Canton to block some access to Facebook

CANTON — Canton Central School officials have decided to block access to the social networking Web site Facebook for elementary and middle school pupils, but haven't decided yet about high school students.

School Superintendent William A. Gregory said Friday that school administrators met and decided Facebook no longer should be available to younger pupils.

"Research shows that a lot of students already have Facebook sites, but we felt that's a decision the parents should be involved in, particularly through eighth grade," Mr. Gregory said.

The future of Facebook for the high school will be discussed by a committee composed of parents, faculty members, administrators and students, he said. The high school's parent group also is expected to offer input.

"To my knowledge, no other district in our area allows access to Facebook," Mr. Gregory said. "I think the district needs to take a proactive approach. Today it's Facebook, a few months from now there could be something else that comes up."

Access for younger grades will be blocked immediately, but for now high school students can still access Facebook through the school's computer system.

At the Sept. 17 school board meeting, a handful of Canton parents voiced concerns about Facebook being available to all students in the district.

The protests were sparked by a Canton high school social studies teacher who wanted his students to use their own Facebook page as a way to interact with each other for academic-related discussions. Students were not forced to participate and parent permission was requested.

Opponents of that move argued the site can pose safety risks, wastes time and exposes students to unmonitored advertising messages.

Mr. Gregory said concerns were helpful at prompting the district to take a broader look at emerging technology and its use in schools.

"It was a positive thing. It brought some issues to light and now we can look at them," Mr. Gregory said.