Block | Unblock Websites

Tukwila School District has employed the Smoothwall Firewall and Filtering system for blocking sites that are mandated by the Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA). CIPA states:

Schools and libraries subject to CIPA...[must] certify that they have an Internet safety policy that includes technology protection measures. The protection measures must block or filter Internet access to pictures that are:

1. obscene
2. child pornography
3. harmful to minors

CIPA further states that schools and libraries subject to CIPA are required to adopt and implement an Internet safety policy addressing:

• Access by minors to inappropriate matter on the Internet;
• The safety and security of minors when using electronic mail, chat rooms and other forms of direct electronic communications;
• Unauthorized access, including so-called “hacking,” and other unlawful activities by minors online;
• Unauthorized disclosure, use, and dissemination of personal information regarding minors; and
• Measures restricting minors' access to materials harmful to them.

Tukwila School District Board Policy and Procedures 2022 meets these requirements. In addition the District has published the Responsible Use of Computers: Guidelines for Students and Families handbook to help support teachers, parents, and families in addressing concerns of Digital Citizenship and Internet Safety with their student. Occasionally, some sites may be blocked by our filter and firewall that a teacher would deem appropriate for use as supplemental content in their classroom. Other sites, may slip through the automated firewall and filtering system that would be entirely inappropriate for any instructional purpose. When this happens, it is important for teachers and staff to report those issues by creating a Help Desk ticket.

In cases where the request for a block of a website or online resource does not meet one or more of the three requirements stated by CIPA, the request will be forwarded to the Curriculum Council for review. Their decision will be final.