Software on FCPS computers blocks students from popular sites
by Chris Rice
Whenever someone signs on to any computer owned by Fairfax County Public Schools, a message appears with the word "Warning" in all capital letters with an exclamation mark. The warning states that "all systems and networks are closely monitored by FCPS data security personnel for unauthorized use." They are looking for violations of the acceptable use policy. The district, including Robinson, actually has ways of enforcing this policy.
Robinson computers all have a program called Syncronize, which is capable of tracking in real-time what students are doing on all school computers. This is in addition to the district tech monitoring team who already tracks the 87,000 computers in the Fairfax County school system.
The ID that users log in with is used to trace the violation back to the user without having to know what computer the student was using. It is not advised to allow someone else to use your ID number. If there is a problem, the student signed in at that station will take the fall, even if they were not the one who committed the violation
"We're not going to do it like the Gestapo," said Derrick Knizner, Tech Support Specialist. The tech team monitors network activity and writes down any infractions they see. They then report them to the student's teacher or subschool principal and let them decide on proper disciplinary action. Knizner explained that the students "wouldn't hear about it until they are in trouble."
The things that they would be looking to catch students doing include live streaming video and games. The county network has a limited amount of bandwidth for all of its online actions. These activities are not only seen as a distraction, but they also use more than their fair share of the bandwidth. This causes problems for students who are trying to use the computers for school assignments.
Because videos and games take up more bandwidth, it is also easier to detect students who are using these sites. Administrators are also looking out for students who violate the acceptable use policy by changing the desktop, adding software, and checking personal e-mail accounts. The Media Center staff is always on the lookout for what might be considered inappropriate use.
"I like to put it down to three words: school assignments only," said Media Center Specialist Susan Leyden. These three words are posted in bold print on the top of the monitor at every computer station in the media center. The Media Center has limited computer space, especially before school begins each morning.
As the tech administrators find websites deemed inappropriate for school use, they add them to the county's extensive "blocked list." Even teachers don't have access to blocked sites.
Even with the software in place, the responsibility to take action when there is a violation of school policy still falls on the teachers. The teacher of the class that the student was in when he or she used the computers inappropriately must handle most of the discipline. "The teachers are on the frontline," said marketing teacher George O'Brien.
An ongoing fight between the teachers and the students continues to escalate. Teachers add new software to keep students in check and the students find ways to get around it by doing things like going to sites in foreign languages and using online programs to translate them once they get there. A new kind of website called proxy sites have been created to help students get around school internet security.
Right now, the tech administrators are on a campaign against proxy sites. "We are blocking them as we see them," Knizner said. The use of any proxy sites "would pretty much guarantee that you will lose access to a computer," Knizner said. "Those sites are illegal and it is a serious, serious offense." Even with the security and the warnings, students continue to challenge the tech administrators.
"I highly doubt that I'd get caught," said senior Travis Medina. "If they have only caught a few people with all the technology they have, they need to step up their game."
With all of these new measures in place, it is becoming increasingly harder for students to get away with misusing the school computers. Even as new means to get around the computer policies come up, Fairfax County and library staff will find the inappropriate sites and add them to the block list. Students are advised to stick to school assignments and talk to their teacher if they are not sure if what they are doing falls within the acceptable use policy.
By Stephanie Axelrod |
December 19, 2006; 8:46 AM ET
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Posted by: Meggie | January 12, 2007 12:21 PM
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I use the media center computers every day while at school during my lunch period. I know many ways around the system and it really isnt that hard to figure out. You mentioned personnal emails in here. I occasionally check my email while here and I even email myself links if i know they have the info i need and I want to access it at home. I am constantly getting yelled at for "being on and checking my email." This is not fair because it is how I use my resources to do my homework! I just wanted to tell this and I want people to tell me if this makes sense to them. Another problem I have is that they block some sites that I need to use sometimes just because they may have a game or two on them. I never do anything inappropriate and always follow the rules, except the ones that prevent me from doing my work. Proxys do work but are a waste of time. I think students should be able to submit a request to have a website unblocked for school purposes. My ideas may just be brushed aside but at least I made an effort to correct a wrong that I, along with many other students, find unfair.