NEWS
LIFESTYLE
Music program acquires new piano. 2
A review of Wow Tea. 6
SCI/TECH
Creatine Use at Paly. 12
PALO ALTO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT PALO ALTO HIGH SCHOOL 50 EMBARCADERO RD. PALO ALTO, CA 94301
NON-PROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE
PAI D PALO ALTO PERMIT #44
The Campanile Vol. CVII, No. 8
Palo Alto High School, 50 Embarcadero Road, Palo Alto, CA 94301
T AR BY EN ED O YO
SURVEILLANCE IN SESSION
Wednesday, May 20, 2026
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t the start of this year Paly administration implemented an extension, called Classwize, on all high school Chromebooks. "e decision was made after some of the high school teachers expressed interest in piloting it. It gives teachers the ability to screenshot, monitor and control students’ screens in real time. It also allows them to directly message students and pause their internet and is operational on Macbooks if students are logged into their PAUSD Google accounts on Chrome. Jackie Smith, Career Technical Education & Educational Technology Coordinator, said Classwize was installed this year because of its available safety measures and unique functions. “Our primary responsibility is to provide a safe, focused learning environment,” Smith wrote in an email to the Campanile. “While PAUSD has always used internet #lters to comply with CIPA (Children's Internet Protection Act), we moved to Classwize this year because it offers a more cohesive suite of products to meet our evolving needs.” While the system is automatically installed on all school-issued Chromebooks, it is not limited to working on them. Smith said Classwize is connected to students’ school accounts and the district network rather than speci#c devices. “"erefore, personal device activity can be viewed during a Classwize session while at school,” Smith wrote “Any device using the district network or accounts must follow the same safety and usage policies as a district Chromebook.” And Smith said the system does not function identically across all devices. “Tools such as Classwize tend to work more effectively on Chromebooks,” Smith wrote.
“Teachers can, at their own discretion, require students to use their district issued Chromebook for a class.” Sophomore Kai Schoebel said a lack of communication about the implementation of Classwize bothers him. “I would have preferred to at least know before I found out when a teacher closed one of my tabs,” Schoebel said. Paly math teacher Daniel Nguyen said there was a lack of communication between the district and teachers regarding the rollout of Classwize and said the way administration introduced it to teachers was problematic. “I think the biggest thing that stood out is that no one told us about it,” Nguyen said. "We didn't #nd out from administrators. We just found out by word of mouth from teacher to teacher. It would have been nice knowing that this kind of Big Brother feature was communicated to us more officially.” Smith said that the program was just a pilot at the high school level and if the district wants to expand training will be administered. Even so, Schoebel said the system may have some bene#ts. “I can see how it could help keep students locked in during class,” Schoebel said. “It probably makes it easier for teachers to make sure people aren't distracted.” Sophomore Sonika Gadgil said that while she thinks the program is excessive, she does see the need for monitoring students during class to a certain extent. “I think honestly it's a little bit much at some points,” Gadgil said. “Although I do realize that some teachers need that level of security to make sure that students aren't being academically dishonest.” Nguyen said the system has not signi#cantly changed the way he runs his class. “I trust my students to study, and if they don't, they'll #gure out what the rami#cations of not studying are,” Nguyen said. “I try to let natural consequences play out instead of me having to monitor.” Social studies teacher Steven Sabbag said he supports the overall goal of Classwize, as it increases productivity in classrooms. “I think it's a great idea.” Sabbag said. “It is helping to have students do their work during class so they don't get stressed at home because they're messing around playing video games and doing other homework.” Smith said one advantage of Classwize is that it connects multiple groups involved in students' digital pro#les. “It provides us with an ecosystem that enables IT (via Linewize), parents and guardians (via Qustodio), and teachers (via Classwize) a uni#ed way to
