At the start of the 2024-2025 school year, many students were shocked when they tried to get back into their routines from last year but were stopped. Unbeknownst to them, over the summer the school implemented a software ban on many games, extensions, and most controversially messaging. This polarizing decision left many students in an uproar, as many of their favorite websites were blocked.
This oppressive decision even went to the extent of blocking useful tools like adblocker. Popular citation extensions like Easybib were also casualties in this ban, causing many students to change their research habits.
Many students shared with us their discontent with the new policies. Sohana M, ‘25 passionately stated, “They blocked Pinterest, and I need Pinterest.” The reason for this strong opinion is that Pinterest is used by many visual arts students to generate inspiration for their products. By taking this away, the school is limiting a key part of its student’s creative processes. Grace D, ‘25 shared that, “Sometimes during the school day I want to take a break from my work.” This is a belief shared with many students, as it is necessary to have the ability to step away from your schoolwork.
Perhaps the most controversial change with the technology ban was the disabling of messages on computers. Many students relied on this to communicate with friends and family throughout the school day. With the cell phone ban already in place, it is now impossible for a student to respond to an urgent message when they are in class. Cate H, ‘25 shared her opinion on this topic, stating that “Sometimes I text people about school-related things, and it would be helpful to be able to do that.”
Not all student opinions about the ban are completely negative. Ava A, ‘25 shared her positive experience with the changes, “It’s actually surprisingly helpful for blocking distractions, however, I’m opposed to it.”
As the school year progresses, discontent over the policy continues to be shared. Some students see the value in blocking video games but believe the ban has gotten rid of some important educational tools as well. Whether or not the administration will revisit this new policy remains to be seen, but for now, the debate over the new rules is far from over.