Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Technology topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Coatesville committee backs Linewize content-filter proposal, cites fewer false positives and new teacher tools
Summary
Technology staff recommended Linewize, a content-aware web filter and classroom-management suite, to replace the district’s prior filter; staff said the platform’s human monitoring and content-based blocking will reduce false positives and provide teachers with live screen tools, though it increases costs.
Coatesville Area School District technology and safety staff on May 12 recommended Linewize, a content-aware web-filter and classroom-management system, to replace the district’s current URL-based filter.
Rich, the district technologist who presented the proposal, told the operations committee that Linewize uses content analysis (including live image and video blurring) rather than only URL lists and offers 24/7 human monitoring for high-level alerts. "This product also works on the content that's on the page," he said, noting that content-aware blocking can stop inappropriate material even on otherwise approved websites. He added that the system will notify administrators and counselors when a student’s activity meets a configured risk threshold.
Linewize also includes classroom-management features that let teachers view student screens, preload lesson tabs, pause or blank screens and permit temporary access to sites such as YouTube for a single class period. Staff emphasized functionality aimed at reducing false positives and enabling a faster human response when alerts indicate possible self-harm or other urgent risk.
The district acknowledged an increase in cost compared with its prior solution but said additional features—content-aware blurring, local gateway hardware to maintain filtering during outages, a parent app and optional Classwise-like classroom monitoring—justify the change. The operations committee voted to move the Linewize recommendation to the full board agenda for consideration.
