RENEE PROBETTS

The days of scrolling through pictures of classmates, celebrities, food, and clothes during lunch or downtime in class are over.

The popular app Instagram is now blocked on the Douglas County wifi. Senior Haley Kroll is furious. “It makes me really made. It’s just pictures and fun to look at. That’s probably what I look at the most on my phone. I don’t understand it though. It’s not even a bad thing,” Kroll said.

For those with 3G data, they can still access the app; however, those students without 3G or those who do not want to use up their data, can no longer refresh their Instagram feed at school.

The decision is made by those at the district level. In fact, Mountain Vista has no control over which sites are blocked and which are not. However, Mountain Vista’s ICRT/TCRT, Dawn Ramsey helps to explain the reasoning behind it.

“I know that DCSD’s main concern is providing as much educational subject matter as possible without exposing students to inappropriate images, information, etc…”, Ramsey said.

Douglas County filters through different sites and apps to figure out which ones are the best for all the students. Some of their decisions behind what to block do not make sense to students. Why block some, but not others? However, the district stands behind their decisions and encourages students to inquire further if they have specific questions.