Lightning Chat

Screen time was THE topic at NCITL this year — and honestly, it's been THE topic in almost every conversation we've had with districts lately. So Rob Chambers, our EVP of Product, and I sat down to talk about it honestly: what the data actually shows, why parents and boards often assume the worst, and what the districts handling this well have in common. Spoiler: it's not about banning...

Join Jiana Khazma, Product Marketing Manager at Lightspeed Systems, as she chats with Matt Jackson from Fayette County Public Schools, Georgia, about how his district transformed its approach to student data privacy. Discover how Fayette County went from a “wild west” of app and website use to a robust, transparent approval process that puts student safety, instructional value, and community trust...

Hello everyone, Donal McMahon here, Chief AI Officer at Lightspeed Systems. If you’re reading this, you probably already know: AI is having a moment. And when I say a moment, I mean a seismic shift in how we live, learn, and interact. Since the launch of ChatGPT on November 30th, 2022, we’ve seen user growth like never before—over 800 million users in just 34 months. For context, that’s faster upt...

Good afternoon, Lightspeed community! I’m Kevin Askew, VP of Sales here at Lightspeed Systems, and I’m excited to welcome you to another episode of Lightning Chat. Today, I was joined by the insightful Erika Johnson, Strategic Account Manager and a veteran building leader with 25 years of experience in Wisconsin schools. Together, we tackled a topic that’s rapidly reshaping the landscape of school...

Colin McCabe (General Manager, International) and Shaun Phillips (EMEA Sales Director) dig into the UK Student Safety Report. It combines national data with insights from Lightspeed Alert and Lightspeed StopIt tools to highlight the risks kids face today: bullying, violence, mental health struggles. They reacted to the stats in real-time, sharing their thoughts on what this data means for schools...

In Episode 6 of our Lighting Chat series, John Genter, Chief Information Security Officer at Lightspeed Systems, and Brad White, Principal Applications Security Architect, cover the growing threat of phishing attacks targeting K-12 schools. Drawing from their 30+ years of experience in education and cybersecurity, they discuss why schools are vulnerable, recent real-world incidents, and practical,...

In this episode of Lightning Chat, Jennifer Duer (Director, Product) and Brock Anderson (Senior Director, Strategic Programs) sit down to discuss common safety challenges in the K-12 environment, productive strategies to ensure student safety, and how Lightspeed is ready and able to help protect your students.

In this episode of Lightning Chat, Teresa Rueder (Senior Director, Customer Operations) and Wes Lawrence (Vice President, Operations) discuss applicable security and safety measures for schools to protect students. From preventative security to proactive safety, Teresa and Wes cover Lightspeed Anonymous Student Reporting and Human Review for a framework of holistic student safety.

In this episode of Lightning Chat, Colin McCabe and Craig Chanoff from Lightspeed Systems reflect on their recent global tour for the Spring Summit, where they engaged with education leaders from Scotland, Sweden, Dubai, and Sao Paulo. They discuss the universal challenges in education, such as funding inequities and the integration of technology, emphasizing how AI is revolutionizing classrooms....

Unpacking Cybersecurity in K-12 Education with John Genter In our second episode of Lightning Chats, Matthew Burg (Principal Product Manager, Lightspeed Filter) sits down with John Genter (Chief Information Security Officer, Lightspeed Systems) to delve into the critical topic of cybersecurity in K-12 education. As schools increasingly rely on digital tools and online resources, understanding the...

For our first episode, Matthew Burg (Principal Product Manager,  Lightspeed Filter ) sits down with Rob Chambers (EVP of Product) to unpack a challenge schools (and Lightspeed) know all too well: students constantly looking for ways to bypass web filters. Here’s a taste of what they cover: The risks of proxies, VPNs, and other anonymizers and bypass tools—from security to safety to compliance What...