Google Accounts:
Bedford Central School Districts (BCSD) issues email accounts to all of its students, which end in @student.bcsdny.org. These accounts are managed in our custom Google system, called Google Workspace for Education, and are similar to publicly available Gmail accounts with a few key differences as follows:

• Our Technology Department has access to manage student accounts and app privileges.
• These Google accounts are ad free.
• Google does not access data in this system for advertising or other purposes.
• These Google accounts have restrictions and are intended for school-related purposes only.
• These Google accounts may receive and send email only to other bcsdny.org accounts, with one exception.
• High School students enrolled in Science Research and Engineering courses may be given unlimited email access in order to work with industry mentors. A separate permission slip is sent home to parents for this purpose.
  
  

For additional information about how Google Protects the privacy of Google Workspace for Education Domains, please visit the Google Privacy & Security Website.

BCSD contracts with a third party vender to monitor student activity within the Google account for the purpose of keeping all students safe. This includes the monitoring of email conversations as well as the content of documents and pictures stored within the Google account. If inappropriate material is identified, school and district administration will be notified and take appropriate action. In extreme circumstances, where the inappropriate material may indicate a potential threat of harm, the contracted vendor has been authorized to contact the police directly as well as notify school and district administration.

Internet Filtering:
All BCSD computers are filtered and monitored to see whether use occurs in our schools or from another location. Internet activity is logged, monitored and filtered using products by Lightspeed Systems. All internet activity is monitored for appropriate use.  The filtering restrictions are based on the categorization of website in terms of age-appropriate access.  Access is limited based on the education level of the students - Elementary, Middle School, or High School. Monitoring may include username, device description, websites visited and device location. Inappropriate use is flagged and will be reported to the Principal.