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Senators debate 'curated' school internet policy as finance amendment expands rules for staff
Summary
A bill requiring schools to maintain a curated approved‑sites internet environment for students and staff drew sharp criticism over implementation, constitutional and logistical concerns; the finance amendment expanding the rule to teachers and staff passed and the bill was recommended for passage to the calendar.
Senate Bill 1912 returned to the finance committee on April 15 with a finance amendment that would extend a school internet‑use policy to teachers and staff. Senator Hensley (speaker 6) said the amendment simply applies the same internet restrictions to staff as to students if the staff are on the school network.
Several senators raised concerns about the technical and legal feasibility of building and maintaining a permanently curated list of approved websites. One senator warned that requiring schools to maintain an exhaustive whitelist would fundamentally change districts’ IT architectures and could prompt litigation. “This is like the Great Firewall of China,” one critic (speaker 8) said, arguing the policy would force district IT staff into an impractical, constantly updating approval process and potentially chilling access to legitimate educational resources.
Supporters said the bill aims to protect students and create consistent rules for internet use in schools. The committee adopted finance amendment 17,603, bringing teachers and staff explicitly under the policy, and recommended the bill for passage to the committee on the calendar (9 ayes, 2 no).
