Porn accessed by students on school-issued tablets in Huntley-Algonquin School District 158

HUNTLEY, Ill. (WLS) -- Pornographic images were accessed by students in the Huntley-Algonquin School District 158 on devices given to students to use in class.

Stacey Hassels' fourth graders connect with their teacher and a key teaching tool in a manner any concerned parent would hope, knowing there's a plan if they encounter something they shouldn't see.

"We have a secure program here at school where most of the things on the internet will be blocked. But we do say, you know, if that were to happen, you need to immediately come tell an adult," said Hassels.

District 158 has implemented the largest "one to one" device distribution program in the state - one tablet or laptop for every kid from kindergarten to seventh grade - with 6,000 devices in all.

"We have tried very hard to make it very safe for kids and we are aware that there are some things that have happened over the last several weeks," said Dr. John Burkey, superintendent, Consolidated School District 158.

The superintendent says each device carries a program called Lightspeed, which is provided by a third-party vendor for an institutional level firewall. It would supersede parental controls available on most home computers, but porn can sometimes still get through.

"Ninety percent of the time, if not more, it works very well. It's not a consistent flaw, but we have taken every immediate step we can to try to ensure the safety within the realm of never being able to 100 percent guarantee everything. We want to come as close as we can," said Dr. Burkey.

The district says it has received 10 complaints about porn on these devices and it is important that parents and others do not use search engines to test the system with terms that can be taken out of context. For Mrs. Hassles, there's an easier route to protecting kids.

"Anytime your child is on their tablet, their iPad, anything they have at home, someone needs to be looking over their shoulder," said Hassels.

"I still really believe really believe them having a device that allows some access is a better way to teach them than for a child to suddenly have that access all at once open in a less-controlled environment," said Dr. Burkey.

Parents voiced their concerns at a school board meeting Thursday night.