Internet Filtering of School Computers (H 7583 A, S 2172 A)

Students may soon find it easier to complete their assignments at school, instead of having their research stymied by overzealous filtering software. Statewide, Internet filters used by school districts block considerably more information than is required by federal law, often without prior warning, derailing classroom lessons and hindering the ability of students to complete homework. Legislation passed by both chambers in June, will lessen these barriers by requiring schools maintain a detailed written policy regarding the use of their filters, including guarantees that teachers can have websites unblocked in an expedient fashion, and requiring districts to reevaluate requests for unblocking annually to determine if any changes to the filter must be made. The ACLU testified in support of this legislation before the Senate Education committee in February and the House Health, Education and Welfare committee in March. Similar legislation passed both the House and Senate in 2015, but died on a technicality when neither chamber approved the opposite chamber’s bill before the legislative session’s close.