Investigate Internet Censorship in Your School District – Flag

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After talking to students from across the country, we heard one sentiment over and over again: “My school district blocks so many websites that it makes it difficult for me to do my homework.”

Reader, if this sounds familiar, you’re not alone.

After months of investigating internet censorship in schools, The Markup found that across the country, web filters are not just making it harder for kids to do their homework; They also censor information about sexual and reproductive health and prevent LGBTQ+ students from accessing suicide prevention resources designed for them. Of course, filters also prevent students from listening to music, playing games, and using social media.

We were able to investigate internet blocking in 16 specific school districts because we had access to their public records. But public records apply to anyone, not just journalists. You just ask them.

If you’re a student (or teacher, parent, advocate, or just a curious community member!) and after reading our survey you’d like to know what your own school district is preventing, here’s how you can do it investigation.

I created a template just for you based on the records request I sent. I’ll walk you through it below, and here’s a full copy in a Google Doc so you can fill in the blanks.

Here are all the important details we ask for:

• Website address: At its core, this request asks for a specific website that is blocked.
• Website category: Web filters categorize the Internet and allow school districts to block specific categories for specific types of users, such as students, employees, or guests. Even a quick glance at the categories shown in the records can be interesting. For example, you’ll soon see if your region blocks sex education, abortion, or a category called “Human Sexuality” or “Sexual Content,” which my investigation shows blocks LGBTQ+ advocacy sites rather than porn website.
• Number of times the site has been blocked: This will help you find out which sites and categories are most censored in your area. You might be surprised to see how many sites labeled “education” appear, or laugh at how many gaming sites your classmates try to access.
• List of blocked categories for each user type: Asking this alone will help you interpret the spreadsheet. If Sex Education shouldn’t be blocked for any students or teachers, you know that only guest users are responsible for the blocks shown in the data.
• Get a spreadsheet in .csv format: This is the key. This will make it easier for you to sort and filter the data, which is important because of the scale of the blocked sites you’ll be working with: you should expect to get a file with thousands of lines, representing millions of blocks.

This is the template:

Hello,

I am writing a public records request seeking records related to school district use [INSERT FILTER SOFTWARE NAME] Web filtering software. Please share the following:

1. A region-wide list of websites blocked by the filter in the past 30 days. The list should be exportable using filtering software and include the website URL, category and number of blocks.
2. A list of websites that the district has manually added to the Block or Allow list.
3. Explain any district policies for blocking websites or the criteria and processes for challenging blocked websites.
4. List of blocked categories for each user type (e.g. student, high school student, staff, guest, etc.).
5. Contract between districts [INSERT WEB FILTER COMPANY NAME].

If any of these documents contain information that you believe is exempt from disclosure, use your judgment to edit the exempt information and release the remaining information.

Please share these records electronically and send any spreadsheet files in .csv format.

I look forward to hearing from you [INSERT YOUR STATE’S REQUIRED TIMEFRAME].

Sincerely,

[INSERT YOUR NAME,

YOUR ADDRESS,

AND YOUR PHONE NUMBER]

Now, let’s break down the sections that need to be filled out:

• [INSERT FILTER SOFTWARE NAME]

  Examples: GoGuardian, Securly, Lightspeed, ContentKeeper, iboss.

  Before submitting a request, try to find out what web filters are used in your area. When you try to access a blocked website, the name will usually appear on the page you are redirected to, either in the title (shown as the name of the browser tab) or in the URL (shown in the URL bar Center) Top of the page.

• [INSERT WEB FILTER COMPANY NAME]

  Examples: GoGuardian, Securly, Lightspeed Systems, Impero, iboss.

  While the name of the filter and the name of the company are often the same, this is not always the case. For example, Impero is a company that provides ContentKeeper. Simply search for the filter name on Google to visit the company website. We ask for a contract with the company itself as it will tell you how much your area will pay for its filters and the length of the contract.

• [INSERT YOUR STATE’S REQUIRED TIMEFRAME]

  For example: three days in Missouri, ten days in Texas, and “immediately” in Arizona.

  View a sample public records request from the National Freedom of Information Alliance for your state. Include language in the sample request regarding response timelines and follow up if your district exceeds the deadline! In a state like Arizona, where timelines are tight, follow up every few weeks for good results.

• [INSERT YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION]

  Most states require records requesters to submit their name, address and phone number. Don’t forget this information or it will slow down the processing of your requests!

Use search engines such as Google to search public records requestthe name of your school district, and your state (in case there are other school districts with the same name in other parts of the country).

An example: when I search public records request Rockwood School District Missouri, the first result was the “Public Records Requests” page in the Board of Education section of the district’s website. Most school districts handle public records requests through the superintendent’s office, media relations department, board of education, or legal department, depending on their size. They almost all have clear instructions online on how to actually submit a request, so once Google helps you find the page with that information, read it carefully. You may have to email a request to someone or submit it through an online portal. If your school district requires use of the online portal, know that you must create a username and password in order to submit a request.

If your district claims that these records are exempt from public records laws, fight back. The school district, which denied The Markup’s request, said the records were exempt because releasing them would compromise the district’s cybersecurity. Frankly, I find the idea that a list of blocked websites represents a security threat ridiculous. Here is my response, combined with advice from The Markup attorneys:

From what I understand, the vast majority of sites blocked by filters are not blocked because of any security concerns, but because they contain content deemed inappropriate for students. …I understand that many elements of your computer network are security-related, but I do not require these records, and you do have an obligation under the Public Information Act to produce non-exempt materials. I ask you to do so as soon as possible.

If your records request exposes overzealous or discriminatory blocks, consider asking your district to lift the block. In most school districts where I have requested records, students are not allowed to do so directly—only teachers or other staff members can. But even outside of this formal process, students in any district can raise their concerns with teachers or school administrators. In school districts where students can make these requests, they must do so through the technology department that manages the filters.

If you end up using any of these tips to conduct your own investigation of your school’s internet censorship or to unblock a website, please let me know at tara@themarkup.org. If you run into any trouble, we’ll be happy to help, and we’re happy to discuss sharing any content you post. Good luck!