Content Filtering

Just to reiterate, we do have a content filtering server for our public access computers as required by the Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA). The purpose of this filter is to block illegal content from being accessed on a public access computer. Our policy allows the filter to bypassed for research purposes only. The user must be an adult (over 18) and only staff are authorized to bypass the filter.

To ensure this policy is not abused, the server logs are checked on a regular basis. Though we do not store user activity, we do log pages that are blocked and bypassed by the filter. A log entry includes a time stamp, URL, the reason it's blocked (or bypassed), and the IP address of the computer that tried to access the page. Unless we spot abuse, this log is not permanently stored, and does not store any personal information.

Please note that the IP address of each computer in the district is unique. We can identify a computer's physical location by its IP address, but not the patron using the computer.

In a recent policy change, we will change the password that allows a bypass bi-annually. This is to help ensure that our filter's security does not get compromised.

For more information on our content filtering server, please review our wiki's FAQ page.