As students have increasing access to the web, both in school and at home, the Rochester City School District is encouraging all students to be good digital citizens. Please talk to your students and school community about online safety.

Please join with us to work together and ensure our students are safe online!

How does RCSD secure our digital content?

• Gaggle- Program that reveals potentially harmful content in student emails, documents, shared files, images, photos and more. Notifies principal and district staff to follow up with students.
• Lightspeed- Filters websites for appropriate content and allows teachers to view student internet use.
• Chromebook/iPad Apps- Only a select library of educational applications are installed on the iPads or available for students on the Chromebooks.
• YouTube- Filtering of YouTube content on all devices connected to the RCSD network..
  • PreK-2nd grade iPads cannot access YouTube.
  • 3rd-12th grade Chromebooks have multiple layers of YouTube filtering.
  • Only videos approved for educational use are viewable for students on their RCSD121 accounts.
• Social Media such as Twitter & Facebook are blocked within the RCSD network.

How does RCSD educate our students to be safe online?

• Digital Citizenship Day Camp is a full-day learning opportunity for 5th Grade classes in the Modern Learning Space at Central Office.
• District wide participation in International Safer Internet Day where classes focus on material and discussion about Internet Safety and Cyberbullying.
• District Partnership with the local chapter of National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). Schools, teachers, and support staff use NetSmartz resources and presenters from NCMEC hold assemblies in schools to teach online safety.
• Digital Citizenship curriculum is led by librarians and supported in classrooms.

How does RCSD educate staff:

• All teachers with classroom sets of Chromebooks complete the NetSmartz Online Educator Training Program: Teaching Digital Citizenship (1.5 hrs).
• Instructional Technology incorporates Digital Citizenship lessons throughout the Digital Transformation PD's that are needed for class sets of Chromebooks.
• PreK-2nd grade teachers participated in a training about iPad use in the classroom (3 hrs) and are recommended to complete the NetSmartz Online Educator Training Program: Teaching Digital Citizenship (1.5 hrs).
• Weekly RCSD Cyber Tip emails to all staff focusing on ways for staff to stay safe online and navigate the digital world.