Canva, an online design tool, is a well-known site to many students and staff members around the school.

But starting as early as Monday, Oct. 23, all school districts that are using Google Workspace, including the Wentzville School District, will no longer be granting access to Canva and other frequently used sites to students.

This is because of Canva and other sites “Sign In With Google” feature.  Because of this, Canva is temporarily limited to staff only while Canva works to meet the guidelines of the Wentzville School District.

The Wentzville School District recommends that students download any projects or assignments from Canva while they can so that the progress on these projects or presentations will not be lost.

Other commonly used sites that will not be available along with Canva, are Quizlet, Blooket, Loom, Flip (FlipGrid), and various other websites. All of these sites are using the feature “Sign In With Google” and will no longer be supported starting Oct. 23.

Although many websites using “Sign In With Google” will no longer be available starting Monday, a few sites will be available until the end of the academic year. Sites like EdPuzzle and Classroom Magazines will still be available for all students and staff members to use up until the end of this current academic year.

Many students are familiar with Canva and are upset about this new update.

“I use those all the time, and they have gotten me very far, so it’s going to be a big change,” junior Caroline Sauter said.

Students and staff members often rely on Canva for various school projects. While some may use Canva to create and design posters, many staff members use Canva as a source for students to use when working on various projects related to class work.

Mr. Smith, an English one and two teacher, has a strong opinion on these new bans.

“Those programs are used for educational purposes, and I think it’s unreasonable for students to no longer have access to key informational sites,” Smith said

This update has been in consideration for a few years, among other issues that have begun to appear while using “Sign In With Google.” The WSD technology department states in an email to the WSD staff that they have been “diligently evaluating and reviewing digital resources for over four years as part of our commitment to safeguarding student privacy.”

Because of the update, the technology department is implementing new ways to avoid “Sign In With Google” and creating an alternative login to bypass the sign-in with Google shortcut.

While it is uncertain when these will be available again, The WSD technology department is sure that this upcoming update will ensure the students’ safety for the future.