August marks the start of the 2026-27 school year, and that’s when Henrico County Public Schools (HCPS) will implement new student surveillance software. Henrico Citizen reported that HCPS will expand Securly—a digital security program—by installing Securly Classroom onto “students’ school-issued devices that will allow teachers to view what students are actively doing on their screens and what websites a student has opened.” Students’ class activities aren’t recorded, but Securly Classroom uploads “a list of the sites a student visited during class time to the teacher.”
HCPS positioned this software as a benefit to teachers because it will give them “total control over the digital content in the classroom” and the ability to monitor student activity on iPads and computers. Furthermore, families of students will have access to an app called Securly Home, which is designed to allow “parents to monitor their student’s internet activity on their school-issued device throughout the day and limit screen time after school.”
How much student surveillance is too much?
Student spyware apps came on the heels of the Covid-19 lockdown. Securly Classroom purports to help keep students on task, but there are advantages and disadvantages to introducing yet more student activity monitoring software to HCPS classrooms. For one thing, it introduces another task teachers must do on top of their busy schedules and responsibilities. Will they be compensated for learning a new skill set and spending more time monitoring students? The extra work could take away time from their teaching duties, a situation that might negatively impact student learning.
Adding Securly Home monitoring to Securly Classroom means increased surveillance of students both at school and in their homes. This raises privacy issues for students and their families. For example, Securly “allows for teachers to view students’ screens outside of class, at home, or any point in between.” Is there a limit to how much time teachers can spend viewing students’ screens?
It’s important to question who benefits from the use of Securly Classroom, who might be harmed by it, and if anyone profits from these types of surveillance software. Student spyware apps have disproportionately targeted students from marginalized communities:
That means that students who use their devices to research trans healthcare or abortion related material could find those devices weaponized against them, potentially resulting in criminal charges. If prosecutors consider charges against students, the data gathered by mandatory student spyware apps like Bark, Gaggle, GoGuardian, and Securly will prove invaluable.
Another factor worth addressing is how Securly Classroom and Securly Home could impact students psychologically and emotionally in the long term, especially if the technology is misused to discipline students.
Is surveillance software the best solution for parents?
If students are engaging in excessive use of their school devices at home, is increased parental spyware surveillance the best solution? Securly Home begs the question of why parents need to heavily monitor their child’s internet usage from afar as opposed to engaging them in conversations about internet usage, safety, and related topics.
Senators Warren and Markey investigated “EdTech Student Surveillance Platforms” and concluded federal action is needed “to protect students’ civil rights, safety, and privacy.” Their investigation found that “Schools, parents and communities are not being appropriately informed of the use – and potential misuse – of the data.”
How can parents with children in HCPS make an informed decision about student spyware vendors like Securly if monitoring software companies aren’t fully transparent about their product? Some parental controls for blocking or filtering internet content are helpful; the key is being fully informed about the apps one is using to monitor one’s child and balancing the use of parental control tools with good old-fashioned in-person parenting.
Take Action
- Contact your representative on the HCPS School Board with any questions you have about Securly Classroom and Securly Home.
