Schools relying on digital surveillance find security still takes a human touch

Google accused of harming kids by secretly grabbing data from school-provided tech products

Google is secretly using its education products, including those used in many Bay Area schools, to identify students individually, track their online activity including sites they visit and links they click, and "steal" their personal data for profit, a lawsuit filed by California parents and others claims.

Four years ago, a sixth-grade student in Rigby, Idaho, shot and injured two classmates and a janitor in a high school. The tragedy prompted school authorities to rethink the prevention of threats in the district. Now, the Hope Squads, led by students, encourage their classmates with hand-made cards and assemblies. Volunteer parents patrol the corridors through Guard Dads. A team of counselors, social workers and probation officers gather to talk…

Schools relying on digital surveillance find security still takes a human touch

America’s educators have been turning to technology — especially digital surveillance — to screen for students who might harm themselves or others.

In a world of tech, human-led efforts may be the best school safety tool

The Education Reporting Collaborative, a coalition of eight newsrooms, is investigating the unintended consequences of AI-powered surveillance at schools. Members of the Collaborative are AL.com, The Associated Press, The Christian Science Monitor, The Dallas Morning News, The Hechinger Report, Idaho Education News, The Post and Courier in South Carolina, and The Seattle Times.RIGBY, Idaho — Four years ago, a sixth grader in Rigby, Idaho, shot a…

Leadership is key to protecting student data privacy in 2025

Key points: Every privacy program needs leadership to champion the work Is your district safeguarding student data? Protecting our students: The urgency of securing education data For more news on data privacy, visit eSN’s IT Leadership hub In the year 2025, no one should have to be convinced that protecting data privacy matters. For education institutions, it’s really that simple of a priority–and that complicated. Despite the passage of over …

Spy High: The newest documentary about surveillance in schools

Picture this: You are a high school student and are called to the vice principal’s office. As you make your way down, you hypothesize what the meeting could possibly be about. When you get there, the vice principal tells you that they have evidence of you selling drugs and will be alerting the authorities. The vice principal shows you a picture of yourself holding up a pill-like object to the camera inside your home. The first question that cros…