Des Moines, Iowa — A teacher who’s also a state representative is sponsoring a bill to make it clear school-owned Wi-Fi systems may block access to certain internet sites.
Representative Garrett Gobble of Ankeny teaches U.S. History to 8th graders.
Gobble says a lot of schools are blocking certain websites, so students using the school’s Wi-Fi cannot access social media, but other districts are concerned about accusations of censorship and this bill provides those districts some cover.
Representative Tracy Ehlert of Cedar Rapids works in an elementary school and she says this could help prevent some of the cyber bullying that’s going on.
Ehlert says software is available that blocks certain sites and her school uses a program that lets math teachers see what each student is watching on their school-issued tablet during class.
There’s also software that lets Wi-Fi systems block access to Facebook.com and other social media sites. Gobble says he catches kids using their smart phones to play video games during class.
The bill has cleared a House subcommittee and is eligible for debate next week in the House Education Committee.
