Edtech Services and Student Monitoring
EdSurge investigated the companies used by schools to monitor students, particularly after an incident involving journalism students at Lawrence High School in Kansas.
Last year, the district spent over $162,000 on a contract with Gaggle, aiming to improve student mental health and crisis management through digital monitoring.
The district hoped that Gaggle's service would help amidst rising school shootings and teen mental health crises.
However, after "heated discussions" with the journalism students, the district exempted them from the monitoring, citing their First Amendment rights.
The students' concerns led to a reevaluation of the use of edtech-enabled spyware in the district.
Author's summary: Edtech services monitor students, sparking debates about privacy and rights.
- Gaggle: a company providing digital monitoring services to schools
- Lawrence High School: a public school in Kansas where students lobbied against edtech monitoring