Ohio School Districts use Surveillance Software to Monitor Student Devices
Source:https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/
Columbus City Schools, Ohio’s largest school district, has implemented surveillance software on students’ devices through a partnership with Gaggle, a student safety technology company. This initiative, started at the end of the last school year, aims to enhance student safety by monitoring online activity for inappropriate sites and behavior. Gaggle’s system provides 24/7 oversight and real-time analysis, detecting signs of self-harm, depression, substance abuse, cyberbullying, and other harmful situations.
Gaggle, which partners with approximately 1,500 school districts nationwide, does not disclose how many of these are in Ohio. However, Ohio’s three largest districts—Columbus, Cleveland, and Cincinnati—are known to use Gaggle. Cincinnati Public Schools, which began using Gaggle in 2013, employs the software across all grades at a cost of $323,780. The district uses Gaggle to monitor for threats to student safety by reviewing content based on specific language and phrases, generating alerts for further review rather than continuous monitoring. Cleveland did not respond to inquiries about its use of Gaggle.
Gaggle, founded in the 1990s, monitors school-provided platforms like Google Workspaces and Microsoft Office 365, but does not access students’ personal emails or social media. Its primary role is as an early warning system to identify students in crisis and enable timely school intervention. From 2018 to 2023, Gaggle reported helping to save 5,790 lives. The company uses Artificial Intelligence to detect potential issues, which are then reviewed by a Human Safety Team for context before notifying schools. Gaggle emphasizes balancing safety with privacy and confidentiality.
Gaggle flags potential threats and early warning signs, treating imminent threats with high urgency. In 2021, it alerted Ohio school districts to 1,275 incidents requiring immediate intervention. Columbus City Schools, with about 47,000 students, is rolling out Gaggle in middle and high schools, where students cannot opt out. The district signed two contracts with Gaggle totaling $157,672. During a pilot program from April 2022 to December 2023, Gaggle reviewed 3,942 content pieces, leading to 226 safety concerns being reported to emergency contacts. Although Gaggle is not yet used for elementary students, parent Sharon Kim has expressed concerns about the use of surveillance technology.
Sharon Kim expressed concern that the surveillance technology used in schools could make students feel unsafe and overly monitored, rather than secure. She believes that schools should be places where kids feel safe and not constantly surveilled.
Image Source:https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/
