Gaggle (software)

Gaggle was founded by [https://theorg.com/org/gaggle/org-chart/jeff-patterson Jeff Patterson] in 1999 with the mission of leveraging people and technology to protect students and save lives. The company has since expanded to serve over 1,500 school districts nationwide. Gaggle initially started as a secure student email provider but has evolved into a comprehensive student safety platform incorporating artificial intelligence, machine learning, and human review to detect and respond to potential student crises.

Gaggle provides a suite of student safety and mental health services, including:

• [https://www.gaggle.net/safety-management Gaggle Safety Management] serves as the foundation, identifying students in crisis early through advanced monitoring and alerting systems, enabling schools to intervene before issues escalate.
• [https://www.gaggle.net/therapy Gaggle Therapy] provides accessible, professional mental health services to help students address underlying challenges and build resilience, creating pathways to long-term well-being.
• [https://www.gaggle.net/reachout Gaggle ReachOut] ensures students have instant, 24/7 access to support when they need it most, fostering a sense of connection and security.

Gaggle's student safety platform plays a critical role in identifying and intervening in potential crises before they escalate. Through a combination of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and human review, Gaggle monitors student communications across school-issued technology, flagging self-harm, suicidal ideation, violence, bullying, substance abuse, and other concerning behaviors.

According to a 2024 EdWeek Research Center study, 96% of Gaggle users believe the platform helps prevent suicide and self-harm, and 95% reported that it had provided critical information leading to student interventions.{{Cite web |title=Wayback Machine |url=https://6210449.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/6210449/Website/Content%20Overview/White%20Papers/Guardian%20Angel%20or%20Big%20Brother?%20What%20Educators%20Really%20Think%20of%20Safety%20Platforms.pdf |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20240831012241/https://6210449.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/6210449/Website/Content%20Overview/White%20Papers/Guardian%20Angel%20or%20Big%20Brother%3F%20What%20Educators%20Really%20Think%20of%20Safety%20Platforms.pdf |archive-date=2024-08-31 |access-date=2025-02-24 |website=6210449.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net}} Educators using Gaggle stated that, on average, the platform helped prevent one suicide for every 200 students enrolled in their district.{{Cite web |title=Wayback Machine |url=https://6210449.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/6210449/Website/Content%20Overview/White%20Papers/Guardian%20Angel%20or%20Big%20Brother?%20What%20Educators%20Really%20Think%20of%20Safety%20Platforms.pdf |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20240831012241/https://6210449.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/6210449/Website/Content%20Overview/White%20Papers/Guardian%20Angel%20or%20Big%20Brother%3F%20What%20Educators%20Really%20Think%20of%20Safety%20Platforms.pdf |archive-date=2024-08-31 |access-date=2025-02-24 |website=6210449.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net}} Additionally, school leaders credited Gaggle with uncovering previously unknown mental health struggles, allowing staff to provide early support.

A 2024 New York Times investigation into AI-powered self-harm detection found that Gaggle and similar platforms have been responsible for initiating police wellness checks on students flagged as high-risk. Many families have credited these interventions with saving student lives.{{Cite news |last=Barry |first=Ellen |last2=Dickie |first2=Graham |date=2024-12-09 |title=Spying on Student Devices, Schools Aim to Intercept Self-Harm Before It Happens |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/09/health/suicide-monitoring-software-schools.html?unlocked_article_code=1.gE4.CIN_.YqDzAOMXu4Zf&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare |access-date=2025-02-24 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}

Gaggle ensures compliance with major federal student privacy laws, including the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), and the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA). The company also undergoes third-party audits, including SOC 2 Type II assessments, to ensure data security and compliance.{{Cite web |last=Inc |first=Gaggle Net |title=Student and Staff Data Privacy Notice |url=https://www.gaggle.net/student-data-privacy-notice |access-date=2025-02-24 |website=www.gaggle.net |language=en}}

Gaggle has received multiple industry awards, including the EdTech Digest Cool Tool Award;{{Cite web |title=2020 Finalists & Winners |url=https://www.edtechdigest.com/2020-finalists-winners/ |access-date=2025-02-24 |website=EdTech Digest |language=en-US}} the District Administration Top Ed Tech Product Award, recognizing its contributions to student safety and well-being; and the Institute for Education Innovation’s “Keeping Kids Safe Award.” {{Cite web |last=Gaggle |title=Gaggle Chosen by School Superintendents as Best Student Safety Technology |url=https://www.gaggle.net/press/gaggle-chosen-by-superintendents |access-date=2025-02-24 |website=www.gaggle.net |language=en}}