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support students’ digital well-being both in and out of the classroom,” Smith wrote. Although Classwize is available to all teachers, Smith said its use is not required. “It is an option if teachers #nd it bene#cial to support learning,” Smith wrote. “Some teachers use Classwize to minimize distractions during online assignments or assessments, while others use it to share resources in real time.” Regardless of how it’s used, Schoebel said his biggest concern regarding the system is that it seems like an invasion of student privacy. “I feel like it’s within teachers’ rights to be able to look at your screen, but only to a certain extent,” Schoebel said. “Having full, unrestricted access to your browser is a little extreme.” Senior Jerry Yan agrees. “Teachers already have a lot of oversight … they can just walk behind you and look at your screen,” Yan said. “But teachers shouldn’t have the authority to go onto your computer whenever and open whatever stuff they want. "at, I think, is where we draw the line.” Yan also said there could be potential risks if large amounts of data are collected by the software or the district. “If anything gets hacked, PAUSD isn't liable for any data that's breached,” Yan said. “For example, think of Canva right now. Everyone on Canva got hacked and what happens is that you have to pay out millions or even hundreds of millions of dollars in data reparation.” However, Smith said student data is protected under Classwize. “Student data privacy is always a top priority with any online platform we use,” Smith wrote. “Classwize is used for educational safety and support. "e data is protected by strict legal requirements, including COPPA ("e Children's Online Privacy Protection Act) and SOPIPA, ("e Student Online Personal Information Protection Act) that prevent the vendor from selling or using student information for any unauthorized purpose.” Additionally, Smith said the district has already clearly de#ned its monitoring policies. “Students have no reasonable expectation of privacy in use of the district technology,” Smith wrote. “Students’ use is not private and may be accessed by the district for the purpose of ensuring proper use.” Ultimately, Smith emphasized transparent communication. “Open conversations are important to build understanding and help ease discomfort,” Smith wrote. “Our hope is that if teachers are using Classwize, they clearly communicate when and why they are using it.”
Christopher Lee Sports Editor
Admin implements further restrictions on technology
Paly administration sent an email to Paly families on May 4 informing them about an update to the campuswide phone ban during instructional time, which has now been adapted to also include smartwatches, earbuds, smartglasses and other wearable tech unless otherwise directed by a teacher. Teachers received notice of the updated policy in an email from Steiren on April 29. "e move is an extension of the “Off and Away During Instructional Time” policy, which requires teachers to collect phones at the beginning of every class in a designated area. "e original policy was implemented at the beginning of the 2025-2026 school year in compliance with the Phone-Free School Act, which requires school districts in California to adopt policies that limit or prohibit student smartphone use on campus. “Ultimately there is a delicate balance to maintain between the responsible use of technology and the importance of human interaction and genuine learning,”
the email said. “We are proud of how our students have adapted to these changes so far.” Vice Principal Michael Stieren, who drafted the new policy, said these changes were implemented because technology other than phones can cause distractions. “"ey’re all connected,” Stern said. “You can disconnect them, but they can all be connected. And so the idea of just telling you to put away your phone doesn’t necessarily do the thing that the law intends, which is to limit the distractions that you may be engaged in during instructional time.” Junior Elif Dogan said she is glad the school is taking a proactive approach to combat the use of potentially invasive technologies, but they should be aware that a student’s choice to focus and do their work is their own responsibility. “You're not gonna be able to ever successfully make sure every single student is listening to you, and that is okay,” Dogan said. “If a student's not paying attention, it's going to affect them in the future.”
While she said most of the policy is reasonable, sophomore Olivia Roper said parts of it are frustrating. “I think (the ban makes sense for) AirPodswhile the teacher is talking, but I don't think there's a reason to ban AirPods while we're working independently, because it helps me focus and listen to music,” Roper said. Still, Roper said she recognizes the need to limit technology due to its potential to create distractions in the classroom. “If I have my phone on me, I'm de#nitely more distracted, and I'm more prone to look at it if it's near me,” Roper said. Yet moving forward, principal Brent Kline said he doesn’t envision a more restrictive technology policy coming to Paly. “I'm not convinced that a bell-to-bell policy works here at Palo Alto High School, just because of kids going off campus,” Kline said. “I don't want somebody stuck off campus, nor am I into dealing with (locking phone pouches). I think that we just all need to con-
tinue to increase not only awareness of what is best for (them) as a student, so (they) can focus and maintain connection with (their) teachers in the subject matter and do our best effort that way.” Ultimately, Stern said the policy is a proactive response to a fast-moving technological landscape. “It's not about having some sort of draconian policy whereby you can't interact with tech ever, because that's just unrealistic and not the world that you're growing up in,” Stern said. “It's more about just honoring the spirit of the law that we're being asked to implement, which is telling us that you need to limit device usage and device access during instructional time.
Leilani Chen & Elise Andrade News & Opinion Editor and Senior Staff Writer