Computers in schools usually have filters to keep students from viewing web sites with inappropriate material. This is understandable because parents and teachers don't want students viewing things like pornography while at school - but filters can also be used to restrict access to other material. In a Florida school, students have been denied access to information on minority religions.

The Herald Tribune in Florida reports:

“We have access to sites on Christianity, Judaism and Islam, but not a lot of the smaller religions, or the various cults and things,” said Robinson, who is a member of the Pine View Progressive Club. “We find that the filter picks on some of these nontraditional religions are arbitrary.” ... “Our goal is really simple,” Robinson said. “We just want to see nontraditional religions removed as a category.”

Superintendent Gary Norris said he will look into the matter, but he isn’t promising that students will be permitted to visit web sites about religions other than large groups like Christianity. This has become an educational issue because students doing research on minority beliefs, like Kabbalah, have been stymied in their efforts.

Pine View Principal Steve Largo said the use of Internet filter technology has been an evolving process and that he didn’t realize the district’s filter system lumped nontraditional religions and occult sites together. He said that because some schools offer world religion courses, a distinction should be made between the two.

The fact that some schools offer courses on world religions is an educational reason to make the distinction, but there is also a constitutional reason: schools, as government entities, don’t have the authority to decide which religions are “real” religions which students can learn about which aren’t “real” religions which students should be protected from. Regardless of whether a school has a world religions course, school administrators shouldn’t be given the power to make such decisions.

I have to wonder: is this site being blocked by such filters? Can students see sites on atheism which criticize various religions and religious beliefs? Once people start blocking access to sites on minority religions because they are “dangerous,” it’s hard to see why a site like this wouldn’t be considered just as dangerous. That’s why using filters in this manner is so problematic: when alternative ideas and criticism are considered dangers to the status quo and state power is used to enforce the status quo, everyone’s liberty is reduced.

 

Read More:

• Separation of Church and State 101
• Church and State News
• Religion in Public Schools
• Secularism 101