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College and high school student journalists are invited to join the Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT)https://cdt.org/ for a briefing on potential stories on school surveillance, student privacy, and free expression on- and off-campus.
We'll discuss the issues raised by software widely adopted by K-12 schools across the countryhttps://cdt.org/insights/report-hidden-harms-the-misleading-promise-of-monitoring-students-online/ that monitors students' activity online, and online surveillance tools being used by colleges and universities. The software, which can track students' logins to systems, and the content of their screens, emails, chats, and search and browsing history, is often implemented to comply with schools' perceived legal obligations and to keep students safe online.https://cdt.org/insights/report-online-and-observed-student-privacy-implications-of-school-issued-devices-and-student-activity-monitoring-software/ However, these tools - and others adopted at the college and K-12 levels, like social media monitoring, remote proctoring, and bluetooth beacons - instead increase the risk of discrimination, chill free expression, and threaten privacy.
As part of Student Press Freedom Day,https://studentpressfreedom.org/ CDT invites college and high school student journalists to join a virtual press briefing to discuss these issues and more on Wednesday, March 1 from 7:30-8:15pm ET.
Participants will hear from CDT experts working on student surveillance and free expression, and have the chance to ask them questions. We will also have an open discussion about how participants have seen surveillance tools used in schools, and the impacts on students. At the press briefing, participants will:
* Learn about surveillance tools used by schools, and understand how they work.
* Learn about how these tools can impact students' privacy and free expression, and their potential unintended consequences, like "outing" LGBTQ+ students and punishing students with disabilities.
* Learn how to cover issues of school surveillance in their local communities.
* Learn about and practice covering a press briefing and asking questions of experts for their reporting.
Registration and more info: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/student-press-briefing-impacts-of-school-survei...
Naomi Watkins, Ph.D. Secondary English Language Arts Specialist Utah State Board of Education (801) 538-7616