One of the first districts in the nation to adopt a 1:1 approach, Mooresville Graded School District’s computer initiative has been in place for more than 13 years. Serving 6,200 across eight schools, the North Carolina district allows students to take their district-issued devices home beginning in the third grade. With students using Google Apps for Education, including email access and Google Drive, the district looked for a reliable way to protect its students in the digital environment.
Mooresville Graded SD first implemented the Gaggle student safety platform at the high school, recognizing the need for the older students to email colleges and employers. The district then rolled out the safety solution to the middle school, followed by the rest of its campuses. “We wanted to make sure that we were protecting our students and their communications,” explained the district’s Assistant Superintendent for Elementary Instruction and Technology, Dr. Scott Smith. “It started with email, but as Gaggle added more capabilities (e.g., scanning drives, checking docs, etc.), we did too.”
10 years after adopting Gaggle, the platform has proven its value to Mooresville Graded SD on multiple occasions. “What sets Gaggle apart is the fact that there’s a real person who notifies us when there’s a Possible Student Situation or Questionable Content,” said Dr. Smith, recalling a situation when he received just such a phone call in the middle of the night. A student who was home alone had emailed her father because she thought she heard an intruder in the home.
Thankfully, the “intruder” turned out to be an older sibling who was locked out of the house. “Gaggle did what it was supposed to do,” said Dr. Smith. Knowing that Gaggle is continually watching over students—and that the technology is backed up by human safety experts—helps the team at Mooresville Graded SD rest easier at night. Read our case study to learn more about how this district safeguards its students in the digital world.