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Local districts to roll out new threat monitoring systems for your child's school devices


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Gone are the days of lugging around big textbooks and loading your locker. Now, it's all about the devices.

Technology is a key part of their classroom experience, but that also comes with dangers.

This year, some districts are adding another layer of protection.


Seguin ISD has been using Gaggle to monitor student Google accounts for threats for two years now.

If certain words or phrases are detected, "suicide" or "school shooting" for example, the system will flag the interaction and notify school officials so they can determine how to proceed.

This year, Seguin is adding Securly, a content monitoring service that will flag inappropriate websites students visit from their school computers. It works while the students are at home and at school.

According to the company's website, Securly serves more than 15,000 schools nationwide.

Superintendent Dr. Matthew Gutierrez says these services are key in helping students through what he calls a mental health crisis.

"Prior to Covid, we were saying we’re entering a mental health crisis, but we truly are living it right now," Gutierrez said. "And so we, as schools, have to be able to respond, and do our best to monitor what our students are doing with their technology."

Gaggle alerts school officials to any concerning words and phrases used in student emails or Google accounts, or any threats of violence.

Gutierrez says it's made a big difference.

"Especially when it comes to threats of self harm," Gutierrez said.

105 districts across Texas use Gaggle.

A spokesperson tells us that detections of what they classify as "violence towards others" have increased 211% since 2019. There were 8,316 instances discovered in the 2021-2022 school year.

There were also more than 13,000 suicide and self harm incidents detected last school year in Texas.

"We’re always looking at tools to enhance our safety measures and both Securly and Gaggle certainly do that," Gutierrez said.

Northside ISD will roll out a monitoring program called Bark for Schools in their secondary schools later this year.

The district did a test run of the technology in five schools last spring.

"The system does not monitor social media, it is limited really to the three application areas within that Google account," spokesperson Barry Perez explained. "So Gmail, the Google Drive and the Google Chat."

Bark will not monitor personal email accounts either.

Perez says the goal is making sure students are safe and supported, and threats are taken seriously.

The technology will be rolled out as soon as possible, Perez says.

When an alert comes in, district officials will get an instant notification.

"Immediate notice can be provided to the designated staff members," Perez said. "When they notice and receive that alert, it then can be acted upon and sent to the appropriate parties, whether that might be a school counselor, a school administrator, and certainly in more troubling scenarios, even Northside police or other agencies for follow up."

There is a parent portal as well.

But these devices cannot see everything.

Both districts stress that all students and parents should report any troubling posts or behaviors they see to the appropriate authorities for the safety of all children and staff.

Seguin ISD is considering other short and long term security measures in addition to these technologies. This year, you'll need a clear backpack for any district events or to enter their secondary schools. They're also looking for more hall monitors.

In the long term, they're looking at security cameras and fencing around campuses.

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