The Lightspeed Blog

Learn about upcoming events, edtech insights, back-to-school tips, student mental health resources, software implementation and utilisation, and more, from the experts at Lightspeed on the Lightspeed Systems® blog.

Introducing: How to Be a Data Hero (and Help Your District Thrive)

With tighter budgets and rising demands, district leaders are under pressure to deliver more with less. This November, we’re kicking off our How to Be a Data Hero blog series for a practical look at how data can be a powerful ally, from navigating complex compliance requirements to improving student outcomes and beyond.

Moving Past Patch-Up Solutions: Why Quick Mental Wellness Fixes Fail Students

The impulse to implement quick mental wellness interventions feels both compassionate and urgent. Administrators want to help, parents demand action, and everyone seeks rapid solutions. And this is all understandable. Nevertheless, mounting research reveals a troubling pattern...

The Screen Time Debate: Myths vs. Facts – What the Data Really Shows

If you’ve been anywhere near a school board meeting, a parent coffee chat, or even your own dinner table lately, you know the screen time conversation is heated. Phones are getting banned in districts and states across the country, the use of technology in education is being questions, and everyone has an opinion. But here’s the thing—opinions aren’t data.

Protecting K-12 Districts from Cyberattacks | Part 3

As we wrap up our series during National Cybersecurity Awareness Month in October, let's focus on proactive measures beyond basic defenses. This includes checklists, expert recommendations, online resources, and tools like Lightspeed's offerings to fortify your district.

Protecting K-12 Districts from Cyberattacks | Part 2

The sad truth is that cybercriminals are always looking for the next vulnerability, whether that comes from taking advantage of human error or reaping the rewards of sophisticated scams. For K–12 school districts, these threats are becoming more frequent, more complex, and more disruptive.

Protecting K-12 Districts from Cyberattacks | Part 1

The consequences are severe. A successful breach doesn't just endanger student privacy; it can compromise staff data, disrupt emergency communications, halt payroll, and erase critical records like coursework or financial documents.

Building School Environments Where Students Actually Reach Out

Every educator has encountered students who clearly need support but never ask for it. They sit silently through struggles that could be addressed, avoid eye contact when problems escalate, and sometimes disappear entirely rather than seek assistance.

Lightspeed Systems Launches Next-Generation Image Blurring to Boost Online Safety in Schools

Lightspeed Systems has just unveiled a new image blurring capability within its acclaimed Lightspeed Filter, bringing schools a powerful new tool to keep students safe online. This innovative feature adds an extra layer of protection against explicit images while still ensuring students and educators have the access they need to valuable learning resources.

Lightspeed Alert Expands Student Safety Net with New Canvas LMS Integration 

Lightspeed Systems is taking another big step forward in student safety with the general availability of its powerful new Canvas LMS integration for Lightspeed Alert™. As more classrooms move online, it’s never been more important to ensure student well-being in digital spaces.

Why Zero Trust is Essential for K-12 Schools and How to Make It Work

Enter Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA): a modern, identity-centric strategy that assumes no user or device—inside or outside the network—should be automatically trusted. Every request for access is verified, every device is monitored, and sensitive data is always protected.

Student Data Privacy: Lessons Learned from K-12 Leaders Q&A

Last week, I had the pleasure of joining Monica Lopez Watts from 1EdTech and Matt Jackson from Fayette County Public Schools (GA) for a lively conversation about what student data privacy actually looks like in action.

Fueling Your Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management with Behavioral Threat Assessment Intelligence (BTAI)

When a student poses a risk to themselves or others, time matters. Schools have invested in Behavioral Threat Assessment (BTA) and Behavioral Threat Assessment Management (BTAM) processes to identify and intervene early. But even the best-trained team is only as effective as the visibility they have into risks.

Cybersecurity in K-12: Protecting Our Schools in a Rapidly Evolving Digital World

K-12 schools are among the most targeted sectors for cyberattacks, facing threats like phishing, ransomware, and data breaches. Building a resilient cybersecurity posture requires a blend of technology, education, monitoring, and a culture of vigilance—especially in the face of limited budgets and rapidly advancing digital environments.

Lightning Chat Series Episode 10 Recap: Student Data Privacy in Action

Jiana Khazma here, Product Marketing Manager at Lightspeed Systems. In Episode 10 of our Lightning Chat Series, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Matt Jackson from Fayette County Public Schools in Georgia to talk about a topic that’s more important than ever: student data privacy.

Visibility and Control of EdTech Devices and Apps: Key Insights from Our Latest Webinar

Over the past few years, schools across the globe have experienced a dramatic shift in the way technology is integrated into teaching and learning. In our latest webinar, I had the pleasure of exploring the challenges (and exciting solutions) around gaining true visibility and control over edtech devices and applications in schools.

