Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Beaumont ISD Implements AI Program to Prevent Violence and Suicide

  • By Yvonne Marquez
  • 10/28/19

Beaumont ISD will implement a new artificial intelligence-based safety management system to monitor student emails and accounts to prevent violence and suicide.

The Texas school district approved a contract with Gaggle, a software company that scans student emails and files stored on school-issued Google or Microsoft accounts. The company looks for instances of bullying and references to drug and alcohol abuse, intentions of violence, sexual content, self-harm, hate speech, pornography and more.

Once the flagged content is detected, a safety expert analyzes the material to determine the severity of the content and then works with the school district to properly address the concern.

Toni McPherson, director of information services and technology for Beaumont Independent School District, told the Beaumont Enterprise, the flagged content “will be blocked from being shared to others and the Gaggle staff will immediately review it and determine the severity. In high-severity situations, the content will be sent to the appropriate district staff to be addressed.”

While Gaggle may be used to prevent suicide or a school tragedy, some advocates are concerned the software violates student privacy and can violate the Family Education Rights Privacy Act (FERPA), reported the Beaumont Enterprise. Gaggle cites it’s compliant with the federal regulation under the “school official” exclusion, meaning the school districts give the company permission to handle student’s information. Parents can also opt out of the program but students will not be allowed to use school-issued technology.

Beaumont is one of about 1,400 schools who uses Gaggle. The software will cost more than $88,000 and is covered by federal funding and not from BISD’s general fund. Gaggle will be phased in at the school district over the next several months.

About the Author

Yvonne Marquez is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • DFW-Area District Opens New Replacement Middle School

    The Eagle Mountain-Saginaw Independent School District near Fort Worth, Texas, recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new replacement middle school campus, according to a news release. The new facility for Wayside Middle School, originally established in 1964, was built on the site of the former district administration building and funded through Bond Proposition A in 2023.

  • Full Sail University Announces First Student Housing Facility

    Full Sail University in Winter Park, Fla., recently announced that development has begun on its first student housing community, according to a news release. The university is partnering with Nvision Development for construction and long-term management of the facility, which will stand five stories and have the capacity for more than 570 beds.

  • California School District Completes Elementary School Modernization

    The San Diego Unified School District in San Diego, Calif., recently held a ribbon-cutting for a whole-site modernization of Pacific Beach Elementary School, according to local news. The school first opened with one building in 1930 and added six more between 1938 and 1957.

  • Minnesota Middle School Finishes $23.5M Addition and Modernization

    Highland Park Middle School in St. Paul, Minn., recently announced the completion of a $23.5-million addition and remodel project, according to a news release. Saint Paul Public Schools partnered with ATS&R Planners, Architects & Engineers for its design and Kraus-Anderson for its construction.