Student Safety and Mental Health During Coronavirus

Remote Learning for Student Safety

The pandemic and social distancing has been difficult and stressful for everyone – but the impact on students is enormous.

As schools have shifted to remote learning to continue education through building closures, so many critical aspects of students’ lives are disrupted: access to school counselors, support of friends and teachers, sports and extracurricular activities, and other school-related activities. Often times, these are the parts of the school day that nurture students’ mental health and emotional well-being.

May is Mental Health Awareness month — and students’ mental health has never been more of a concern. Lightspeed is working to optimize remote learning for student safety.

WITH LIGHTSPEED FILTER™, SCHOOLS CAN USE STUDENT ACTIVITY DURING REMOTE LEARNING TO HELP ENSURE THEIR SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING.

Students are using their devices more than ever, and their online activity can help identify when they’re in crisis. Lightspeed Alert™, included with Lightspeed Filter, uses advanced AI to monitor activity for signs of self-harm, suicide, cyberbullying, and other harmful behaviors. When a potential threat is spotted, real-time alerts are sent to designated personnel, including screenshots and other important information to drive appropriate intervention for remote learning for student safety.

EVEN DURING A PANDEMIC, SCHOOLS ARE WORKING HARD NOT JUST TO EDUCATE STUDENTS, BUT TO KEEP THEM SAFE – FROM THE VIRUS AND FROM OTHER HARM.

Our customers have reported that more students, younger students, and students they never would have expected are showing signs of crisis.

A school in California shared, “We had an incident of a student typing in a self-harm line and Alert worked as designed, notifying us to prevent harm to a child and/or others.” Because of the alert, “parents were immediately notified, and the situation was handled promptly.”

Another school in Pennsylvania expressed gratitude for Lightspeed Alert after catching what they believe to be a life or death situation with one of their students. With the power of Lightspeed Alert, administrators were able to act quickly when an after-hours alert came in with a full report and screenshots. School administrators notified local police who were able to intervene in time to protect the student.

Robert Williams from Nye County School District in NV shares, “We utilize Lightspeed Alert and our team has had to do home visits for a few students who have been flagged for distress. I honestly think this has saved lives and preserved family relationships.”

Lightspeed Alert is also helping Clay County School District in FL remote learning for student safety: “Lightspeed Alert has been used to monitor possible student self harm and has allowed us to ‘check-in’ on students that may be having a hard time coping with quarantine.”

Stacy Royster in Opelika City Schools in AL says, “I couldn’t live without Lightspeed Alert right now. I wouldn’t be doing distance learning without it.”

This situation can be challenging and isolating, especially for young people for whom depression and suicide rates were already at a 30-year high and rising. Lightspeed Alert has already made a difference in the lives of students, even when they’re away from school. When making plans for digital learning, make sure to consider your safety options as well. As our customer in California said, “I can’t think of a more important tool right now.”

If you or someone you know is having thoughts about suicide, call The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255).