Strong Start, Rapid Adoption: Manatee County’s Lightspeed Classroom Rollout

Strong Start, Rapid Adoption: Manatee County’s Lightspeed Classroom Rollout

When Manatee County Schools in Florida launched a pilot of Lightspeed Classroom™, the response from teachers was immediate – and overwhelmingly positive.

“I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that Lightspeed Classroom is one of the most impactful and well-received tools we’ve implemented in recent years,” said Ben Simoni, Senior Network Systems and Security Engineer. “We began getting requests from other teachers who wanted in on the pilot almost right away.”

The enthusiasm wasn’t just about novelty – it was driven by features that gave teachers real control over student devices in real time. Tools like screen monitoring, link sharing, remote tab control, and screen locking empower teachers to manage classrooms more efficiently and keep students focused without interrupting instruction.

From the IT side, the rollout was just as smooth.

“The product has been easy to manage. We’ve made very few changes from our initial setup,” Simoni said. “It integrated cleanly into our environment and didn’t require heavy configuration.”

Support from Lightspeed played a big role in that success. The team provided multiple rounds of hands-on training to ensure every teacher felt confident using the platform from day one.

“Lightspeed has been great to work with,” Simoni added. “They’ve been quick to respond to any issues – not just with Classroom, but with any of the Lightspeed tools we use.”

By combining intuitive tools for teachers with low-maintenance setup and responsive support, Lightspeed Classroom has proven to be more than just another edtech tool, but a platform that meets the needs of both instructional and technical teams.