_Net, an online discussion group for media specialists, and I ended up confirming my suspicions. The self-censorship wasn’t just taking place in my conservative state of Texas. It was happening all over, in Idaho, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Maine, North Carolina, Florida, Ohio, Missouri, New York, Arkansas, Kentucky, Nebraska, and North and South Dakota. In all, more than 80 media specialists told me about the scope of the problem in their schools.
The first alarm went off when I learned that school administrators in the Houston-area school district were prohibiting the use of search engines in classrooms. Kids were only allowed to visit specific sites that were approved by the technology department. Techies—not media specialists—were calling the shots when it came to sanctioning sites for students. If teachers or librarians wanted kids to visit an unapproved site, they had to submit a request to the tech specialist. Call me old-fashioned, but when did techies become information specialists with the credentials to choose appropriate sites for students?
I also found that many districts were interpreting their acceptable-use policies too broadly as a way to justify blacklisting video games, blogs, and social networking sites, such as Friendster and MySpace. The reason? The sites didn’t fall under the definition of “instructional purposes only.” One librarian on the East Coast says that her students aren’t allowed to check the Web for weather reports even though many of them travel to and from school each day by ferry. Another media specialist in Corpus Christi, TX, mentions that her school blocks all sites related to automobiles to discourage “frivolous use.” Libraries don’t deny students access to books about sports, pets, and hobbies, so why should we limit access to similar online resources?
A handful of schools and libraries in states including Pennsylvania and New York go beyond filtering by setting Web browsers to kiosk mode. When enabled, the title bar, menu, toolbar, and status bar disappear from the screen, essentially limiting searches. Although kiosk mode can be disengaged by simply pressing the F4 key, it still deters searches by younger or less experienced computer users.
As unsettling as it sounds, some districts ban Internet use altogether—and they’re getting away with it. It’s not just happening in repressive countries like China and Iran—it’s happening right here in places like New York, Texas, and Minnesota. Let’s not lose sight that this extreme “solution” to prevent students from accessing undesirable sites violates their First Amendment rights. I know of several elementary schools in a nearby Texas district in which the principal prohibits any Web use—even for teachers. One teacher said she was saddened by the fact that she could no longer visit Literacy Center, a wonderful site for kids learning to speak English as a second language.
Many people I surveyed say filtering decisions are being made based on media reports about the dangers of online predators. “The potential risks of children inadvertently being exposed to harmful material, thus angering parents, would put our school in a very bad situation,” says one Texas librarian. Others polled say their districts are clamping down on information access for fear of potential lawsuits. One librarian from California says unblocking sites is easy, but teachers don’t bother to ask for help. “Maybe it’s their lack of time or understanding that I can really get the sites unblocked for them,” she adds. What’s most unsettling, however, is that no one’s really speaking out against this ongoing self-censorship.
I’m not one of those people who think students should have unfettered access to the Web. I happen to think the Internet should be used as a last resort when completing assignments, with kids first turning to print resources, subscription databases, and WebQuests or pathfinders. Dozens of organizations have studies proving that filters block massive amounts of crucial information related to religion, health, politics, and other important subjects. Not to mention, they limit the free exchange of ideas that are vital to any democracy. But I’ve learned to live with filters. The 2000 Children’s Internet Protection Act states that schools and libraries must install filters or forfeit the discounted Internet services provided under the federal e-rate program. It doesn’t mean that I’m a big fan of filters, though. Filters and self-censorship won’t keep students safe from online smut. Teaching them safe and smart searching techniques will.
This is exactly where my problem lies: How can we teach kids effective online search skills when they’re not allowed to explore the Internet? If librarians and teachers let this censoring continue, we’ll abdicate our responsibility to provide the critical online search techniques that students need when they’re unsupervised at home, in college, and throughout their lives. We already know that teens and college students practically have no idea how to evaluate online information, according to a recent study by the Educational Testing Service. So why aren’t we doing more to prevent schools from doing such a disservice to our students?
Let me be the first to say that countering this trend isn’t going to be easy. But there are steps you can take to prevent it from happening or to alleviate an existing situation.
Start by getting familiar with your state’s standards. My state has something called the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills, which is a mandated curriculum requiring that all K–12 students learn smart and safe Internet searching techniques. Similar standards exist in other states. Use this to remind key decision makers that to deny students Internet searching results is a failure to comply with these state requirements.
Provide your administration with concrete examples. Complaining about restrictions is unlikely to be productive unless you can point to specific cases that illustrate how limitations are problematic and specific suggestions for steps that could lead to more reasonable policies.
Gather allies. Try to form a base of like-minded colleagues to carry forward requests for change. Librarians in districts where the situation is improving described working together with colleagues, including other librarians, teachers, and technology personnel. Encourage collaborative planning with classroom teachers. Your colleagues need to know that filters don’t preclude the need to teach students about smart searching, nor do they ensure that all undesirable sites will be blocked. Librarians must lead the way in educating all teachers about successful Web evaluation techniques and must make it clear that their responsibilities are no less just because filters are in place.
Let your voice be heard. Just as we need to defend our profession to those who don’t understand what we do, we also need to speak out for reasonable Internet access. Build bridges by working hard to foster positive relationships with decision makers. In every single response I received, technology staff and directors were the people implementing policy. More often than not, they held all the power over policy decisions. In a few instances, especially in smaller districts, administrators—including the superintendent—also kept a close watch. Work to gain these people’s respect and goodwill.
Take preemptive measures. If you’re satisfied with present Internet policies, be aware that things can change. Many of the limits described above are very recent developments. One way to keep abreast of what’s going on and to speak out against policies you may disagree with is by joining a technology committee. This is the single most important step a librarian can take. Librarians who had positive experiences in gaining and keeping reasonable Internet access say they were members of a tech committee, either at the building or district level. If there aren’t any groups to join, create one yourself. It may take some time and effort, but it’s key to bringing about positive change.
Offer to hold staff development meetings. Librarians need to inform administrators and technology coordinators about students’ needs and their right to access information. We need to discourage undue barriers above and beyond filtering and to speak out against filters that are too restrictive. Build positive and productive relationships with administrators and technology coordinators. A media specialist from the Gatesville Independent School District in Texas says when the five librarians in her district meet, they always invite the tech coordinator. And if she can’t make it, they send her an update about what was discussed. If your efforts aren’t working, try enlisting the help of other administrators or other key decision makers in the district. Good relationships aren’t built overnight, but they’ll never develop unless someone makes the effort.
| Author Information |
| Mary Ann Bell is an associate professor in the Department of Library Science at Sam Houston State University in Texas. |
