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District updates cameras, AI classroom pilot and content-filtering; trustees ask about rollout and training
Summary
District safety and technology staff told the board cameras are being installed at campuses, an AI teaching assistant pilot called Rocket is expanding, and a centralized content filter (Linewize) is in use; trustees pressed staff for timelines, training plans and clarity on who will access footage and filtered logs.
District security and technology staff gave the board a monthly safety and health update that covered security camera installations, an early childhood AI pilot called Rocket, a centralized content-filtering system (Linewize) and the district''s emergency-notification and training contract (AJIX).
Jason Romero, district director of safety and health, said the district aims to have cameras installed and operational at every school by the end of the school year (target date given as June 30). Romero said vehicles used by the security team are increasingly visible at campuses to deter incidents, and that newly installed cameras will be available for investigators rather than for continuous, live monitoring. Romero said the district is using a software vendor called Ricara to manage recordings and that access to footage is limited to administrators; he said the district will schedule formal training on camera software for administrators and investigators.
Romero also described a pilot program called Rocket, an interactive AI dog-like teaching assistant used in kindergarten through second grade under a grant. The Rocket pilot produced a short video excerpt shown to trustees; Romero said schools can sign up to use Rocket based on curriculum timing and availability.
On content filtering, Romero described Linewize (spoken in the meeting as "Linewise/Limewise") as a centralized filtering appliance that blocks categories of sites (gambling, explicit content) at the district level and enforces rules on district devices both on-site and remote. He said current filtering is URL- and category-based and that future development will move toward machine-learning approaches that scan images and video for inappropriate content.
Trustees asked several operational questions: whether security vehicles will visit all campuses, whether Rocket will be offered to additional schools, whether Linewize would block specific images or videos that had previously circulated among students, and whether the new cameras would be actively monitored. Romero said vehicles visit multiple campuses on a schedule, Rocket is available for schools to enroll based on timing and space, Linewize currently blocks known URLs and categories and will expand capabilities over time, and cameras will be used for incident investigation rather than continuous surveillance. He said AJIX training and other emergency drills have been provided at multiple schools this year and that the district is scheduling more trainings to ensure staff are comfortable using systems such as AJIX.
Board members asked staff to provide a timeline for training and to ensure that camera access and filtering policies are clearly communicated to school leaders and families. Romero said access is currently limited to district administrators and investigators and that the district would schedule trainings for site administrators.
