Understanding Student Monitoring Infographic

As schools grapple with the increasing importance of supporting student mental health and ensuring school safety, all while balancing remote instruction during the Covid-19 pandemic, many are turning to student monitoring technologies to meet these goals. In a recent research survey, 81% of K-12 teachers reported that their schools use monitoring software. As schools shifted to greater virtual engagement with their students during the pandemic, they have increasingly sought tools to protect students when they are online. For example, during the pandemic, 12 more of the 25 largest school districts in the country started using monitoring technology for suicide prevention.

Additionally, the shift to online learning during the pandemic was accompanied by a 28% increase in the number of school-managed devices used by students along with thousands of school-managed Wi-Fi internet hotspots. This increased technology use led to more monitoring of student online activity.

Given the rapid expansion of these tools in schools across the nation, it is important for education leaders, students, and families to understand their use. In a recently published report, FPF examined the unique privacy risks and harms students may experience when schools adopt self-harm monitoring systems without careful guardrails. But what exactly is a student monitoring system, how do schools implement them, and what student information do these systems hold and process? Today, the Future of Privacy Forum released a new infographic, Understanding Student Monitoring, that answers these questions and demystifies how student monitoring works.

FPF’s Understanding Student Monitoring infographic clarifies:

• Why schools may choose to adopt a monitoring system;
• What student information and activities a monitoring service can access;
• How a school and monitoring provider may process and use student information collected through a system;
• What actions may be taken as a result of a monitoring system flagging a student’s activity or information.