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1930 Como Avenue
St. Paul
MN
55108

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Securly Home

SPPS has used Securly for a few years as our content filtering tool that helps the district keep students safe on the internet when using their iPads at school and at home. Click here to see the type of content that is filtered on school iPads.

SPPS Technology Services worked with Securly to add an additional tool to the content filter called Securly Home. Parents and guardians can choose to download the Securly Home app on your phone to view your student’s online activity on their school iPad, receive alerts if they view any concerning content, and pause internet access on their device when your student is at home.

If you have any questions about setting up your account, please contact homesupport@securly.com. 

General Questions

How do I download the Securly Home app on my phone? - Optional

If you already received an email from Securly, follow the steps in the email to log into your account. Or use these steps to download the Securly Home app on your phone:

  • Go to the app store on your phone and search for Securly Home.

  • Download the app onto your phone. There is no cost to download the app.

  • Open the app and press the button that says “Get started”.

  • Enter the email address that you have provided to SPPS in Campus Parent or through iUpdate.

    • It is important to use the same email address that SPPS has on file because it will automatically connect you to your students’ accounts.

  • After you enter your email address, press the button that says “Get instant access”.

  • You will receive an email from Securly to verify your account information. In the email, there will be an access code that you can use to log into the app.

  • After you have logged in, you should see your students’ names and accounts.
     

Is Securly Home available in other languages?

  • Securly Home allows users to view the app in English, Spanish or French. The app will automatically use the language that is set as the default language on your phone. Securly is working to add additional languages in the future.
     

What content is found in the "Flagged Activities" section on the Securly Home app?

  • If a student searches for or views a website related to self-harm or violence, it is noted in the "Flagged Activities" section on the app.
     

What if I block a website that my student needs to use for homework?

  • If you block a website that your student needs to access in order to complete after school work at home, you can unblock the website by going to the Rules section in the Securly Home app. Select Allow/Block Lists and click the X next to the website you want to unblock. If you have any additional questions, reach out to homesupport@securly.com or go to the Help section in the Securly Home app.
     

When are parent restrictions active on my student’s device?

  • The restrictions set by parents in the Securly Home app are active when your student uses their school-issued iPad outside of “school hours.” SPPS has set school hours between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m., Monday-Friday. These school hours were set to ensure that parent restrictions do not interfere with students completing learning activities.

  • During school hours, Securly will continue to filter certain content and websites, but parents will not be able to set additional restrictions on their student’s iPad. Outside the set school hours, parents can pause the internet, block specific websites or set other restrictions on their student’s iPad using the Securly Home app.

  • These same rules apply even if your student is at home during a school day, such as if they are sick, if it is a digital learning day, or if they attend the SPPS Online School.
     

Questions About Enhanced Privacy Mode 

To keep students safe on the internet while using their iPads at school and at home, SPPS uses an internet filtering program called Securly. Securly software blocks students from accessing harmful internet content and is also programmed to identify threats of self-harm, bullying and violence.  

To comply with changes to Minnesota state law, on Tuesday, October 10, 2023, SPPS enabled a new feature in Securly called Enhanced Privacy Mode. With this feature, parents and guardians no longer receive electronic summaries of their student’s iPad internet browsing activity. Securly software will still work to restrict and monitor harmful conduct as described above. Here is a link for more information about Enhanced Privacy mode bit.ly/3Ox5hih.  

Below are the answers to some frequently asked questions about this change: 

What change in state law led to turning on enhanced privacy mode? 

The law that is referenced is Minnesota Statute § 13.32(14), which prohibits schools and school technology partners from routinely accessing and monitoring certain student interactions with school devices, including web-browsing activity. 

Is it possible to opt-out of Enhanced Privacy Mode?

No, it is not possible to opt-out of Enhanced Privacy Mode at this time.

Is it possible to opt-out of Securly?

Yes. You may log out and delete the app from the device.

Tapping the three-line “Hamburger” button in the top left corner will display a menu for easy access to the key features of Securly Home, as well as links to Account settings and Help. 

At the top of this menu, parents/guardians will see the account email address they’re logged in with. At the bottom of the menu, there’s a button to log out as well.

With browsing history no longer being sent to parents, how can parents monitor their children’s browsing history on district-issued iPads?

Parents/guardians can still monitor a student's browsing history and set browsing limits using “Family iPad Settings and Controls.”

Families have the ability to further customize the apps and websites accessible to their student at any time with a built-in feature called “Screen Time.” Popular parental features of Screen Time include:

  • Setting a “bedtime”’ for the iPad (the iPad will shut off automatically at 8 p.m., for example)

  • Only allowing specific websites

  • Blocking specific websites (for example, YouTube)

  • Limiting the time on any specific app or website

Families set a 4-digit passcode to manage the restrictions and functions in Screen Time. You can read more about setting up Screen Time on the student iPad here: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208982

 

Enhanced Privacy Mode

This feature was built to comply with recently enacted student data privacy laws in Minnesota, and will be turned on automatically for Minnesota schools, and available by request otherwise.  When enabled, admins will see a toggle that they can turn on in the Aware UI. This feature, when enabled, will hide student names when associated with specific activity throughout the UI. Specifically, it will:

  • Hide the activity feed in Filter and Aware
  • Hide student names and emails by default in On-Call and Respond
  • Stop all alerts except for violence and self-harm alerts
  • Admins will get an option to enable bullying alerts as well, since this is a grey area under the law.