As U-46 parents and guardians know, our District made a large investment in technology over the past year. Before the COVID pandemic, only 5th through 12th graders had a U-46 Chromebook. By September 2020, each preschool through 12th grade student had a device (a Chromebook or iPad) to support distance learning. That dramatic shift has supported distance learning as well as in-person classroom work and will continue to be a part of our educational system long past the pandemic. 

While we celebrate the access to technology, we also recognize that it means that our students have more access to the internet which requires our guidance and support. As we work to maintain online safety and develop our students’ digital citizenship we have made several adjustments, as of March 2021:

• We will apply all content filters, already used when staff and students are in school, to devices 24/7.  Staff or students who might now be able to access streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu via their U-46 device will no longer be able to do so.
• Teachers will have access to a classroom management tool that will help them better support students online and direct them to appropriate academic content. 
• Parents will have access to an optional free app that will also give them oversight of their children’s internet usage from their U-46 device during non-school hours. 

To learn more about these tools, we’ve posted various resources and videos on this section of our website. Please review the menu on the left side for all information and links.