Though security companies are marketing computer-monitoring programs to schools in the name of safety, privacy advocates dislike the constant surveillance of students, Stateline reports. Across the country, school districts have adopted computer monitoring platforms that analyze what students are doing on school-issued devices and flag activities that may signal a risk of self-harm or threats to others. “Whether it’s a research project on the Civil War or a science experiment on volcano eruptions, students in the Colonial School District near Wilmington, Delaware, can look up just about anything on their school-provided laptops. But in one instance, Stateline reports, an elementary school student searched “how to die.” That day, an elementary school counselor in the Wilmington district, got a phone call through a platform called GoGuardian Beacon, whose algorithm flagged the phrase. The system sold by educational software company GoGuardian allows schools to monitor and analyze what students are doing on school-issued devices and flag any activities that signal a risk of self-harm or threats to others.
As it turns out, the student who had searched “how to die” did not want to die and showed no indicators of distress, the counselor said. The student was looking for information but in no danger. Still, the counselof values the program. “I’ve gotten into some situations with GoGuardian where I’m really happy that they came to us and we were able to intervene,” Feby said. School districts across the country have widely adopted such computer monitoring platforms. With the youth mental health crisis worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic and school violence affecting more K-12 students nationwide, teachers are desperate for a solution, experts say. But critics worry about the lack of transparency from companies that have the power to monitor students and choose when to alert school personnel. Constant student surveillance also raises concerns regarding student data, privacy and free speech.
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