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District technology staff recommend five‑year GoGuardian renewal to continue Chromebook filtering and classroom management
Summary
Technology staff explained GoGuardian’s three‑layer filtering, classroom 'scenes' and administrative reporting and recommended a five‑year renewal; trustees asked about privacy, home use and future features and were told the district negotiated an ~11% lower renewal price.
District technology staff presented the rationale for renewing GoGuardian, the software the district uses to filter web content and manage Chromebooks in classrooms.
Derek Bod, the district’s instructional technology coordinator, described three layers of filtering: category‑based blocking; site‑level exceptions for curriculum resources; and an AI layer that scans page content. Teachers can create "scenes" to control student screens during class periods (for example, temporarily blocking YouTube during instruction) and can see student screens in near real time.
Scott Endicott, director of technology, noted the product’s administrative benefits, including historical reporting and alerts when a student repeatedly attempts to access risky content. Staff said GoGuardian runs when a student is logged into a district Google account on a district device; teachers cannot see a student’s device activity if the student is using a personal device or is not logged into the district account. The presenters said GoGuardian has been reliable in district use and that negotiations reduced the renewal quote by roughly 11%.
Trustees asked about privacy, whether teacher classroom blocks carry between periods, and whether new GoGuardian features such as Hall Pass would be included. Staff explained scenes are time‑bounded to class periods and that Hall Pass is a new offering the district may explore later. Administration said the renewal is planned as a five‑year contract and will return as an action item for approval.
Next steps: staff will update contract language and pricing and bring a recommendation to the board for approval at a future meeting.
