As part of the division’s commitment to safe and effective use of technology, Virginia Beach City Public Schools (VBCPS) is excited to announce the addition of Securly Parent Portal, a web-filtering tool offering parental controls and reports on division-issued devices.
After a successful field-test at several schools, VBCPS will now offer all parents the option to use Securly to monitor how their children are using their school-issued devices. Parents will be able to view online activity outside of the classroom, such as sites browsed, social media use and activity, and items searched.
Parents must sign up to receive weekly Securly emails that will include detailed information about their children’s internet activity on school-issued devices. Parents will also have the ability to customize what their children can do and see on their devices while at home and, specifically, allow or deny access to specific sites and categories.
Additionally, the software also contains a cyberbullying and self-harm detection feature.
Through web filters and cyberbullying/self-harm detection across social media, Securly enables the division to maintain a safer 1:1 environment for students. This school year the division became 1:1, meaning each student in grades one through 12 will have their device provided for them at school. Whenever Securly detects a possible sign of distress, administrators and parents are notified, allowing for a quick and suitable solution.
To further increase good digital citizenship, the division educates students throughout the year about appropriate online behavior when interacting with others on social networking websites and other forms of electronic communications.
In late September, after schools finalize assigning student devices, parents can expect to receive an email with more information about Securly registration or how to unsubscribe.
Questions about the Securly Parent Portal should be emailed directly to help@securly.com. For content related questions (e.g. sites allowed or blocked, search results, etc.), contact the Department of Technology Help Desk at 757-263-1111.
Securly sounds like a wonderful addition to school technology! We are very grateful to have this access. Thank you VBCPS!!
One of my greatest concerns with the 1:1 implementation after my experience with the classroom Chromebooks last year was being able to monitor internet use for my son. I am looking forward to testing out the new options for monitoring computer use and really hope that the improvements are enough to keep the children blocked from unsecured content as well as games and social media during the instructional time when they should be focusing on their educational content.
Before these laptops are issued to the kids, they need to have web-filters already activated to prohibit visiting pornographic websites. All it takes is a week of unlimited web access (before parents have access to this new security software) to rip away the innocence of a young child at a premature age. These filters have to be protected with administrator/password privileges or the kids will just turn them off. These laptops are being provided with public funds through a school system. The school system should not be enabling teenage (and younger) boys to access porn and they should not rely on parents to turn on “controls/filters” to activate this restriction on a publicly funded laptop. In other words, our tax dollars are not intended to fund 11/12 yr old boys having access to some truly disgusting stuff that’s on the internet these days (just a few clicks away).
My daughter has had a laptop for the past 2 years, and These laptops are already set with filters on them. It doesn’t block every site however the filters do prevent Students from being able to access many sites. Including pornography sites. They are not “relying” on parents to block them. There may be some allowable sites that parents may not want their kids to go to…thus giving parents access to seeing what their kids do…and adding additional filters.
Joe,
Do your children have cell phones? You’ve already given them access to the sites you are so worried about
I totally agree, I’m a concerned parent of 6 children in the school system.
My son had a VBCPS chromebook last year & it was pretty much locked down without the new software. He wasn’t even able to access things he needed, so no worries.
My daughter has had a laptop for the past 2 years, and These laptops are already set with filters on them. It doesn’t block every site however the filters do prevent Students from being able to access many sites. Including pornography sites. They are not “relying” on parents to block them. There may be some allowable sites that parents may not want their kids to go to…thus giving parents access to seeing what their kids do…and adding additional filters.
Thank You!!!
I don’t worry about school issued chrome books and our children. They have filters on them that prohibit access to undesirable web sites. What parents should really be worried about is the access that they already provide their children with their cell phones. Parents already give their children unfettered access to these sites.