Gaggle has also been named a Top Place to Work for three consecutive years, starting in 2022. {{Cite web |title=Working at Gaggle |url=https://topworkplaces.com/company/gaggle-net/ |access-date=2025-02-24 |website=Top Workplaces |language=en}}

Research by the Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT) shared in 2021 and 2022 raised equity concerns in the use of student surveillance software; CDT found that Black, Hispanic, low-income and rural students faced greater risk of harm due to higher rates of reliance on school-issued devices over personal devices.{{Cite web |date=2022-08-03 |title=Report – Hidden Harms: The Misleading Promise of Monitoring Students Online |url=https://cdt.org/insights/report-hidden-harms-the-misleading-promise-of-monitoring-students-online/ |access-date=2024-07-20 |website=Center for Democracy and Technology |language=en-US}}

In May 2022, the Trevor Project began listing Gaggle as a corporate partner from a $25,000 donation.{{Cite web |date=2022-09-30 |title=The Trevor Project teams up with a student surveillance company accused of LGBTQ+ bias |url=https://www.theguardian.com/education/2022/sep/30/trevor-project-gaggle-student-surveillance-lgbtq-bias |access-date=2022-10-08 |website=the Guardian |language=en}} In October, however, the Trevor Project said it would return the donation "[i]n light of concerns about Gaggle's software having a role in negatively impacting LGBTQ students".{{Cite web |last=Fried |first=Ina |date=2022-10-03 |title=Trevor Project returns donation from software firm |url=https://www.axios.com/2022/10/03/trevor-project-returns-donation-software-firm |access-date=2022-10-08 |website=Axios |language=en}}

Gaggle has been criticized for its over-surveillance of students and alleged breaches of consent and privacy.{{Cite web |last=Desai-Hunt |first=Khayaal |date=March 14, 2021 |title=Gaggle: MPS's new student surveillance software brings possible protection and danger |url=https://www.shsoutherner.net/features/2021/03/14/gaggle-mpss-new-student-surveillance-software-brings-possible-protection-and-danger/ |access-date=August 16, 2022 |website=The Southerner}}{{Cite web |last=Haskins |first=Caroline |date=November 2, 2019 |title=Revealed: How One Company Surveils Everything Kids Do And Say In School |url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/carolinehaskins1/gaggle-school-surveillance-technology-education |access-date=August 16, 2022 |website=BuzzFeed News |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Keierleber |first=Mark |date=October 12, 2021 |title=Gaggle Surveils Millions of Kids in the Name of Safety. Targeted Families Argue it's 'Not That Smart' |url=https://www.the74million.org/article/gaggle-surveillance-minnesapolis-families-not-smart-ai-monitoring/ |access-date=August 16, 2022 |website=The74 |language=en-US}} In a report published by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, its author criticized student monitoring software such as Gaggle because ambiguous terms could be wrongly flagged. Additionally, flagging of certain terms, especially those relating to LGBTQ+ identities, could reveal personal information about the students.{{Cite web |last=Kelley |first=Jason |date=2023-06-22 |title=Student Monitoring Tools Should Not Flag LGBTQ+ Keywords |url=https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/06/student-monitoring-tools-should-not-flag-lgbtq-keywords |access-date=2023-09-27 |website=Electronic Frontier Foundation |language=en}} Gaggle dropped LGBTQ+ related terms from its list of phrases that could automatically flag students who use them in January 2023.{{Cite web |last=Keierleber |first=Mark |date=2023-01-27 |title=Gaggle Drops LGBTQ Keywords from Student Surveillance Tool Following Bias Concerns |url=https://www.the74million.org/article/gaggle-drops-lgbtq-keywords-from-student-surveillance-tool-following-bias-concerns/ |access-date=2023-09-27 |language=en-US}}

Gaggle was also criticized in 2024 by newspaper students at Lawrence High School in Kansas for potentially compromising their journalism sources. Administrators later exempted journalism students from having their content scanned by Gaggle.{{Cite web|url=https://lawrencekstimes.com/2024/04/18/lhs-journalists-dispute-gaggle/|title=Lawrence journalism students convince district to reverse course on AI surveillance they say violates freedom of press|date=April 18, 2024}}

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Category:Computer surveillance

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