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Students report slow Chromebooks and blocked websites; board asks tech staff to investigate
Summary
A student ex officio and multiple board members raised concerns about slow Chromebooks and web-filtering that blocks academic resources. District leaders said they will ask technology staff to review network performance, filtering settings, and request-response processes.
A student ex officio at the Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk Central School District meeting reported slow Chromebook performance and difficulty accessing some research resources, prompting board members and the superintendent to say they will ask technology staff to investigate filtering settings and network performance.
The student said, "our Chromebooks are just really slow and we don't know if it's like a hardware issue, like a network issue," and asked whether the district planned to replace devices. Superintendent Chandler responded that staff would follow up and that some issues may relate to new filtering software or network settings rather than the hardware. "We are working to resolve all of those things, and make improvements moving forward," Chandler said.
Board members and staff discussed several relevant points: - Multiple filtering tools appear in use: some allow teachers to submit unblock requests that can be approved; others offer no such option. One board member and teachers reported uneven response times to unblock requests, which has slowed instruction when students require access for assignments. - The district has activated a "white list" for approved parent email addresses and staff noted the email list was expected to be active by Sept. 8. Staff agreed to circulate clearer instructions so families understand how to use the white list and how to receive district messages. - The board noted cell-phone policy changes appear to have reduced phone usage in school; a student reported about a "95% drop off" in visible phone use.
Several classroom- and curriculum-related needs were identified as possible replacements for phone functions: cameras for photography classes and standalone tuners for band instruction. Staff indicated those needs would be tracked so teachers have the resources necessary when phone-based tools are restricted.
Superintendent Chandler and technology staff (Bill) were asked to follow up on the filtering solution, confirm whether slowness is network-related, and improve the turnaround time for unblock requests from teachers and students.
