Lightspeed Alert
Our priority at Bethel Public Schools is to provide every student with a quality education in a safe learning environment, whether in the classroom or online. Towards our goal of helping keep your child safer and more focused on their learning when online, Bethel Public Schools has adopted Lightspeed Alert™ as part of our school’s holistic student safety and well-being program.
Below you will find information about this service and how it will help Bethel Public Schools keep students safer and more focused on their academics when using a school-issued device or logged into the school network.
What is Lightspeed Alert?
Lightspeed Alert is a threat detection solution that monitors students’ online activity for signs of self-harm, violence, and bullying. Lightspeed safety specialists analyze each alert and escalate imminent threats for immediate intervention, enabling early prevention to protect and support student safety and well-being.
For more than 20 years, Lightspeed Systems® has been dedicated to promoting the education and safety of all students through their rich ecosystem of cloud-based solutions: web filtering, student safety monitoring, classroom and device management, and edtech application management. Presently, Lightspeed Systems serves more than 20 million students in 28,000 schools throughout 39 countries.
How does Lightspeed Alert work?
Lightspeed Alert is a software product that uses artificial intelligence to scan activity on school-owned devices and school productivity suites (Google Workspace for Education), as well as internet searches on personal devices that are logged into the school network or a school Google account for concerning words or phrases and sends real-time notifications to Lightspeed Alert safety specialists. The safety specialists evaluate all alerts, conduct threat assessments, and escalate to district safety personnel and/or law enforcement. All valid threats will be investigated by designated Bethel Public School personnel in accordance with Bethel Public Schools student safety policies and procedures.
How will Bethel Public Schools use Lightspeed Alert?
Bethel Public Schools has adopted Lightspeed Alert to:
Protect students from exposure to harmful content and safety threats online
Identify and address worrisome trends and threatening or concerning behaviors to help prevent targeted violence at schools, address potential bullying, promote student well-being and improve school climate
What are the school’s responsibilities?
Bethel Public Schools selected Lightspeed Alert to help our students stay safer everywhere. We will work with students during class time to help teach them digital responsibility and safety. Additionally, we will train designated Bethel Public Schools personnel on how to use Lightspeed Alert and about our student safety protocols, as well as policies and procedures to protect student privacy.
General alerts received from Lightspeed, that are not considered an imminent threat, will be addressed during the school day or the following school day if received after school hours. If Lightspeed Safety Specialists believe there is an imminent threat, the administration will receive a phone call and will address the situation. Calls for imminent threat situations that are received after 9:00 PM will go directly to the Central Office Administration and/or the Bethel Police Department.
What are my parental/guardian and child’s responsibilities?
Students should follow the Bethel Public Schools student use policies when using their school-managed accounts and school-issued devices. When a student is off campus, parents are responsible for supervising internet access and usage. We encourage you to discuss appropriate internet usage with your child, and to reinforce lessons of digital citizenship with them. We also highly encourage you to report any potential cyberbullying or other sensitive issues to your student’s school leadership.
Does Lightspeed Alert monitor my child’s personal device?
Bethel Public Schools and Lightspeed Alert may monitor web browsing activity originating from a personal device if it accesses a school resource, including connecting to a school network or using school software systems and learning applications. This is extremely important for families to understand. If a family member (other than the student) does not log out of their child’s school account, it will pick up all activity and/or any searches or content the individual may be looking at and notify building and district administrators of the nature of those searches. Please ensure that you have logged out of your students account on a personal device to protect your privacy.
How does Bethel Public Schools and Lightspeed Systems help protect my child’s privacy?
Only designated school/district personnel and trained Lightspeed Alert safety specialists will see the content of any alerts in the Lightspeed Alert interface or within email notifications. All school/district personnel will adhere to Bethel Public Schools’ student privacy standards at all times. In addition, Lightspeed Systems is committed to responsible, secure, and compliant use of data. All their practices, including use of AI and Lightspeed Alert monitoring, comply with all applicable laws and adhere to strict data privacy and security practices including compliance with FERPA, GDPR, and COPPA.