Parents in the Hillsboro School District will soon be able to see what their kids are doing on school-issued Chromebooks at home, pause internet access with a tap, and get alerts when concerning content is detected.
The district announced Friday, Aug. 21, that it is rolling out the Securly Home app for the 2026-27 school year. The free app lets families monitor device activity, block website categories such as pornography and gambling, and set offline schedules for bedtime or homework hours.
Three schools will pilot the platform first. If the pilot succeeds, every HSD family will get access in mid- to late-September, according to the district's announcement. The district has not yet named the pilot schools or said when families there will receive setup instructions.
What the app does
Through Securly Home, available on both Apple and Android devices, parents can:
- View a real-time feed of sites visited and content categories
- Pause internet on the Chromebook instantly or on a schedule
- Block specific website categories
- Receive push notifications when activity flagged for bullying or self-harm is detected
- Get weekly email reports summarizing their child's online activity
The app is free. School administrators control which settings parents can adjust and what activity data is visible to families. Securly Home also supports English and Spanish, and the district published its announcement in both languages.
If a school enables AI chat visibility, the app can also log a child's interactions with platforms like ChatGPT and Gemini, including prompts that were redirected for inappropriate content.
How it connects to the phone ban
The Securly rollout complements the district's cell phone ban, which takes effect when school starts this fall. That policy, approved by the school board in fall 2025 to align with Governor Kotek's executive order, requires all personal electronic devices to be off and out of sight during the school day.
But the phone ban says nothing about what happens on school Chromebooks once students carry them home. Securly fills that gap, giving parents visibility and control over district-owned devices their children use outside school hours.
Under the phone ban, students can still email family members from their Chromebooks during the day, and high schoolers can use ParentSquare messaging to reach parents.
The district said more information will follow once the pilot wraps up. Families should watch for setup details from their school in mid- to late-September.
