NPHS’s recent introduction of a new internet security service has caused many to ask “what is Securly?”

According to Mr. McGeechan, Department Head of Technology:  “Its purpose is to enhance the security and safety of students while providing flexibility. The school began using it because we were looking for something that provided flexibility for content filtering, something that the teachers could unblock educationally valuable websites when needed.” 

Securly doesn’t only impose restrictions, it also allows for an unusual degree of versatility. Unlike previous security systems, Securly allows teachers to unblock websites themselves, instead of having to notify the tech department and wait for them to unblock websites. 

Alongside that, Securly is used for the entire district, and not just the high school, so it also works to filter content for younger students. In the elementary schools, Securly allows students to print documents directly from their iPads, which was not allowed under previous security systems.

Mr. McGeechan believes that the positives of Securly far outweigh the negatives, but many students, who have been left confused and frustrated by it, disagree. Many believe that it complicates the process of teaching and learning, and some simply find that it makes even a simple Google search more complicated than it needs to be. 

According to sophomore Ethan Tilak: “It exists just to make us feel pain.”

Tilak firmly believes that he is not the only one who believes this as well: “I feel as though some share my beliefs in this. Others don’t really care as much. But the bottom line is the fact that this Securly thing is laggy and reduces our productivity tenfold. And I feel like that’s a sentiment that could be shared among my peers.”

“To be honest, I think it’s kind of annoying, because you have to log in like, a lot of times over and over again and then it takes forever to process,” said sophomore Patience Conlin.

With so many students talking about Securly, Mr. McGeechan finds it odd that he hasn’t heard many complaints on his end: “I haven’t really received many communications from students indicating that, nor have I received many from teachers indicating that, so from my chair I don’t see anything really complicating that.”

Mr. McGeechan said anyone with complaints about Securly is welcome to contact him with their concerns so that any issues can be resolved, and so any confusion can be cleared up.