Earlier this year, KMOX took an in-depth look at the technology schools are using to monitor what students do online. In some cases, schools are blocking inappropriate content. Other districts are tracking everything students type or search to determine if they are at risk for self-harm or violence.
Schools and the software platforms they contract with tell KMOX it's to keep kids safe in an age of increasing school violence and youth mental health issues. Watchdog groups are now sounding new alarms about potential misuse.
In its latest survey of teachers, students, and parents, the Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT) reports parents are becoming more concerned about the use of online surveillance platforms. "Our research shows that parents really are out of the loop," says Elizabeth Laird, Director of the Equity in Civic Technology Project at CDT. "Only 27% of parents said they'd ever been asked for their input on what content is restricted online."
Half of teachers who responded to the survey felt that filtering and blocking software is hampering students' ability to research and complete work. More than a third of teachers expressed concern that students have had increased contact with law enforcement due to alerts sent to officials.
The Center for Democracy and Technology and more than a dozen other groups are asking the US Education Department to look at issues raised by online student monitoring that could potentially violate the civil rights of students. One of the issues is whether minority, low-income, or disabled students are disproportionately impacted by monitoring software because they are often more likely to rely on school issued devices for internet access.
The coalition is also worried that some schools are using the data collected for predictive analytics. "One other question we asked about this was whether some schools were using the same kinds of information to try and predict whether a student was at risk of committing a crime, committing an act of self-harm, or committing an act of mass violence," adds Laird, "36% of teachers said that yes, their school does that."
They're also asking federal education officials to create guidelines for use of artificial intelligence in schools. In the CDT survey only a quarter of teachers said they received training on how to respond if students use generative AI inappropriately. At the same time more than half of teachers say they know of students who have disciplined for AI use.
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