Students of Color Online: 10 Questions to Promote Digital Health, Safety, and Citizenship

Abstract

As outlined in the 2024 National Educational Technology Plan, digital health, safety, and citizenship skills reflect the full set of knowledge and habits students need to use technology appropriately, responsibly, and safely. For schools and districts, creating the conditions for those skills to develop includes policies regulating the use of school-provided technology or access to personal devices at school as well as antibullying policies or standards for responsible interactions online. While digital health, safety, and citizenship are important for everyone, students may experience digital spaces and the school policies regulating them differently based on their personal identities. School policies and cultures that meet the needs of every student may require additional considerations for students of color based on this context, particularly in areas such as transparency and trust, parent or caregiver engagement, monitoring or surveillance, and discipline. To support the well-being of students of color, the U.S. Department of Education recommends school leaders -- including superintendents, school principals, and other district leaders -- consider and address these ten questions as they establish school policies and build cultures that are inclusive and supportive of students of color with respect to their digital health, safety, and citizenship.