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How much privacy should students expect when using school-issued devices? What obligations do schools have to ensure students aren’t being exposed to potential dangers online? Does online surveillance disproportionately target People of Color and members of other marginalized groups? What is an appropriate response when a school district is caught invading students’ privacy? And, ultimately, what is the impact on students when school administrators violate their trust? 

The ����ר�� Center for Global Humanities will consider these topics and others when it screens an abridged version of the 2025 docuseries “Spy High” on Monday, Feb. 9, followed by a conversation with ����ר�� First Lady Lynn Brandsma, Ph.D., who appears in the series as an expert commentator. 

The event will begin with refreshments and mingling at 5:30 p.m. followed by the screening and conversation at 6 p.m. at the Harold Alfond Center for Arts and Sciences on ����ר��’s Biddeford Campus. 

The series examines a prestigious Philadelphia-area high school that used school-issued laptops to secretly surveil students in their homes — disproportionately targeting Black students and perceived “troublemakers.” 

Brandsma and her husband, ����ר�� President James Herbert, Ph.D., were parents and community members during this tumultuous time that birthed a national scandal in their midst. As such, Brandsma appears in the film offering insights into an array of topics including the racialized aspect of the scandal and its effects on students.   

“I’m grateful that we can host such an impactful event on our Biddeford Campus,” said CGH Director Josh Pahigian, M.F.A. “As we sacrifice more and more of our privacy for the conveniences afforded by our modern communications technologies, we would all be well-served to consider who has access to our data and online activity and what they’re using it for.” 

This will be the second of seven events this spring at the Center for Global Humanities, where events are always free and open to the public. For more information, please visit the Center for Global Humanities website.