Gaggle (software)

Gaggle Gaggle is a student safety and well-being solution primarily used in K-12 school districts across the United States and is based in Dallas, Texas. Gaggle Safety Management is designed to help schools proactively identify and address student safety concerns, including self-harm, substance abuse, cyberbullying, and other threats. Gaggle Therapy provides proactive support for students’ mental health and well-being and ReachOut provides in the moment support for students in crisis. Together, Gaggle's solution is intended to provide a holistic safety net, ensuring all students receive the resources and care they need.

Gaggle was founded by Jeff Patterson in 1999 with the mission of leveraging people and technology to protect students and save lives. The company has since expanded to serve over 1,500 school districts nationwide. Gaggle initially started as a secure student email provider but has evolved into a comprehensive student safety platform incorporating artificial intelligence, machine learning, and human review to detect and respond to potential student crises.

Gaggle provides a suite of student safety and mental health services, including:

• Gaggle Safety Management serves as the foundation, identifying students in crisis early through advanced monitoring and alerting systems, enabling schools to intervene before issues escalate.
• Gaggle Therapy provides accessible, professional mental health services to help students address underlying challenges and build resilience, creating pathways to long-term well-being.
• Gaggle ReachOut ensures students have instant, 24/7 access to support when they need it most, fostering a sense of connection and security.

Gaggle's student safety platform plays a critical role in identifying and intervening in potential crises before they escalate. Through a combination of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and human review, Gaggle monitors student communications across school-issued technology, flagging self-harm, suicidal ideation, violence, bullying, substance abuse, and other concerning behaviors.

According to a 2024 EdWeek Research Center study, 96% of Gaggle users believe the platform helps prevent suicide and self-harm, and 95% reported that it had provided critical information leading to student interventions.^[1] Educators using Gaggle stated that, on average, the platform helped prevent one suicide for every 200 students enrolled in their district.^[2] Additionally, school leaders credited Gaggle with uncovering previously unknown mental health struggles, allowing staff to provide early support.

A 2024 New York Times investigation into AI-powered self-harm detection found that Gaggle and similar platforms have been responsible for initiating police wellness checks on students flagged as high-risk. Many families have credited these interventions with saving student lives.^[3]

Gaggle ensures compliance with major federal student privacy laws, including the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), and the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA). The company also undergoes third-party audits, including SOC 2 Type II assessments, to ensure data security and compliance.^[4]

Gaggle has received multiple industry awards, including the EdTech Digest Cool Tool Award;^[5] the District Administration Top Ed Tech Product Award, recognizing its contributions to student safety and well-being; and the Institute for Education Innovation’s “Keeping Kids Safe Award.” ^[6]

Gaggle has also been named a Top Place to Work for three consecutive years, starting in 2022. ^[7]

Research by the Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT) shared in 2021 and 2022 raised equity concerns in the use of student surveillance software; CDT found that Black, Hispanic, low-income and rural students faced greater risk of harm due to higher rates of reliance on school-issued devices over personal devices.^[8]

In May 2022, the Trevor Project began listing Gaggle as a corporate partner from a $25,000 donation.^[9] In October, however, the Trevor Project said it would return the donation "[i]n light of concerns about Gaggle's software having a role in negatively impacting LGBTQ students".^[10]

Gaggle has been criticized for its over-surveillance of students and alleged breaches of consent and privacy.^[11][12][13] In a report published by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, its author criticized student monitoring software such as Gaggle because ambiguous terms could be wrongly flagged. Additionally, flagging of certain terms, especially those relating to LGBTQ+ identities, could reveal personal information about the students.^[14] Gaggle dropped LGBTQ+ related terms from its list of phrases that could automatically flag students who use them in January 2023.^[15]

Gaggle was also criticized in 2024 by newspaper students at Lawrence High School in Kansas for potentially compromising their journalism sources. Administrators later exempted journalism students from having their content scanned by Gaggle.^[16]

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