The Arkadelphia Board of Education on Tuesday will consider a contract with a different Internet monitoring software company.

The school board’s agenda meeting, slated for Tuesday, Nov. 2, at 5 p.m., includes planning an agenda for the panel’s regular November meeting and consideration of purchasing an online service that monitors students’ Internet activity on and off campus. Arkadelphia Public Schools currently uses Impero but could end up with a three-year contract with GoGuardian.

Joey Andrews, the district’s technology coordinator, submitted a request to make the $42,875 purchase, writing that GoGuardian “has much better control with additional features not found in Impero such as GEO Tracking.” Goza Middle School has recently begun using GoGuardian in a free trial demo, and Andrews notes that staff there “found [GoGuardian] worked significantly better than Impero with respect to monitoring student activities in the classroom.”

The district’s contract with Impero ends in late November, and Andrews noted the district’s technology department has no plans to renew that service. The technology department is also requesting that the school board use Enhanced Student Achievement funds to pay for the service. Dr. Jeanette Turner would guide the district in the payment process should the board opt for the new contract.

The meeting, open to the public, will be held at Dawson Education Building #3, 700 Clinton St.