When I was in middle school, screen surveillance was expected. Every day, students were caught goofing off on their iPads, from endless games of Geometry Dash to non-educational YouTube videos. However, I never expected that monitoring would follow in high school. I am nearly an adult, but I am going to be watched as if I was 12-years-old. 

South plans on implementing a new classroom management software for Chromebooks in the 2026-2027 school year that will enable  teachers to monitor students’ browsers and open or close tabs, according to District 225. 

High school is a place where kids become adults, learning about freedom and responsibility. But rather than letting students face consequences to their actions, the software  programs will  coddle us into making “good” choices.

Although this program affects every student, very few students understand how and why the program is being implemented. The district needs to prioritize transparency about the software and create an open dialogue to allow our voices to be heard.

As students move to life after high school, distracting technology habits will not be tolerated. The district needs to give students a chance to build these habits on our own, instead of forcing surveillance on us.