How to block inappropriate websites on MCPS chrome book

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Get her your own computer or tablet. You cannot control MCPS one.

This.

[Anonymous]

Kids have learned how to circumvent the measures that MCPS put in place to block undesirable websites. Word has spread to even the youngest students. Principals do receive occasional reports from the tech office of the students who have been accessing websites they shouldn't have, so don't think that they don't know what is going on.

Kids think that the Chromebooks are "their" devices to do whatever they want with, as long as they are not at school. I've seen the look on student's faces when they are told that someone at MCPS can see every single thing they access or save to their drives; it's a look of sheer terror.

Parents need to emphasize to kids that the Chromebooks belong to the school system and that anything done on them is being watched! And yes, it is much better to buy the child a device yourself, and take measures to block sites that you don't want them to see, especially for elementary students!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Kids have learned how to circumvent the measures that MCPS put in place to block undesirable websites. Word has spread to even the youngest students. Principals do receive occasional reports from the tech office of the students who have been accessing websites they shouldn't have, so don't think that they don't know what is going on.

Kids think that the Chromebooks are "their" devices to do whatever they want with, as long as they are not at school. I've seen the look on student's faces when they are told that someone at MCPS can see every single thing they access or save to their drives; it's a look of sheer terror.

Parents need to emphasize to kids that the Chromebooks belong to the school system and that anything done on them is being watched! And yes, it is much better to buy the child a device yourself, and take measures to block sites that you don't want them to see, especially for elementary students!

The sheer terror you describe doesn't exist for middle school students. Many of them have been at this for three years (since the pandemic started) and they know MCPS can't keep up with what they are doing. They are not worried.

[Anonymous]

Parents and staff can request websites to be blocked by emailing [e-mail]

Years ago, schools would get a regular report when students repeatedly Google searched for red flagged topics. The report contained the student information and what was searched. I’m not sure if they do this anymore.

[Anonymous]

Yep. Fortunately we haven't risen to the level of P*rnhub, but my child has accessed Facebook, Tiktok, and other inappropriate sites, on their school Chromebook?

My 11 year old has created a Facebook account and is actively browsing on Facebook, watching TikTok, created an Amazon account, as well as many other very concerning things. Things that are blocked on his HOME computer.

This is extremely concerning to me, because most parents expect safety to be taken care of for them by the district. And apparently it’s not.

We had issues earlier in the year with Target being accessible, and while that was less concerning than a 6th grader on Facebook, we were told it was taken care of and the site is now blocked.

Just an FYI

(I know some of you won’t be concerned, and that’s okay, to each their own. But as a family who takes internet safety seriously, and who’s children do NOT get to watch TikTok and browse Facebook without controls, I am only opening eyes to other families to investigate their children’s restrictions on their chromebooks. And YES, I’m aware it is an issue with my son, just like all children, he disobeys and that is being handled)

[Anonymous]

At home, you should be able to block unwanted sites using software installed on your home router.

At school, one hopes the teachers are watching laptop use.

It would be nice if the schools automatically sent a website usage report for each child to each parent to review.

[Anonymous]

> he disobeys and that is being handled

Remember that obedience is a *tool* that expires quickly as children age. It's critically important to teach kids good habits and self-discipline.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Parents and staff can request websites to be blocked by emailing [e-mail]

Years ago, schools would get a regular report when students repeatedly Google searched for red flagged topics. The report contained the student information and what was searched. I’m not sure if they do this anymore.

The two systems you describe here are hardly functional these days.

[Anonymous]

Cool. I'm a teacher and can't access Instagram or Twitter from work, but they can get that. I want Insta for ideas, and Twitter for news when I'm hiding in a locked room during a lockdown and they won't unblock either for me.

[Anonymous]

Love how mcps is immediately blamed. Hey parents- maybe you should have conversations with your kids about what is allowed and have them use their devices in the kitchen/living room where they can be monitored? Sure mcps can block sites but kids still figure out ways to access things they aren’t supposed to. So if it’s happening at home, is it really the systems fault?

[Anonymous]

Log in to your router, for netgear this is routerlogin.net.
Go to security, and you should be able to find a setting for blocking websites, as well as having the router not operate at certain times(don't do this if you use streaming or phone service through internet).

[Anonymous]

I'm not MCPS but work at a school that uses GoGuardian and get alerts when kids access "explicit" material. Or try to anyway. We do aim to block it all. I tell them what I see and they're horrified for about 10 minutes, even tell their friends to be careful, then everyone forgets and the cycle starts anew. Good times. Gotta love middle schoolers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Love how mcps is immediately blamed. Hey parents- maybe you should have conversations with your kids about what is allowed and have them use their devices in the kitchen/living room where they can be monitored? Sure mcps can block sites but kids still figure out ways to access things they aren’t supposed to. So if it’s happening at home, is it really the systems fault?

This exactly. MCPS is a school system. Not a prison and not a cyber security company. They try to take reasonable measures to protect their infrastructure systems and the people utilizing them. But on every computer system, the greatest area of weakness is the people using the system. Fortunately/Unfortunately the key people using the systems at MCPS are kids, who view rule breaking as a challenge and means to access material that others deem inappropriate for them. Not to mention they have a hard time recon and understanding danger, particularly since most are so sheltered. The only way to solve this would be to completely lock the system down and then make every little request for sure access go through IT. I guarantee you that would be just as painful. It’s an imperfect system with imperfect people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Love how mcps is immediately blamed. Hey parents- maybe you should have conversations with your kids about what is allowed and have them use their devices in the kitchen/living room where they can be monitored? Sure mcps can block sites but kids still figure out ways to access things they aren’t supposed to. So if it’s happening at home, is it really the systems fault?

This exactly. MCPS is a school system. Not a prison and not a cyber security company. They try to take reasonable measures to protect their infrastructure systems and the people utilizing them. But on every computer system, the greatest area of weakness is the people using the system. Fortunately/Unfortunately the key people using the systems at MCPS are kids, who view rule breaking as a challenge and means to access material that others deem inappropriate for them. Not to mention they have a hard time recon and understanding danger, particularly since most are so sheltered. The only way to solve this would be to completely lock the system down and then make every little request for sure access go through IT. I guarantee you that would be just as painful. It’s an imperfect system with imperfect people.

This is entirely too rational for DCUM!

[Anonymous]

How about they just don't get Chromebooks. They aren't needed and really do more distraction than good.