Lightspeed + 1EdTech Partnership is Making App Vetting Easier for Schools

we’ve expanded our partnership with 1EdTech, the global leader in educational technology standards. Starting now, Lightspeed Insight customers will get access to a whole new level of trusted app privacy and security data, right inside the platform they already use.

From Awareness to Action: Stopping School Bullying

The challenge facing school leaders today isn't simply awareness. Most educators understand bullying's devastating impact. The task is to build systems that detect bullying early, respond effectively when incidents occur, and create environments where issues become less likely in the first place.

Stronger Together: Lightspeed Systems + Instagram for Safer Schools

We’re proud to announce a new collaboration with Instagram. Because helping keep students safe takes teamwork, and the challenges schools might face require all of us — technology providers, platforms, and educators — working together.

Lightning Chat Episode 9: Artificial Intelligence in K-12 

Hello everyone, Donal McMahon here, Chief AI Officer at Lightspeed Systems. If you’re reading this, you probably already know: AI is having a moment. And when I say a moment, I mean a seismic shift in how we live, learn, and interact.

Solutions to Tardiness: Creating Real Support for Late Students (Part 2)

Many young people aren't choosing to disrupt class or showing disrespect for education. They're often managing challenges that would overwhelm many adults. The real challenge lies in developing effective, compassionate responses that address these root causes while maintaining the student’s connection to their educational community.

Solutions to Tardiness: Why Students Are So Late to School (Part 1)

Our two-part blog series on this topic will reveal the complex reality behind student tardiness in many schools. We cover the alarming connection between chronic lateness and long-term academic risk, and the innovative interventions that recognize tardiness as a symptom rather than a character flaw.

AI Companions in School: Promise and Peril

September is Suicide Prevention & Awareness Month, and lately every month seems to be AI awareness month. These two things have come together in tragic ways, with recent stories about AI companions encouraging suicidal ideation in teens.

Secure Up to $1M in STOP Program Grant Funding

The Student, Teachers, and Officers Preventing (STOP) School Violence Program is one of the largest federal opportunities to strengthen K–12 safety. It’s designed to prevent student violence against themselves or others, equip schools with tools for early detection and intervention, and Expand access to anonymous reporting systems and safety technology

The Power of Words: Supporting Students Through Journaling, Context, and Compassion

Public campaigns and visible support are vital, but some of the most powerful signs of student struggle (and hope) appear quietly, tucked away in digital journals and Google Docs. By tuning into the words and context students use in these private spaces, we gain deeper insight into their emotional worlds and can provide more meaningful support.

From Risk to Resource: Making YouTube Safer for Learning with SmartPlay

As screen time concerns and online safety regulations grow, blocking YouTube in schools might seem like the safest choice—but it comes at the cost of valuable learning. As digital safety concerns rise, educators need a better way to balance access and protection. Explore how schools can keep learning safe, engaging, and compliant—without shutting the door on powerful online resources.

Lightning Chat Episode 8: Student Reporting in the Era of Cell Phone-Free Schools

Today, I was joined by the insightful Erika Johnson, Strategic Account Manager and a veteran building leader with 25 years of experience in Wisconsin schools. Together, we tackled a topic that’s rapidly reshaping the landscape of school safety: how student reporting is evolving as cell phone-free education takes hold.

Lightning Chat Episode 7: Takeaways from UK State of Student Safety Report

Hey everyone, Colin McCabe (General Manager, International) here from Lightspeed. Shaun Phillips, our EMEA Sales Director, and I just recorded Lightning Chat Episode 7, where we dug into the UK Student Safety Report. It combines national data with insights from our Lightspeed Alert™ and Lightspeed StopIt™ tools to highlight the risks kids face today...

Lightspeed Filter Now Supports Windows on ARM Devices

We’re committed to delivering secure, reliable, and future-ready filtering across every device in the modern classroom. With the release of the Lightspeed Filter Windows Agent 3.2.1, we’re proud to announce full support for Windows on ARM devices, marking another step forward in our mission to provide consistent protection and visibility for every student, everywhere.

The Hidden Cost of Academic Perfectionism

Across the United States, millions of high-achieving students are trapped in a cycle where academic success breeds anxiety, self-doubt, and an exhausting pursuit of flawless performance. What appears as excellence on the surface often masks a mental health crisis that's been quietly escalating for decades. Academic perfectionism is going from being a helpful motivator to becoming a destructive force that undermines the very success it promises to deliver.

From Overlooked to Optimized: How Lightspeed Signal™ Enhances Off-Campus Internet Visibility

As districts strive to close the homework gap, ensuring every student has dependable home connectivity outside of school hours is critical. However, many schools face challenges in understanding how well their off-campus internet solutions, like LTE hotspots, are actually performing. That's where Lightspeed Signal steps in.
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