Blue Valley USD229 in the Kansas City, KS, area is often a spring board for what other districts in Kansas will soon try themselves. Therefore, Kansas parents should be watchful for this coming down the pike. If your school, like Blue Valley, already has this, then it’s time to return the device and contact your local administration, and all Kansans should contact their Kansas representatives to express concerns and to tell the legislator to stop funding these things.
Kansas TAXPAYERS FOOTING THE COST of supplying kids technology devices – not just for school, but for outside school … including the SUMMER months’ break: “students will be taking their district-provided devices home with them over the summer break.”
(At the end, are two communications from the Blue Valley school district.)
The school district assumes the SUPERIOR AUTHORITY over the parent, first by directing only one possibility (NO CHOICE) of the student/parent having and using the devices over summer break, and then by DIRECTING PARENTS how to interact with their own child and instructing of a weekly action that must be taken. The school district even places its own expectations to be those of the parent.
· Prior to the end of school, we want to encourage parents to speak with their children about expectations related to technology use over the summer, as well as remind students of proper care for these devices …
· We encourage you to speak with your child about your expectations related to technology use over the summer, as well as remind students of proper care for these devices
· We want to communicate a protocol that all students and staff should make part of their MBA routine: RESTART THE DEVICE ON MONDAY MORNINGS
ALL SUMMER LONG, the school district will be monitoring and tracking both the device and any usage 24/7.
Will my child’s district-provided device continued to be filtered over the summer?
Yes – all district-provided devices are protected 24/7 by our cloud-based filter, Securly, both at school and beyond.
The school district refers to the Orwellian program, Securly, as a “filter.” It does much more than sift or strain. The school and the providers OWN ALL THE DATA, not the student or parent. (The following detail has not been communicated to parents.)
1. It tracks the device 24/7.
2. It amasses data:
a. Location
b. All actions/keystrokes made by a student
i. Length of time visiting a website
ii. Links clicked
iii. Messages sent or posted
c. Info on the student’s PERSONAL computing device
i. Browser type and browser language
ii. Operating system
iii. IP address
d. Websites visited (including Gmail monitoring)
e. Uses cookies, web beacons and other tech to collect usage information
3. It applies analytics and AI to the data:
a. Looks for and flags social media for any signs of bullying or self-harm
b. Creates a DIGITAL FOOTPRINT on every student
c. Analysts – with PSYCHOLOGY backgrounds, analyze the content and context of student usage
d. Determines whether a student is playing games or doing homework
e. Google Analytics, etc.
4. It provides schools with data and alerts
a. ALERTS SCHOOL personnel if “self-harm” is detected
b. Works with school personnel on “how to proceed”
5. It provides parents with data on their children
a. Usage reports
b. Parents are encouraged to sign up with the Securly parent portal
c. Parent usage of Securly is also tracked and analyzed, as well
Parents not only DO NOT direct what happens with their children at school.
Now, they are NOT the determiners of what happens with their children outside of school.
The school district offers no options to parents in regard to whether their own children have and use technology devices.
AND — look at the email wording!!!! The-BVH-Family!!!!!!!
Per an information technology professional:
You’re asking my opinion about a company that deliberately misspells a word to create their company name and then sells that product to schools?
There are a ton of concerns in the privacy policy.
EVERY piece of your kid’s internet usage will be collected/owned and monitored by the school system and all its partners (providers, the state education system, etc.)
I wouldn’t use this product in a million years.
Parents can expect phone calls from schools/authorities asking why their kid is going to certain websites, or communicating/messaging in “unacceptable” ways, or worse.
But, if you’re a parent that wants The State to parent and control your kids – have at it.
The attack on parent authority and families continues to be unveiled. It will only grow, unless parents refuse to comply with this.
LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICTS and EDUCATION “INTERESTS” strongly and intentionally lobby state legislators regarding lack of funding and support lawsuits against the state for inadequate funding. In fact, the school districts push to burden every citizen (and business) with higher and higher taxes in order to MONITOR and CONTROL EVERY PART OF PEOPLE’S LIVES. In this case, the lives of CHILDREN.
These are NOT attributes of a society of FREEDOM or LIBERTY.
Kansans Against Common Core 