If a Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. student accesses an inappropriate website as detected by the school corporation’s filter, a message pops up on the computer saying the site is blocked.
While the student is notified, a report from the software is generated and sent to the building principal where the student attends school, and is handled on a case-by-case basis there, BCSC Superintendent Jim Roberts said.
Consequences of attempting to access websites that are blocked can include a verbal warning or some kind of detention, Roberts said.
Since the school corporation’s primary goal is to educate, and to develop young people into successful adults, school officials attempt to help a student see that a bad decision has been made and future behavior needs to change, he said.
Taking away the computer isn’t always the best option, as it removes a learning opportunity for the student that is needed, he said. For example, principals wouldn’t take away a student’s textbooks as a disciplinary procedure because a student can’t learn without them.
“It’s about finding out the ‘why’ behind the behavior, there’s no cookie-cutter solution,” Roberts said. Each case is handled individually by the building principal.
Overall, the school corporation has had few issues with the school-issued computers and the filter reports, he said.
