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Internet Filtering Policy

This is a description of the Internet Filtering Service provided by EduTech. We reserve the right to modify this policy from time to time, and such changes will be effective when they are posted on the EduTech website.

Definitions

Internet Filtering:
For the purposes of this document and the service provided by EduTech, Internet filtering refers only to web based transmissions received through a web browser via the hypertext transport protocol (HTTP). It does not refer to e-mail, file transfers, instant messaging or other material transferred over the Internet, even if such transfers involve web browsing software.
CIPA:
The Children’s Internet Protection Act of 2001 is legislation requiring that all schools and libraries receiving certain telecommunications funds, most notably E-rate, must filter visual depictions of material that is obscene, child pornography or harmful to minors.
STAGEnet:
The North Dakota Statewide Technology Access for Government and Education network (STAGEnet) was created by the 1999 legislative session. STAGEnet provides broadband connectivity, Internet access, video conferencing and other networking services. All state agencies, colleges and universities, local government, and public K-12 school districts are required to participate in STAGEnet.
Community:
For the purposes of this document and the service provided by EduTech, a community is described as the school district and students, staff, and parents that it serves.
Filtering Committee:
It is recommended that each school district have a standing committee with the responsibility of executing their school’s Internet Acceptable Use Policy and Filtering Standards. It is also recommended that a school’s technology coordinator be a member of this committee.
Filtering Profile or Profile:
The Internet filtering technology chosen by EduTech matches a district with the categories of website that district wishes to block. A profile is the list of categories chosen to be blocked by a district.

Availability and Cost

EduTech will provide Internet filtering services to all public K-12 schools connected to STAGEnet at no cost. The service can only be applied via the school’s K-12 STAGEnet connection. Internet connections provided by other entities or Internet service providers may not be filtered by EduTech. EduTech’s Internet Filtering Service is not mandatory. Districts may choose to disconnect from this service at any time upon verification that they have implemented a CIPA compliant technology solution.

Purpose

EduTech provides Internet filtering in order to:

  1. Ensure STAGEnet connections for K-12 schools meet the technology requirements of CIPA.
  2. Provide a reasonably safe computing environment to K-12 schools
  3. Save tax dollars by reducing the need for schools to develop their own Internet filtering technology solutions in response to CIPA.

Filter Management

EduTech will provide for management and administration of the Internet Filtering Service. The primary activity related to filter management is updating material to be blocked or unblocked. Also, each year a school district may inform EduTech of the types of websites they wish to filter.

Blocking Websites

  1. It is the responsibility of the school to ensure that requests submitted on their behalf reflect the wishes of their community
  2. Teachers, school staff and students with filtering concerns should give their Filtering Committee the exact URL in question and ask them to evaluate it. If necessary, the school district’s filtering committee may submit it to EduTech via the Filtering/Unfiltering form located on the Technology Coordinator Page ( www.edutech.nodak.edu/tc ). This website is only accessible by technology coordinators and school administrators.
  3. Requests to block a site will be completed within two business days.

Unblocking Websites

Any request to block a site must be submitted through the Filtering/Unfiltering form located on the Technology Coordinator Page (www.edutech.nodak.edu/tc ). This form may only be completed by a school’s administrator or Technology Coordinator. Requests submitted by any other entity will be discarded without being reviewed.

  1. It is the responsibility of the school to ensure that requests submitted on their behalf reflect the wishes of their community
  2. Teachers, school staff and students with filtering concerns should give their Filtering Committee the exact URL in question and ask them to evaluate it. If necessary, the school district’s filtering committee may submit it to EduTech via the Filtering/Unfiltering form located on the Technology Coordinator Page ( www.edutech.nodak.edu/tc ). This website is only accessible by technology coordinators and school administrators.
  3. EduTech will evaluate the request to unblock the site and give a response on whether it will be unblocked or not within two business days.
  4. If the requester does not agree with the decision, they may have the decision reviewed by a committee of appeals. The request for an appeal can be submitted to the EduTech Help Desk by e-mail (sendit.helpdesk@sendit.nodak.edu). Please include a copy of the response in question along with a short description of why you believe the site should be available. A meeting will be scheduled with the appeals committee and a decision will be made within three business days.

Yearly Management

Yearly Category Selection

Each school year a school district may decide what categories of websites they wish to filter. This is called selecting a filtering profile. Each district must submit their new profile to EduTech by August 1st of each year describing the following school year’s profile. Forms will be available on the EduTech website. Three general profile options are available:

Standard Filtering

Thirteen categories currently being blocked by EduTech filtering are:

  1. Alcohol
  2. Anarchy
  3. Chat
  4. Criminal Skills
  5. Cult/Gothic
  6. Drugs
  7. Gambling
  8. Hate/Discrimination
  9. Obscene/Tasteless
  10. Personals/Dating
  11. Pornography
  12. Web Based E-mail
  13. Web Based Proxies

Minimum Filtering

Only three categories necessary to minimally comply with CIPA requirements are blocked in this profile:

  1. Malicious Code
  2. Pornography
  3. Web Based Proxies

Customized Filtering:

A district may choose categories in addition to the minimum filtering. Currently available additional categories are:

  1. Alcohol
  2. Alternative Journals
  3. Anarchy
  4. Automobile
  5. Banner Ads
  6. Chat
  7. Criminal Skills
  8. Cults/Gothic
  9. Drugs
  10. Employment
  11. Entertainment
  12. Financial
  13. Free Hosts
  14. Gambling
  15. Games
  16. Hate/Discrimination
  17. Humor
  18. Lifestyle
  19. Magazines
  20. News
  21. Opinions (Politics/Religion)
  22. Personals/Dating
  23. PG-17
  24. R-Rated
  25. Self-Help
  26. Search Engines
  27. Shopping
  28. Sports
  29. Streaming Media
  30. Tickets
  31. Travel
  32. Web E-mail
  33. Web Newsgroups
  34. Web Storage

Additional Information

Users with questions about blocking/unblocking sites and local acceptable use/Internet filtering policies are encouraged to contact their school district’s filtering committee. All other questions related to Internet filtering may be directed to the EduTech Help Desk:

EduTech Help Desk
PO Box 5164
Fargo ND, 58105-5164
800-774-1091

sendit.helpdesk@sendit.nodak.edu

Last Updated On April 9, 2008