Word-filtering is stupid. There are many reasons, in an academic setting, to have access to sites with words such as "breast," "homosexual," or, I don't know, "murder." Schools need to figure out how to block actual pornography without stopping students from accessing sites about, say, breast cancer (science) or gay marriage (politics/current events).

"Take the computers away! Tell them to go to a public library for their research if they need to go online."

I can't always tell when you're trolling or joking. Is this one of those? You can't really think that students who need to do research (as required by a class/the school) can just be told to go to a public library. Can you?

Again, it's not hard to use filters that rely on human brains rather than blanket word-filtering. And the person isn't asking for access to porn. But anyway, I went on a tangent. I'm about practice for education. Research is an important skill, and its emphasis in education is growing (see: Common Core State Standards). Tech is an important tool, and its emphasis in education is growing (see: 21st Century Skills).

But hey, if you just wanna make stupid jokes, that's your call. If you want to make serious conversation, know what you're talking about.

"Most kids have home internet and I know at least one company has put together a program to provide internet access to students for 9.99 a month. Saying if the schools didn't offer internet the kids would have no access is a bit silly in this day and age."

I didn't say they'd have no access.

Anyway, what you say is apparently true where you live, but the digital divide is alive and well. And by the by, even if it's affordable, that doesn't mean all kids have it or can get it easily. I have kids whose parents make decent money but the families still don't have reliable access. Not all areas have that. America is woefully behind on infrastructure. I read somewhere that 4G in American is not really 4G.

And yes, I believe that schools should teach kids how to use computers and should make Internet access available. I want my kids to do work on their own, of course, but if one kid doesn't have access, that means he/she can't do the work. And I've tried the "go to the library" answer. Guess what. It doesn't happen, all too often. You can say that's their problem, and I agree to an extent, but why give excuses. Taking away the computers from schools is a stupid answer, at least in the public school where CCSS requires research and in this day and age when kids really should be trained to use the tech tools as well as standard old-fashioned print.

" so if they continue to block porn sites"

This argument isn't about porn sites. Federal law prohibits access to porn (and other types of "dangerous" sites) in schools; that's unlikely to change. See comment above about knowing something about what you're commenting on (though that would probably violate DR reality).

"High schoolers don't need access to everything on the web."

Who said they do?

Guys, reading is fundamental.

Tor, nowhere in the article does it say that the ACLU wants the school to open up the school's system to everything on the Web.

Reading is fundamental.