Through the ConnecTen program, Tennessee was the first state to link every public school and library to the Internet. Now, Education Networks of America, the company that owns the state's system, has installed N2H2 filtering software throughout the system. The process is set up to assure free access to information, while greatly reducing the likelihood that a school child will accidentally access obscene, profane and objectionable material. The state has taken measures to protect First Amendment freedoms. In choosing to use the filter system, a school board can purchase a customized filter pattern for its schools.
Teachers can remove the filter from a particular computer when necessary.
And, any individual user who cannot access a site because of the filter, can request a review, electronically, and appeal the decision to block access. To date, almost all Tennessee school districts have elected to use the service, except those that already have filtering software of their own. With the new filtering software, we assure that those resources will be put to use for the benefit of our children.