Campus access to MySpace.com banned districtwide; officials
consider blocking other sites
Gilroy – School officials have blocked the social networking Web site MySpace.com from computers on campuses districtwide in an attempt to safeguard students from a sometimes harassing and sexually explicit environment at school. As school administrators crack down on similar sites, police and school officials are asking parents to be vigilant about their children’s online activities – both with strangers and each other.
“When we hear about problems with a Web site, that same day we block the site,” explained Gilroy Unified School District’s Information Technology manager Rob Van Herk. “But there’s always ways to go around these kinds of filters, so it’s very important for the principals and whoever is with them in the computer labs to be vigilant. We rely on the parents, too.”
School administrators were approached by students and parents after rumors, gang signs and naked photos of teen girls began appearing on some students’ MySpace accounts. The Web site garnered more attention after a 15-year-old Livermore teen was found dead in a canal outside Tracy Jan. 10. Investigators are looking at it as a homicide and police are looking at her MySpace account for leads.
While the Web site does not allow users under the age of 14 from joining and prohibits members from posting personal information or threatening information – there is no one checking ID’s on the Web site’s homepage. The site does have a disclaimer saying it will not be held responsible for the content or conduct of its users.
“It’s how MySpace.com is used that it’s the problem,” Van Herk said.
GUSD officials are working to filter other chat sites such as Instant Messenger, as well as popular Web sites containing Spyware to prevent the spreading of computer viruses to school computers.
The district blocked students from accessing MySpace after Gilroy High School Principal James Maxwell noticed that students were logging onto site on campus and requested the filter late last year.
He had encountered problems with the site while working at his previous high school when a fight broke out after a student posted something online.
The subject of students accessing similar Web sites will likely be broached in future discussions this year, said GUSD board member Dave McRae.
“There’s been preliminary talk about the Internet, but I don’t think we’ve had the discussion we need to have,” he said. “It’s an emerging issue and definitely we are aware of it.”
He believes the board may have to get legal opinion on what they can and cannot enforce off of school property. School officials have the ability to prosecute student’s for illegal actions taken while on campus, but once outside school hours and off the property the line becomes fuzzy.
“Once you get into a private house, your ability to control the legality really drops off,” McRae explained. “The question is how far can we take it?”
Students are required to sign a telecommunications use contract in order to use the Internet at school. The contract prohibits students from using it to send abusive messages or transmit copyrighted or obscene material.
Kaylee, a seventh grade student at South Valley Middle School, noticed that they blocked MySpace at school after teachers began noticing students were logging on while in the computer labs.
“I think it’s good because some people they try to get on MySpace and some chatting sites at school,” she said. “Some kids are like, ‘Oh, why don’t they put it back on?'”
But taking it out of the schools isn’t taking access away from the students.
“They go to a friends house now,” she said. “I think it’s not blocked at the public library so they go there.”
According to police, most harassment and rumor-spreading doesn’t happen while the students are on campus.
“Most of that stuff is occurring outside school,” said Gilroy Police Sgt. Kurt Svardal. “If they’re not doing it from school, the school district can only do so much. Hopefully, parents are paying attention to what’s going on.”
And that’s just what Ascencion Solorsano Middle School parent Ellen Clark is trying to do.
“As much as I can, I make sure I’m in the room when he’s using the compute because that’s the only safe way,” she said. “Some of the things I see … I’ve seen kids go on porn sites at the library.”
She does not let her sixth grade son use MySpace or similar Web sites. She has already discussed with him what to do when talking to a stranger online and about giving out personal information.
Since Clark does not have any filters on her computer, she uses the next best thing: “Basically it’s just a watchful eye. You have to watch.”
Police and school administrators suggest parents log onto MySpace and similar Web sites to know what they’re children are getting into.
Stephenie Johnston has limited her eighth grade daughter from using her MySpace account without her permission.
“We’ve pretty much taken her off it,” she said. “We read everything she writes on there. We’re very careful about that. She’s a kid. We kind of laughed at those parents who say they don’t have control. You’re a parent. That’s your job.”
She supports the district’s move to filter similar Web sites on campus.
“I think it’s a good idea, we’re protecting the kids,” Johnston said. “This day in age … It’s not them contacting perverts, it’s perverts contacting them.”
Johnston worries about the way the site is designed, because students can post personal information and photographs for the entire world to read.
“Anything and everybody can get on it,” she said. “I know (kids) say it’s just friends, but anybody can get on there.”
Concerned About Web Sites
Van Herk said if parents have concerns about their children accessing Web sites on campus, to contact him at ro*********@**************ca.us
