Lightspeed Systems® Introduces Teacher App Request Workflow Integration

Integration into Engagement and Impact Solution Bolsters Data Security and Empowers Teachers 

Austin, Texas—April 18, 2024—Today, Lightspeed Systems®, celebrating its twenty-fifth year as the global leader in providing digital safety, security, and equity solutions to K-12 education, introduced the Teacher App Request Workflow integration to its market-leading products Lightspeed Classroom Management™ and Lightspeed Digital Insight™.  

With over 2,000 applications in use on average per district, staff need processes to ensure proper evaluation and approval to both mitigate security risks and ensure the instructional alignment of edtech tools. This new integration — the first of its kind in the marketplace — allows teachers to discover approved apps and submit app requests directly from their classroom management tool to IT and Curriculum teams. This facilitates more efficient vetting and collaboration that bolsters district data security, all powered by one platform. 

"Everything we build for teachers is designed to save them time and optimize their experience managing digital learning,” said Brook McShane Bock, Chief Product Officer at Lightspeed Systems. “This new integration makes it easier than ever for districts to manage app approvals and get teachers on board in the process. By giving teachers quick access to discover apps and facilitating direct communication with other departments, we're helping teachers access the tools they need faster, while safeguarding student data privacy." 

Enhance District Security with Simplified App Approvals and Collaboration

From Lightspeed Classroom Management, teachers can now request an app for district approval without leaving their daily tool. Teachers can also browse a catalog of school- and district-approved apps to search for edtech tools they may need in their classroom, supporting adherence to district guidelines.  

From Lightspeed Digital Insight, district IT and Instructional Technology teams will be notified of app requests and be able to quickly evaluate tools for privacy policy compliance and instructional alignment. Integrated privacy policy tools help simplify review or provide a starting point for deeper analysis, including integrations with 1EdTech’s TrustED Apps Program and the Student Data Privacy Consortium (SDPC). Validation badges signify compliance with key privacy regulations such as GDPR, FERPA, and COPPA.  

Lightspeed System's Teacher App Request Workflow fosters improved collaboration between IT, Curriculum, and teaching teams by eliminating the need for spreadsheets and manual outreach. This closed-loop workflow allows departments to stay informed of app request statuses in real-time via email notifications for when apps are submitted and in review, approved, or not approved. 

“Giving teachers quick access to discover approved apps will help us ensure they're using secure, curriculum-aligned tools,” said Arnie Lewis, Director of Digital Learning at Yakima School District in Yakima, Washington. “In addition, this workflow’s ‘request an app' option for teachers will help us streamline the whole approval process by creating a central line of our communication with our district teams.” 

Lightspeed's Teacher App Request Workflow boosts security, streamlining app requests and collaboration from one platform. In the process, teachers shape their digital learning environment while alleviating administrative burdens. With a user-friendly platform for app discovery and requests, districts enhance data security, save time for IT and Curriculum teams, and ultimately give teachers more time back to focus on delivering high-quality instruction. Lightspeed Systems will continue to expand its app approval workflow this year, delivering highly anticipated customization capabilities for IT and Curriculum teams.  

For more information on Lightspeed Systems’ Engagement & Impact solution, please visit https://www.lightspeedsystems.com/solutions/engagement-impact/. 

About Lightspeed Systems®

Lightspeed Systems is dedicated to providing K–12 districts with time-saving solutions to create safe, secure, and equitable education, so they focus where it matters most—students and learning. Lightspeed Systems provides cloud-managed solutions: Security & Compliance, Safety & Wellness and Engagement & Impact, purpose-built for school networks and devices. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, Lightspeed Systems serves more than 23 million students using 15 million devices in 31,000 schools throughout 42 countries. To learn more, visit www.lightspeedsystems.com.  

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Media Contact:  

Ray Hartjen  

Lightspeed Systems  

[email protected]  

(512) 439-3995