Blackout poems from District messages
An Outlook investigation into district messages since school closures has unearthed hidden messages, both poetic and disturbing.
Arf improves student safety
Dons were outraged upon hearing of the district’s use of Bark, a service that tracks students’ digital footprint in the name of safety. Dissidents believe its use infringes on student privacy and oversteps district authority. Because students were not given the opportunity to discuss the program’s implementation, some have taken countermeasures against school staff in protest. A small group of Aragon students united to create Arf, a Bark competitor that monitors the online presence of San Mateo Union High School District teachers and administrators. “Digital safety is critically important to our district, which is why we are now using Arf to help us protect our teachers both online and in real life,” said sophomore Holy Moly, head developer of Arf. The Arf developers started piloting their program in late February. “The teachers implicitly consented to its use in their contracts at the beginning of the year, so we figured that there wasn’t a real need to announce we we...
