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At the start of the year, students were hit with the rule of phone jails, which forced them to separate from their personal property. But now Ohio has come after our education. As of Oct. 24, 2024, multiple education and creation apps have been banned through school programs and Wi-Fi for “student data protection.”
As a student who uses technology to complete almost all of my work, this limitation has caused me stress and worry; however, not only me but the student body as a whole have been in distress. Essential apps used in daily life such as Canva, J-Store, College Board and GroupMe are either banned or being reviewed.
Senate Bill 29 (SB29) is the culprit behind our panic. The bill’s goal is to protect students’ data; however, in the name of protection, it has removed the ability to use beneficial educational tools. A significant issue with this ban is in the AP classes, AP Seminar and AP Research.

AP Courses: J-Store and College Board
Other students and I in AP Research classes are scared our AP scores will be impacted due to the loss of suitable information. The program J-Store is a tool which provides research papers that have been reviewed. Students in the course are taught to use the program; however, they are now stuck with the resource Gale due to the ban, which makes it harder to find research papers. Along with J-Store, the College Board site may be banned.
All AP students are scared, as we fear the loss of one of the most important resources for their AP education. College Board is the platform on which students take our exams, but it also has hundreds of videos and practice tests. With a student body that takes APs in mass amounts, the loss of this resource could lead to a lower average score. I used a practice test to prepare before the exam. Without them I believe I could have failed the majority of my exams. Not only are AP students in trouble, but creative programs have lost their primary tool.

Creative tools: Canva
Canva, my personal safe place as a social media manager and graphic designer, has been banned due to SB29. Canva is a digital design tool we students use to create presentations, infographics and promotional materials. Now, we can only access Canva with a personal account or a workaround. The removal of the Canva causes a loss of creativity among the students.

The Future
Being the executive producer of ‘Tangy Today, I find myself in fear of what they may ban next. Some schools lost their Instagrams or Youtube accounts, without this a key part of student voice is lost. If the district decides to remove Youtube or Instagram it would become a limitation on freedom of press, I believe; therefore, should not and could not be applied.
While these are just some of the affected programs and people, the inability to access these limits all students’ ability to learn credible information and be creative. Now, there are a few benefits to the bill. The protection of data is critical due to scammers and other issues; however, there are better ways to go about removal.
Teachers and students have contacted the district in hopes to re-access programs. Throughout the next couple of weeks, students will learn more about programs and apps being banned and how it will affect them.