Zeeland parent: ZPS 'dropped the ball' on iPad safety | Education

ZEELAND, Mich. (WZZM) -- In August, Zeeland Public Schools unveiled a district-wide program to provide iPads for students. 1,900 high school students received the devices as part of a new curriculum.

Eventually, the plan will roll out to the rest of the district. The move has been met with praise and national attention, but there is at least one parent concerned about student safety.

Photographer and studio owner David DeJonge says he sees the iPads as an advanced, varied and exciting learning tool but is concerned about a lack of safety precautions. He has children enrolled at the middle school level, who will receive the technology within the year.

"iPads could be great," he said. "But with that iPad we need to have some protection in line, so that parents can do their job as a parent and provide adequate tools for learning."

When used at school, the iPads are part of a network with content filter that restricts distracting or inappropriate sites. At home, the iPads do not have any automatic restrictions implemented by the district.

"This isn't about replacing the parents' job. This is about assisting the parent with their job. My push is this: I will exhaust every option to protect the children in my home and the children in my district," he said. "I just wonder why the school district doesn't exhaust every option they have."

DeJonge is arguing the lack of protection may be in violation of the federal Child Internet Protection Act, or CIPA. The act mandates restrictions centered on protecting children must be implemented in schools. It is not clear if CIPA applies to public devices that are taken home by students.

"I think it would be a mistake for parents to assume that a filter would be a panacea protection for their children," Said Zeeland Public Schools Superintendent David Barry. "Filtering is not a panacea for total protection of children. Clearly, the advances in telecommunication and these advanced technologies have altered the way in which our information is accessed in our society."

Barry argues there is no ultimate stopping measure to prevent children from accessing the infinite amount of data across the web.

Furthermore, he says ZPS is not big brother.

"I think it becomes overly restrictive," he said. "We don't want to presume that we are the source of what we want filtered for their children."

Barry also says the school is in strict accordance to the CIPA and have done due diligence to create safety measures, restrictions and protection regulations for the best interests of their students on campus. He says the administration has and will continue to communicate those regulations to parents in the district.

"We have enough information and communication to parents to let them know some of the safeguards and precautions we have taken, both on the hardware and on the iPad itself. As well as some of the APPs and filters we have here in place," he said.

Moving forward, Barry says the district will host workshops to educate parents on safety measures as the roll out continues.

Meanwhile, DeJonge says he has contacted software experts, U.S. Representatives and has filed a Freedom of Information Act to learn more about the capabilities of the district in relation to the regulations mandated by the CIPA.

"This is about protecting our children, applying to federal law and the definitions of that federal law and setting a national precedent for how to protect minors from not only objectionable material, but predators online and dangerous elements," DeJonge said.

13 On Your Side will continue to follow this story.