[seul-edu] Fw: NYC schools reportedly adopt restrictive web linking, use rules

[SteelHead <brk@slip.net>]

This message is a forwarded from a rather "interesting" mailing list that
deals a lot in "personal" freedoms.  I am sending it because it *may*
reflect a conservative movement which could have an effect on many
educators.  BTW, by the restrictions here, it would be ok to link to a page
on SEUL, but not on Freshmeat, Sourceforge,  or OSDN on a NYC Website.

Bill

----- Original Message -----
From: "Declan McCullagh" <declan@well.com>
To: <politech@politechbot.com>
Cc: <john@elfrank.org>
Sent: Sunday, June 24, 2001 9:41 PM
Subject: FC: NYC schools reportedly adopt restrictive web linking, use rules


> [This means a link to politechbot.com would be verboten since (FWIW) the
> site includes banner ads. Not to mention other news sites. --Declan]
>
> *********
>
> Date: Sun, 24 Jun 2001 12:20:47 -0400
> From: Seth Johnson <seth.johnson@realmeasures.dyndns.org>
> Organization: Real Measures
> Subject: New NYC Board of Ed. Web Publishing Policy - REALITYCHECK,
please.
>
> (Forwarded from WWWEDU list)
>
> John Elfrank-Dana wrote:
>  >
>  > I hope everyone is having a good time at NECC.
>  >
>  > The new BOE policy for publishing web pages here in NYC is the
>  > following.
>  > 1. All schools (1100 of them) are supposed to submit their web sites
>  > (even those of us who have been hosting independently for years), and
>  > their teachers' sites to the Board of Ed. server.
>  > 2. A district censor is supposed to review all the material of each
site
>  > and have it moved to the public viewing area, assuming it's in
>  > compliance with the new acceptable use policy, which includes no links
>  > to sites that have a commercial advertisement.  The censors will move
>  > the content along at "their earliest possible convenience."
>  > 3. No chats or asynchronous bulletin boards allowed!
>  >
>  > Anyone who has ever web mastered an active school or class web site
that
>  > functions as a real communications hub for timely information and class
>  > dialogue should be equally dismayed as me.
>  >
>  > The policy will go in force Sept. 1.  They won't even tell us how much
>  > disk space we will have.  They also refuse to support FrontPage
>  > extensions (many of us use them to create active pages and discussions
>  > forums for our classes).  One practical outcome of this policy: The
>  > Board's AUP is in Adobe Acrobat, but I can't link for our visitors to
>  > download the Acrobat Reader because Adobe has ads on its site!!  2. Our
>  > e-books collection, which VATEA funded for thousands of dollars, won't
>  > work because it requires a web server on location. 3. No discussion
>  > boards for class discussions (protected or not).
>  >
>  > This policy was conceived by Board of Ed. lawyers and techs who are not
>  > now nor have been educators.  It's another slap in the face to teachers
>  > as professionals.  It's like the doctors under managed care who have
>  > lost control of their practice.  For teachers who use the Internet as
an
>  > instructional tool, this is very heavy-handed policy.
>  >
>  > Are other districts implementing similar policies? If so, how has it
>  > been going?  What organizations, if any, have an interest in this kind
>  > of policy?  What rights, if any, do teachers have to control the
content
>  > of their instruction?  Is this an intrusion into teacher practice?
>  >
>  > Regards,
>  >
>  > John Elfrank-Dana
>  > Web Master/ Social Studies Teacher
>  > Murry Bergtraum High School
>  > http://www.bergtraum.org/ushistory
>  > john@elfrank.org
>
>
>
>
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