Our teachers tell us everyday that we’re young adults. They say we need to be “above the line” holding ourselves to a higher standard, and that we must be responsible. However, how can we take responsibility when we are placed under limitations and restrictions?

According to Paint Branch IT Specialist Mr. Scott, Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) uses filtering software to regulate everything we see on the internet at school. This means that MCPS blocks a lot of social networks, including sites with educational aspects such as youtube. These limits on what we can access in school does nothing but make things difficult. In today’s day and age the internet is the location where most, if not all of our information is stored. And by being able to moderate the things we see, MCPS is able to control our perception of things and the ways we interact.

This does not just affect students. I have experienced several instances when my own teachers haven’t been able to show us videos that correspond with what we’re learning due to the content being blocked on their desktop. This limitation doesn’t help anyone at all due to how excessive it is. From affecting how teachers do their jobs to taking away the incentive for teens that allows them to to relax when their work is finished and listen to music or watch videos, this is the wrong plan. Sure, internet access at school is a privilege, but a privilege that is earned.

This year MCPS has managed to block the use of Snapchat on the school’s wifi, an app that’s built on the concept of being able to share images and text that delete in a matter of seconds. This seems to be a reaction to incidents at Paint Branch where people misused the app in sharing inappropriate videos last year. However, this only included a small number of people, so why are they punishing everyone for other people’s wrongdoings? This is an impulsive reaction to a situation that does not warrant such repressive action.

High-schoolers have reached an age in which we can differentiate from right and wrong. We know what we shouldn’t post and what we should, and if a student is unable to correctly make that decision then they should be able to deal with whatever consequences are deemed fit. But MCPS doesn’t view it like that. They believe that by simply eliminating the app’s use they fix the problem. They would rather confine us then trust us. But I can’t blame them. Their trust at times has been taken advantage of; it‘s just a shame that those who haven’t done anything wrong are forced to suffer the consequences too.

This is something that’s unfair and can easily be resolved by simply giving us access to it all. High-schoolers range from 13 to 18 year olds. At these ages we should’ve been able to reach a certain point of maturity in which we’re smart enough to distinguish the uses of technology in school with the uses out of school. We need them to trust us; allow us to make mistakes we can grow from and start us on our way to adulthood.