After seven Spotsylvania County students were arrested last month on felony charges related to threats of school violence, school officials have rushed to develop strategies aimed at improving safety.
Spotsylvania County Public Schools will begin using Lightspeed Alert on Monday as part of student safety measures, according to a letter the division sent to parents and guardians on Friday evening.
Lightspeed Alert monitors students’ online activity within school buildings and detects signs of self-harm, violence and bullying. School officials hope that the tool will aid administrators in becoming aware of wellness concerns and potential threats of violence more rapidly.
According to the letter, Lightspeed uses Artificial Intelligence to scan activity on school-owned devices and school productivity suites. It also detects internet searches on personal devices and sends real-time notifications and alerts to school officials.
The letter stated that information obtained through Lightspeed is secure, complies with applicable laws, adheres to strict data privacy and security practices and follows the division’s Acceptable Use Policy and Technology Use Guidelines.
Spotsylvania first-year Superintendent Clint Mitchell said procuring the technology aligns with officials’ goals of making schools in the county safer.
“As I have said since my arrival on August 1, the safety of our students and staff is the No. 1 priority in our district,” Mitchell said. “The Lightspeed Alert technology is one of several safety measures that we will be implementing in the coming months to keep our students and staff safe in Spotsylvania County Public Schools.”
Parents and students have been on edge in the county for the past month. More than 800 students were absent from Courtland High School on Sept. 17, the day after a threat was scrawled on a bathroom wall. A similar threat was posted in a bathroom at Massaponax High School.
On Sept. 12, a student made a threat to Ni River Middle School. The boy had social media searches on his devices that referenced the Columbine High School mass shooting that took place in Littleton, Colorado, in 1999.
A threat assessment determined it was a high-level threat. The boy’s parents took steps to secure their weapons at home, according to correspondence from school officials.
The Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Office picked up the student and referred him for evaluation. The student must be cleared by medical professionals before he can return to school, according to school officials.
