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Maywood superintendent outlines plan to expand after‑hours Chromebook monitoring, alert parents and notify police for threats
Summary
Superintendent Michael Jordan told the Board the district will extend GoGuardian monitoring of district‑issued Chromebooks to after‑school hours (4:30 p.m.–8:00 a.m.), send real‑time parent notifications about flagged searches and trigger law‑enforcement alerts for searches indicating self‑harm or threats.
Superintendent Michael Jordan described a planned enhancement to the district's GoGuardian software to extend monitoring of district‑issued Chromebooks beyond the school day and to share selected alerts with parents in real time. The board received the report during its Jan. 30, 2025 regular meeting.
Jordan said the district currently uses GoGuardian during the school day to flag searches on the district domain that appear illicit, inappropriate or unrelated to classroom subjects. Under the proposed change, the same rule set would continue to operate 24/7; between 4:30 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. the district hopes to provide parents with email and text notifications when a student's Chromebook activity triggers those flags. Jordan described an additional automated escalation: when a flagged search rises to the level of self‑harm or a threat to others, the software would generate an immediate notification to law enforcement, per the minutes.
The superintendent framed the change as a safety and support measure, saying the district wants to equip parents with tools to intervene quickly if a child’s online searches indicate risk or to correct inappropriate device use. The minutes note that the district intends to work with its vendor on a rollout plan and will provide more details to families in the near term.
The minutes also record broader legal and privacy guidance discussed earlier in the meeting: school officials should consult district legal counsel before granting access to school grounds or records to federal immigration agents and should review any court orders or subpoenas—FERPA and New Jersey regulations on student records (N.J.A.C. 6A:32‑7.6) were cited in the board packet as constraints on disclosure and as a basis for parental notification where required. The superintendent’s presentation therefore combined proposed technical monitoring enhancements with reminders about applicable legal limits and processes for protecting student records.
The board did not take a formal vote on the monitoring proposal during the Jan. 30 meeting; minutes indicate the administration will return with rollout specifics and related policies for further consideration.
