Many RCMS staff members began using a new computer monitoring software this January to watch the online behaviors of their students. This has led to many mixed reactions from both students and staff, with most of the students against and most of the teachers supporting this new technology.

“It feels like a person is always hovering over your shoulder,” said Silvia Metcalf, a seventh-grade student on the All Stars team.

Lightspeed Classroom Management is an educational software that is “dedicated to providing time-saving solutions and empowering districts to focus where it matters most—students and learning,” as stated on the website. FCPS recently adapted this software after choosing it through a proposal process, deeming it as “a very sophisticated and flexible software program.” 

Silvia said students who are getting off-task and distracted will find ways to get around Lightspeed, no matter how much the teachers enforce it. Meanwhile, a student who is at school eager to learn could accidentally go on a website that a teacher could find inappropriate or distracting, therefore hurting that student’s grades or reputation.

Another RCMS student, eighth-grade Aman Sachan on the Voyagers team, said that Lightspeed was an invasion of his private life and interests.

“Every student has a right to their own privacy,” he said.

Mr. Jerome Stack, however, a seventh-grade history teacher on the Legacy team, said that the rights of the Fourth Amendment apply differently while a student is in school and using an FCPS-provided computer. Even though there is a reasonable right to privacy for students, he said, it does not apply in the same way as it would for someone living their life outside of RCMS.

Even though he believes that Lightspeed is beneficial to our school community, he preferred to walk around his classroom, observing students’ computers, instead of using Lightspeed to monitor them.

“I don’t have a need for it quite yet,” Mr. Stack said.

Mrs. Angie Cahill, a seventh-and-eighth-grade Algebra 1 teacher, said that she mostly used Lightspeed mostly during tests or quizzes, and sometimes while students were doing independent work. She felt that Lightspeed is very effective in helping students stay focused and on task in class. 

“Lightspeed helps students limit the distractions that are available,” Mrs. Cahill said. 

Aarav Patel, seventh-grade student on the All Stars team, said that he is against the use of Lightspeed in classrooms, but countered to say that if he was in the shoes of a teacher, he would think it was beneficial to our school and students.

“We will have to see what FCPS does with Lightspeed in the future,” Aarav said.