Districts managing 1:1 device programs are facing a clear shift. Parents are asking for more control over school-issued devices at home. School boards are discussing transparency and oversight. In several states, parent rights legislation is raising expectations around visibility into student online activity. At the same time, IT teams must preserve filtering compliance during the school day and avoid an increase in support tickets tied to individual site requests.
To help districts meet those demands, Lightspeed Systems has released new Lightspeed Parent Portal™ enhancements designed to improve parent oversight of student devices after school without changing district filtering policies during instructional hours.
This release introduces:
- Internet access schedules for after-school device management
- A custom block list for site-level control
- Expanded category controls that remain simple and manageable
Together, these updates give districts a clear answer to a growing question: how do you give parents meaningful control at home without weakening policy at school?
Internet Access Schedules for After-School Device Management
Parents can now create automated internet access schedules that apply when devices are in after-school mode. District filtering policies remain fully enforced during the school day. This supports common scenarios districts hear about repeatedly. A parent who wants stronger bedtime boundaries can block Entertainment, Games, and Sports every weekday at 9 PM and pause internet access after 10 PM, removing the need for nightly reminders. During homework hours, they can restrict Forums, Chat, Email while keeping Directory and News accessible for assignments. Weekend access can expand automatically without rewriting weekday rules.
For districts being asked how they support parental control over school devices at home, schedules provide structured, documented after-school oversight without altering instructional filtering.
Within a schedule, parents can:
- Set different time blocks for different days
- Allow or block grouped categories during those windows
- Include or exclude their custom block list
- Pause internet access entirely
Custom Parent Block List for Direct Website Control
Parents can now create a custom block list of specific domains they want restricted during after-school mode. This addresses a common operational challenge. When a new site trends quickly among students, parents often request that it be blocked immediately. Instead of routing those requests through IT, families can now add the domain directly. If they prefer, they can tie that block list to specific schedules, such as enforcing it during weekday study hours only.
For example, a parent may allow general Shopping access but block one specific resale marketplace that has become a distraction. Another may restrict a particular streaming site without affecting the broader Entertainment category. This targeted control reduces one-off tickets and increases parent confidence in home device management.
For districts looking to balance parental rights and filtering authority, this creates clear separation. Site-level control at home does not require district policy changes.
Expanded Category Controls Beyond Social Media and YouTube
Parents could already manage categories like social media and YouTube. Now, districts can allow them to control additional categories as well. Instead of exposing complex filtering layers, these controls stay grouped and simple. This means a parent can restrict AI tools during weekday homework hours or limit entertainment and shopping on school nights, without affecting instructional access during the day. Districts decide which categories are available for parent control. Oversight expands. Policy structure stays intact.
A Clear Framework for After-School Device Oversight
Districts cannot control how expectations evolve around student device use at home. They can control how they respond.
With these Parent Portal enhancements, after-school oversight becomes intentional instead of reactive. Parents get defined authority. IT keeps defined boundaries. And districts can point to a clear, structured model when questions about device control arise.
That clarity matters.
