Forest Hills holds hearing on student internet policy; staff says filters apply to district devices and accounts

The Forest Hills Board of Education held a public hearing on its student internet-safety policy and technology-protection measures, during which staff described how the district complies with federal requirements and answered questions on filtering scope.

Mrs. Davis told the board the requirements stem from the Children's Internet Protection Act (referred to in the record as "SIPA") and include technology protection measures, an internet-safety policy, and public notice. She said the district addresses those requirements through Board Policy 3116, acceptable-use agreements for staff and students, device-level filtering and a digital-citizenship curriculum.

Mrs. Davis noted the district currently uses a filtering service called Content Keeper and that the district's subscription is near expiration; staff said they are evaluating alternative products. "It has to have something that blocks or filters internet access during the use of computers," Mrs. Davis said, describing the statutory expectations.

When a board member asked whether filtering applies to both personal and school laptops, staff clarified the filtering is applied to school-issued devices and to users logged into district accounts or using the district Wi‑Fi. "It is only through school-issued (devices)," the staff answer recorded in the hearing said; staff confirmed that district devices taken home remain filtered.

No members of the public offered comment during the hearing. Because the presentation was informational and compliance-related, the board did not take a vote; staff will continue evaluating filtering options and maintain public notice as required by law.

The board formally closed the public hearing on the student internet policy and then adjourned the meeting.