As technology advances, schools will continue to implement it, but one common frustration among Skyline students is the existence of iBoss. For context, iBoss is a web filter that the district chose to use due to state law. In the words of school librarian Heidi Williams, “we’re required to filter your devices in a certain way.”
While iBoss is able to block harmful or distracting websites, it can also hinder the enjoyment of learning for students, according to Sophomore Aaron Christisen, who said, “Sometimes it’ll block websites like YouTube that I want to go on.”
In particular, iBoss is supposed to block certain websites that could potentially harm or distract students from learning. “It’s supposed to block games, social media sites from students, if a student tries to search up anything that it’s pornographic, it’ll do that,” Williams said. “There are certain keywords that are put in the system that trigger the system to block stuff.” While it is commonly known that students have iBoss, it’s less known that teachers also have it, but it is different. “I have different filtering than you do,” Williams said. “So it’s all dependent on age, students, all that kind of stuff.”
Even though iBoss is annoying to students, it is seen as a necessary evil. But what do students want? In the words of Christisen, “it does good and bad things; I think they should tone it down a little.” However, what students do not realize all the time is that they are teenagers. “Sometimes [teenagers] do things that are dumb,” Williams remarked, “and don’t realize that they’re dumb until the last minute.” One concern among parents and teachers is that students can find a way around the filter. “Kids can find a way around it would be my biggest concern,” Williams said. “That scares me a little bit, because there’s so much crap out there that you guys shouldn’t have to see or have to deal with.”
