diff --git a/network-api/networkapi/wagtailpages/customblocks.py b/network-api/networkapi/wagtailpages/customblocks.py
index 33ba3a6b9b..b375b60d00 100644
--- a/network-api/networkapi/wagtailpages/customblocks.py
+++ b/network-api/networkapi/wagtailpages/customblocks.py
@@ -1,5 +1,3 @@
-import re
-
 from wagtail.core import blocks
 from wagtail.images.blocks import ImageChooserBlock
 
@@ -252,15 +250,6 @@ class Meta:
 
 
 class PulseProjectQueryValue(blocks.StructValue):
-    @property
-    def query(self):
-        # Replace any combination of spaces and commas with a single +
-        # because despite instructions to use spaces, someone, at some
-        # point, will accidentally use a comma, and that should be fine.
-        search_terms = self['search_terms'].strip()
-        query = re.sub(r'[\s,]+', '+', search_terms)
-        return query
-
     @property
     def size(self):
         max_number_of_results = self['max_number_of_results']
diff --git a/network-api/networkapi/wagtailpages/templates/wagtailpages/blocks/pulse_project_list.html b/network-api/networkapi/wagtailpages/templates/wagtailpages/blocks/pulse_project_list.html
index f40aa24fa5..e5bad04795 100644
--- a/network-api/networkapi/wagtailpages/templates/wagtailpages/blocks/pulse_project_list.html
+++ b/network-api/networkapi/wagtailpages/templates/wagtailpages/blocks/pulse_project_list.html
@@ -4,5 +4,5 @@
   data-help="{{ value.help }}"
   data-issues="{{ value.issues }}"
   data-max="{{ value.size }}"
-  data-query="{{ value.query }}"
-  data-reversed="{{ value.newest_first }}" />
+  data-query="{{ value.search_terms }}"
+  data-reversed="{{ value.newest_first }}"></div>
diff --git a/network-api/networkapi/wagtailpages/utils.py b/network-api/networkapi/wagtailpages/utils.py
index 47b8a8ab35..694a42d8d9 100644
--- a/network-api/networkapi/wagtailpages/utils.py
+++ b/network-api/networkapi/wagtailpages/utils.py
@@ -44,10 +44,10 @@ def get_descendants(node, list, authenticated=False, depth=0, max_depth=2):
 
         nextset = node.get_children().in_menu()
 
-        # Do not show draft pages to users who are
+        # Do not show draft/private pages to users who are
         # not logged into the CMS itself.
         if authenticated is False:
-            nextset = nextset.live()
+            nextset = nextset.live().public()
 
         for child in nextset:
             get_descendants(child, list, authenticated, depth + 1)