Pine Plains schools to enhance security services

PINE PLAINS — In keeping proactive about the safety and security of both faculty and students, the Pine Plains Central School District administration recently contracted with Social Sentinel, a security service based in Burlington, Vt., to stay alert about potential threats in the district and maintain security.

In an interview with The Millerton News, Pine Plains Superintendent of Schools Martin Handler said he had seen presentations by Social Sentinel at a couple of different conferences he attended last spring. Though the service is based in Vermont, he reported that Social Sentinel has been involved with a number of school districts in New York state. Interested in learning more, the Pine Plains administration sought more information but decided to wait until the service obtained sponsorship from the Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES). Handler explained that once the service was sponsored by Capital Region BOCES in Albany, the school district would receive aid for Social Sentinel fees.

After getting sponsored, the Pine Plains district signed contracts with Social Sentinel last month. The district also organized a webinar with Social Sentinel representatives to explain how it would integrate the security firm’s services.

Handler outlined those services at the Pine Plains Board of Education (BOE) meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 16. To start, he said Social Sentinel will scan social media to look for “words that are tip-offs to problems,” such as “gun” or “weapon.” Though he acknowledged that this might be perceived as an invasion of privacy, Handler told the board, “It’s worth us doing.”

Other services from Social Sentinel would include scanning student emails looking for tip-offs and initiating an anonymous tip line known as ShareIt, which will help keep the district alert and allow concerns to be submitted.

“You’d be surprised what kids will say in an email or in a text or in a SnapChat or on Facebook,” Handler said. “We’re going to see just how secure we are.”

When asked about concerns of student emails and social media being scanned, Handler said Social Sentinel will conduct a geographic scan of the social media platforms that might pop up in the Pine Plains region. With regard to scanning student emails, he said only emails on the school district’s server will be reviewed, “so there is no expectation of privacy with regard to that.

“They sign a use policy to say they are on our website,” Handler said, “and we have a right to look at what they’re doing as far as the social media is concerned. These are public websites, unless it’s a Facebook page that’s a restrictive page. These are all public social media pages, and since they are public and can be accessed by anybody, there really is no expectation of privacy.”

Handler said if the district receives an alert from either student emails or social media, it will look into the matter. If the district receives any disturbing posts, they will be investigated and the district will either take action if the concerns are founded or not, if the concerns aren’t substantive. 

So far, Handler said the district hasn’t received any alerts from scanning social media or emails.