Chicago Public Schools has contracted with a Canadian company to monitor students’ public social media posts for signs they might engage in violence on campus or potentially harm themselves and require staff — or police — intervention.

School officials said the “Supporting Our Students” program is a crucial tool in preventing violence and self-harm as school shootings have risen nationwide, and the number of local students expressing suicidal thoughts has increased.

The program is part of a national trend in recent years of districts paying contractors for social media monitoring.

The school system won a $750,000 U.S. Department of Justice grant to launch the initiative, which looks for “worrisome online behavior” such as threats, suicidal ideation and references to drugs, weapons or gang activity.

Civil rights advocates say the monitoring could needlessly infringe on students’ privacy and feed into chronic disparities in discipline.

Jadine Chou, the district’s head of safety and security, said the program is not intended to punish students, and school officials will involve police only when they believe there is an imminent safety threat.

“This is not about getting children in trouble,” she said. “This is about getting children support.”

Chalkbeat Chicago, Nov. 17