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District tech director outlines layered student online‑safety system, says YouTube and AI access blocked for students
Summary
Technology Director Tom Basquil described a three‑layer content‑filtering system (network firewall, Google admin controls, Aristotle K12 on devices), digital citizenship lessons using Common Sense Media, and said general YouTube access and AI‑chatbot categories are blocked for students; teachers can use curated videos in the LMS.
Tom Basquil, the district’s director of technology, told the South St. Paul Public School District board on June 22 that the district uses three layers of content filtering to protect students online: a network firewall for in‑district traffic, Google administrative controls tied to student Chromebooks, and Aristotle K12 software installed on devices.
Basquil said the firewall blocks broad categories such as adult content, gambling, social media and malware on the district network, while Google admin settings allow grade‑ or school‑level adjustments. The Aristotle K12 client, he said, lets teachers create class‑specific “outlines,” view tile snapshots of each student’s Chromebook screen, freeze devices and send messages to every student device in the classroom.
"Teachers can create an outline and say, 'I only want students to access these five websites for this class period and everything else is blocked,'" Basquil said.
In questions from board members, Basquil said the district has turned off general student access to YouTube so students cannot search the site freely; teachers may still use videos by embedding curated links into the district’s learning management systems (Schoology or Google Classroom). He also said the district blocks access to sites categorized as AI chatbots where the district controls access and that district access to Google’s Gemini tools is not enabled for students.
Basquil described digital citizenship instruction delivered across grades using Common Sense Education materials, with media specialists teaching elementary lessons and English/social studies teachers covering middle and high school content. He said the curriculum is required for the district’s E‑rate funding and that family resources and guidance are posted on the district website.
The presentation included brief remarks introducing Travis Wells, systems specialist, and noted plans to survey teacher AI usage and provide targeted professional development. The board asked about teacher training for Aristotle K12; Basquil said a new digital learning specialist will start in August to focus on such training and that the district will continue professional development during PD days.
The board did not take a separate vote on the presentation; comments and clarifying questions preceded later business items.
