With the school year in full swing, new policies are still unwinding, and with that comes the new policy of parents being able to view their students’ browser history. This is a big change for students at Benilde-St. Margaret’s, as it forces them to try to stay more on task during their school day.
Many students believe that this policy will help them stay focused during their day, even though they may not like it. The policy change this year will help parents keep track of what their students are doing during the day, and ensure they are using their computers appropriately. “I think they do this because if I have a bad grade, they can see what I’ve been doing throughout the school day,” junior Connor Watts said.
The BSM administration hopes this policy allows parents to ensure their students are being productive not only at school, but at home as well, creating the gateway for parents to help their kids make the best decisions. “I think [parents] love the ability to be able to have control over a student’s device. One of the struggles that I think parents had was that we controlled the device during the school day and what kids could access, but then once they were at home, it was kind of like ‘figure it out.’ And so I think it creates a better end-user experience for our families,” Director of Technology and Digital Learning Technology Errin Offerdahl said.
Many BSM students feel that this new policy doesn’t significantly change their school lives. However, some students at BSM have expressed that this policy doesn’t affect them or their parents as much as many expected it to, and feel that the policy is unnecessary. “[I] honestly don’t really care that much, because I don’t think my parents would really check, but I don’t think the policy is necessary,” sophomore Ray Yerhot said.
Some students think that this policy is a negative thing, as they feel it infringes on their freedom and privacy. Students feel this policy takes away from what they can be doing on the school-issued computers, and feel like they should have the freedom to do as they please with them. “I think they shouldn’t have this policy, because you should be able to have some privacy,” sophomore Mac Lang said.
The new policy at BSM is looked at in many different ways. As students understand the need for some guidelines for computers during the day, many students feel as though it infringes on their privacy and freedom. The BSM administration hopes this policy will help all students, parents, and teachers feel more comfortable around their devices.