New whitelist policy tightens digital security

photo by Judah McClard Sophomore Judah Battaglia searches for websites to use for his research project. He was unable to reach many resources necessary for his project due to the whitelist only allowing certain sites.

In December, the IT department decided to implement an important change that will protect TKA's students online. The administrative change shifted from a filtered browsing system to a complete whitelist on all school-issued Chromebooks and campus-based internet use. This whitelist system means only pre-approved websites and apps can be accessed on devices. Every app and website will be blocked on the Chromebooks except those pre-approved by the administration and requested by teachers. The whitelist is a solution to growing concerns from parents about digital safety.

“As with any transition, we expect there will be some tweaks needed…As you know, technology is an ever changing landscape with pros and cons, and we believe moving to a ‘white list’ will provide further protection,” TKA’s IT department said in an email Feb. 5.

This whitelist transition will require some adjustment for students, such as more restricted research for projects. Students' reactions have varied in understanding the purpose behind the changes and have run into restrictions during research. 

“I understand why [the school] needs to get rid of inappropriate or distracting sites, but at the same time, it’s affected my research because I am not able to just research information and [now I] have to use another computer. It makes work take longer,” said sophomore Reid Floyd.

Plans are in place to ensure students are able to conduct research online, keeping the filtered environment secure. The IT department will continue working with teachers to update the whitelist throughout each year. Teachers have already submitted their curriculum apps and websites for use in their classes; they are now required to make further resource requests in order to access websites and apps from now on. This transition is intended to bring peace to parents, administration and teachers, knowing that they are facilitating a higher degree of protection for students now and in the future. 

“As a parent myself, if you told me that my child is required to bring a device into my home and that device is not locked down as tightly as possible, I would not be very happy about that,”  parent, Bible teacher and IT department member Mr. Tony Rappa said. “The importance of the safety and purity of our students should rise far above any difficulties we might face in implementing practices for that purpose.”

While this adjustment may take some time and pose initial challenges for students, it reflects both the partnership between TKA and parents and the commitment to a safe, Christ-centered learning environment, online or in-person.

Students can be reminded during this transition that Romans 13:1 (ESV) says: “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.”