San Benito High School may become the first district in the
county to offer all students an e-mail account as a way to get a
leg up on their online college applications this year.
Hollister – San Benito High School may become the first district in the county to offer all students an e-mail account as a way to get a leg up on their online college applications this year.
“I’m really excited,” Technology Program Specialist Cindi Krokower said Tuesday. “We’re going to start small, but eventually it is my hope that all students will have a school e-mail account for school-related activities.”
The decision to look into school e-mail accounts was prompted by a University of California mandate requiring students to have an e-mail address in order to apply online, Krokower said. Since not all students have Internet access, Krokower believes the program will “level the playing field” for all students, she said. Only students with a legitimate need to have an e-mail account, such as applying for college, will be enrolled in the pilot-program. But Krokower hopes every student at the school will have an e-mail account before the end of the year.
Setting up the e-mail accounts will not have additional financial implications for the district, but it could require hiring additional personnel, Principal Debbie Padilla said. She said the school will need to look into such costs further before expanding the program.
Students, especially seniors and computer-enthusiasts, are excited about the prospect of having school e-mail accounts, senior Stefany James said Tuesday.
“I think this is a very good idea. A lot of times students need to be able to communicate better with their teachers,” James said. “Also many students simply don’t have access to (e-mail) at home.”
The pilot-program designed to test the feasibility of providing all 3,000 San Benito High School students with free, school-sponsored e-mail accounts started Monday when the first two students enrolled in the program logged-on to the new system.
The pilot-program will help teachers and administrators decide what kinds of policies and procedures need to be in place before giving every high school student and e-mail account, Krokower said.
Before Monday, students were not able to use e-mail at school because officials had blocked access to all Web-based e-mail portals, Krokower said. That’s because, Web-based e-mail can leave students open to anonymous e-mails and even harassment from other students, Library Media Teacher Doug Achterman said.
“With this system they can’t do anything anonymously,” he said. “The e-mail account can be traced to the student – they can’t create anonymous accounts.”
The accounts will be run through the school’s server, but will also be Web-based so that students can use the accounts at home, Achterman said.
Before the program is expanded schoolwide, students will be given specific directions on appropriate school use of the accounts, Achterman said.
“There are some dangers with e-mail,” he said. “But (school) is a place where kids can learn responsible and ethical use of electronic devices.”
To ensure students use the Internet as an educational tool, San Benito High School officials adopted a three-pronged approach several years ago to keep students away from inappropriate material, but the policy did not address e-mail usage, something Achterman believes will be important to establish before expanding the program.
School computers with Internet access are equipped with filtering software designed to keep students away from sites with inappropriate content. In addition to the filtering software, which staff admit is not completely effective, students are monitored by teachers and are required to sign an acceptable use policy that prohibits using computers for other than school assignments, Krokower said.
Although e-mail accounts may dredge up fear for some parents concerned about what their students are doing at school, Achterman believes the school’s policies on Internet use are already effective in preventing misuse by students.
“It’s so much less common – eight years ago it was much more common – but now the kids that want to get involved in that stuff want to do it some where more private,” he said. “The computers here are very public and are always monitored.”
Just like with Internet use, parents who are uncomfortable with the e-mail accounts can request that their child not be given one, Krokower said.
In addition to helping students apply to colleges, Achterman believes learning to use e-mail is imperative for students preparing to enter the adult world.
“E-mail is very important because it is a critical communication tool in the business,” he said. “Students need to learn how to use (e-mail) before they leave.”
