Digital technology offers unparalleled opportunities for learning, teaching, creativity, and global connections. Penn Manor School District is proud to provide laptops for use in school, and at home, for all students in grades 1-12.
Student laptops are configured to use the district web-filter, both in school and when connected to home or public WiFi. District web filters protect students from obscene material, child pornography and other content deemed harmful to minors as defined by the federal Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA). Blocked websites generally fall into categories such as:
- Pornography – Websites with sexually explicit content
- Drugs – Websites that provide information about recreational drugs
- Gambling – Sites that promotes betting or risky actions for a reward
- Hate – Content that hatefully targets another person or group
- Malware – Websites hosting malicious software/viruses, or hacking resources
The list of blocked sites is maintained by a third-party vendor and is updated frequently. However, no blocking technology is 100% effective. The best measure is a parent or caregiver, not software. We encourage you to talk openly with your child, be a role model, and be aware of their online activities at home. Helping them understanding what they do online, and why, helps foster a safe and positive online experience for school technology at home.
Adding Home Controls and Filters
Parents and caregivers are welcome to apply additional layers of web filtering and browsing time limits on their home network. Parents may consider doing so with tools like Xfinity Parental Controls (free), or via the built-in controls on their home router or WiFi access point.
Note: Additional filters may prevent students from accessing school required sites and services.
Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA)
Under federal law titled Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), websites must provide parental notification and obtain parental consent before collecting personal information from children under the age of 13. The law permits school districts to consent to the collection of personal information on behalf of all of its students, thereby eliminating the need for individual parental consent given directly to the website. The district maintains a list of the educational websites used in various Penn Manor classrooms. Visit our COPPA page for the list and additional information.
Digital Citizenship Resources
Parents and caregivers are encouraged to review our collection of digital citizen resources and videos. Google’s Be Internet Awesome and Common Sense Media’s education site are two more excellent resources.
And More!
For more resources, visit the Student Tech Orientation site and PM technology site.