Delaware Department of Education and GoGuardian Partner to Support Safer Digital Learning and Student Mental Health

May 20, 2021 at 09:00 AM EDT

GoGuardian Admin and GoGuardian Beacon 24/7 Will Help Protect 139,000 Students at More Than 200 Delaware Public and Charter Schools

GoGuardian, a leading education technology company helping K-12 schools maximize the learning potential of every student, today announced that the Delaware Department of Education selected GoGuardian as its partner to deliver advanced content filtering and student safety solutions for school-managed devices. Delaware’s more than 200 public and charter schools will benefit from being supported by GoGuardian Admin, the most complete system for monitoring and filtering content built specifically for K-12 learning environments, and GoGuardian Beacon 24/7, an award-winning safety solution that supports student mental health.

Delaware is at the forefront of adopting statewide digital solutions to monitor and filter harmful content, while also helping identify students who may need additional mental health support. By deploying GoGuardian Admin and GoGuardian Beacon 24/7 to public and charter schools in the state, Delaware ensures its 139,000 students are afforded a safer and more supportive digital learning environment regardless of school size, budget, or resources. Equitable access to digital student safety is more important than ever as schools confront the pandemic’s longer-term impact on student mental health and learning progress.

“Whether students are attending class in our school buildings or remotely, technology is an integral part of their learning. This is an important and necessary investment in student safety,” said Delaware Secretary of Education Susan Bunting. “Although some districts and charter schools have purchased their own limited programs in the past, this statewide system is more comprehensive and will provide all Delaware public school students strong protection while saving schools the local purchase costs.”

GoGuardian Admin is a multi-layered content filtering solution designed for the most complex technological environments in K-12 schools and districts. It works on any school-managed device, browser, or operating system, using an advanced artificial intelligence engine to scan for and filter content that is harmful, inappropriate, or against school policy. Machine learning enables GoGuardian Admin to evolve dynamically over time, continually identifying new and emerging content to provide a safer online learning experience.

GoGuardian Beacon 24/7 offers automated, real-time alerts to identify students who are silently struggling with their mental health. Beacon’s proactive alerts rapidly activate a school’s custom response plan. Designed in collaboration with leading mental health experts including the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) and the American Association of Suicidology (AAS), GoGuardian Beacon 24/7 employs artificial intelligence to monitor content across school-managed devices for signs of potential self-harm or suicidality in students. A dedicated 24/7 team of Safety Support Specialists reviews and escalates active planning alerts to help schools support students.

Schools and districts can also use GoGuardian Beacon 24/7 to monitor for possible harm to others through threats, violence, and bullying. The machine learning model provides round-the-clock detection of searches on school-managed devices for guns and bombs, violent acts, bullying, and cyberbullying, intelligently alerting school leaders to review and activate the right responders when needed. Used in conjunction with a school’s overall safety program, GoGuardian Beacon 24/7 helps educators meet students’ safety and mental health needs so they can better focus, stay engaged, and learn.

GoGuardian Admin and GoGuardian Beacon 24/7 are provided to Delaware students as part of a $1.6 million project in partnership with the Delaware Department of Education and Delaware Department of Technology and Information (DTI). The project is funded by Delaware’s federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund and Governor's Emergency Education Relief Fund allocations as provided in the CARES Act.

Editor’s Note: GoGuardian follows the reporting best practices recommended by reportingonsuicide.org. If you, your readers/viewers, or anyone you know expresses suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

About GoGuardian

GoGuardian believes that education is the highest point of leverage for improving society and that digital learning can meaningfully advance educational outcomes for every student, school, and district. GoGuardian helps thousands of K-12 schools and districts maximize the learning potential of every student by providing solutions that enable more productive and safer digital learning. Its products help educators identify learning patterns, protect students from harmful and distracting content, and support mental health. Learn more at goguardian.com.