Firewalls & Filters
What is a Firewall?
A firewall is part of a computer system or network designed to filter/block unauthorized access to external users and websites while permitting outward communication.
The GCSD firewall follows students on their Chromebooks and works even more strongly when students take the devices off of district property. If your student is having trouble accessing the internet on home or public wi-fi, it is because of this firewall. Students will often be able to access their email and Google Drive, but not much else when this is the case. To gain access, students must authenticate their wi-fi source.
Wi-Fi Authentication
Students can authenticate a trusted wi-fi source when they are off school property. This includes home or public wi-fi, though students are always cautioned about their online activity when using public or shared wi-fi connections. View the instructions to authenticate here.
Website Access
Millions of new websites are created every day worldwide, not to mention so much digital content. For that reason, it is impossible for us to catch everything as it comes along. With your help, we can work together to make sure sites with inappropriate content are made unavailable to students.
If you find that your child is accessing a site with content that is inappropriate for their age group, make a note of the URL (website address) in question and pass it along to your child's teacher. We will review the content, and if deemed inappropriate, we may request that a site be blocked.
Please note: We are unable to block websites or content for individual students. Blocking content must be done for entire groups within the district.