MSJ Expands Internet Restrictions

By Staff Writers Mansi Mundada, Kelly Shi & Lucas Zhang

In May 2025, MSJ administrators reconfigured the school WiFi networks to block popular apps such as Discord in an ongoing effort to protect students from harmful online material and minimize distractions.  Along with the restrictions, FUSD has also implemented GoGuardian to allow teachers to monitor their students’ activity on school Chromebooks during class. These changes sparked debate among students who believe that these restrictions are limiting their communication options on campus and preventing them from accessing entertainment platforms during school breaks. However, the district and teachers believe that other platforms like text messaging and FUSD email accounts are still accessible for all students to use during school projects. “A lot of clubs post their information and meeting notifications on Discord, so now, [club officers] cannot access that information when they’re at school, when it’s probably the most important,” Senior Shriya Prabhudev said.

The website filtering policy stems from a mix of federal law and FUSD’s own policies.  To comply with the federal Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA), public schools are required to use content filters to protect students from harmful or inappropriate online content. Many districts use third-party software to monitor and manage student online activity on school devices and networks, with FUSD using GoGuardian. For example, the Fremont Union High School District (FUHSD) and the Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) use Securly to filter all district devices in order to minimize distractions during school as well as filter inappropriate content.   

Before reconfiguring the school WiFi, FUSD had blocked a range of international, gaming, and governmental websites due to classroom management as well as cybersecurity concerns. “I had issues before when they were blocking a lot of different websites in the past that I would use to gamify my class,” English Teacher Flora Kang said. 

GoGuardian

Starting in the 2025-26 school year, teachers can monitor MSJ students using their school accounts using GoGuardian, an administrative tool that allows staff to view the browsing history within the classroom. The implementation is part of FUSD’s measures to comply with CIPA and other regulations relating to on-site use of electronic devices. Teachers can close tabs for students who use websites they deem inappropriate for school, which allows them to minimize distractions in class and prevent cheating on online tests. For example, AP Music Theory and Choir Teacher David Belles uses GoGuardian to ensure that students are working on an assignment for his class rather than having other tabs open as distractions. Teachers have found it useful to use the tool to easily monitor student activity on electronic devices. “If [a tab] pops up and should not be [on a student’s device], I lock the screen and have the student come and talk to me. [The student] addresses what is going on, I unlock [their device], and they keep working on [the task],” Belles said.

FUSD Technology Policy

The FUSD Board Policy 6163.4 specifies school WiFi should only be used for educational purposes. As mentioned before, to follow the CIPA, the district blocks sites like gaming, entertainment, and social media platforms like Discord and Instagram. “[The Superintendent and Technology Advisory Committee (TAC)] consistently monitors and decides to block websites based on if it’s appropriate for school or not,”  Principal Amy Perez said. 

Future policy expansions

Though the new policies serve to get students off websites labeled as potential distractions, students have found ways to circumvent the firewall at school, leading to concerns from teachers. “I think that attending class is really important, and using your [cellular] data to avoid restrictions is really doing yourself a disservice because you are missing out on opportunities to learn,” Williams said.

One of the next steps FUSD plans to take to further minimize distractions in the classroom is its implementation of CA Assembly Bill 3216 (AB 3216). Effective starting from the 2026-27 school year, the legislation requires school districts to implement policies limiting the use of cell phones during class time. “To accomplish [compliance with AB 3216], the district can look to form a task force or policy review committee to determine implementation models suitable for the local context,” FUSD Director of Information Technology Anthony Talbert said.

Although some students feel that the network updates are unwarranted, the district maintains the actions are necessary to ensure students’ focus and engagement in a proactive manner. These periodic updates are enforced due to the rapidly expanding and evolving changes of technology. Consequently, MSJ staff have encouraged students to turn to other sources of more equitable communication such as iMessages and school email accounts to work around these restrictions. “I would suggest that students use their email, since email [accounts] are available to every student, so it’s equitable, [while] not all students have access to Discord,” Perez said.