HORRY COUNTY, SC (WMBF) – Horry County school students’ online activity will be under watchful eyes this year, thanks to a new program.
Linewize monitoring staff will monitor school-issued devices 24/7 as well as any personal phones, laptops or tablets connected to the school’s wifi.
Their job is to catch any alarming language or phrases and let the school know immediately in hopes to prevent threats, bullying or inappropriate searches.
The district’s executive director of safety and security Mike Frederick said this technology is a game changer.
“It saves us a ton of time on the investigative side,” Frederick said. “Versus the old so and so said this and we’re getting third and fourth hand reports. Now, we’ve got the actual search screen that was entered on the device in real time, and it can be notified and pushed to us immediately.”
Frederick said all personal information is protected.
“We don’t look up what recipes people are trading or football information,” Frederick said. “The triggers are very specific and very obvious. Weapons searches, references to attacks to a particular person, references to drugs and alcohol. Things that are harmful to students. The triggers on the screens are not aimed at anything else.”
Frederick said they are also working to upgrade all security cameras.
They’ve finished installing them at all high schools and are about halfway through the middle schools.
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