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District says new Securly filter meets CIPA obligation; staff will tune settings
Summary
Technology director described use of the Securly content filter to meet CIPA/E‑Rate requirements, acknowledged initial overblocking and outlined a teacher-request unblock process and classroom monitoring tools.
The Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District told the board on Sept. 29 that it uses the Securly Internet content filter on district-managed devices to comply with the federal Child Internet Protection Act (CIPA) and to meet E‑Rate documentation requirements.
Director of Technology Brian Miles explained that Securly runs on district devices and blocks categories such as adult content, social media, dating, gambling and gaming. “Securly… works by analyzing the Internet traffic coming through the district and blocks websites that are inappropriate for use in classrooms by students and staff,” Miles said.
Miles acknowledged the district recently switched to Securly and that the vendor’s default settings have produced “growing pains,” with some instructional sites blocked. Teachers or students who encounter an inappropriately blocked site can request access; the technology team reviews the request and will unblock sites that “are appropriate for school use” and “comply with our policies,” he said.
The district also described classroom monitoring tools available to teachers. Miles said Securly and another product called Aristotle Borderless Classroom let teachers view students’ screens, send messages, close tabs or freeze screens during instruction. These monitoring features apply only to district‑managed devices with the required extension installed; personal devices on home networks are not subject to district filtering.
Administration linked the presentation to federal E‑Rate rules that require districts to explain how technology is used to protect students online and to certify that filtering is in place. Miles provided a brief explanation of E‑Rate’s administration by the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) under FCC direction.
Board members asked about the cadence for adjusting filters as new sites appear and about the district’s ability to limit access on personal devices. Miles said the vendor categorizes sites as they are discovered and that staff can block or unblock based on instructional need; he reiterated that the district cannot enforce filtering on privately owned devices outside the district network.
What the district will do next: continue to tune Securly’s settings, process teacher requests for access, and provide guidance to staff on classroom-monitoring features.
