Somers student leader urges supervised research computers to work around blocked sites

Ally Lusthouse, the board’s ex‑officio student member, told trustees that students across Somers High School and the middle school are finding required academic platforms and research resources blocked on district Wi‑Fi, which she said is hindering coursework and extracurricular organization.

"Students are finding that a lot of these websites are blocked, and it's making research very difficult," Ally said, describing problems with platforms such as Edpuzzle and site‑based tools students and clubs use. She said the National Honor Society, many clubs (including fashion class projects) and IB and science research students all face barriers to completing classwork and organizing events when they cannot access these resources during the school day.

Ally proposed establishing a limited number of supervised research computers in the middle and high school libraries that would allow access to certain platforms while preserving student privacy because the machines would be shared and monitored. Staff and board members responded that the legal framework for vendor use — specifically Ed Law 2‑d — and the district’s Wi‑Fi filtering shape what can be made available. A district speaker explained that platforms requiring student personal data are blocked when vendors have not signed compliant contracts and that some vendor services are available when they have agreed to the district’s required terms.

What happens next: board members encouraged staff to pursue possible solutions, including designated supervised devices and vendor contract evaluations; staff noted some vendor purchases routed through BOCES may already meet compliance standards and capture state aid.

(Reporting note: Student quote and program examples are taken verbatim from the meeting transcript.)