Securly’s Vision for Safer, Smarter School Technology with CEO, Tammy Wincup

Jul 22, 2025

Tammy Wincup, CEO of Securly, a leader in digital safety for over 22,000 K-12 schools, shares insights from her extensive experience in the education tech field. The conversation highlights the shared responsibility of schools, families, and communities in ensuring student safety. Tammy discusses the necessity of implementing AI while safeguarding privacy and the intriguing data trends from U.S. schools regarding device use and social media. She also emphasizes the critical role of mental health monitoring and the evolving responsibilities of CTOs in schools.

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ANECDOTE

Impact of Phone Bans on Device Use

Early cell phone bans in schools led to a 30% rise in school-issued device usage.
This shift makes monitoring the school device usage much more important for districts.

INSIGHT

Manage AI, Don't Block It

Blocking AI tools like ChatGPT leads to students circumventing restrictions.
Schools should manage AI use transparently rather than banning it outright.

ADVICE

Balance Safety and Student Privacy

Use enhanced privacy modes to anonymize student data until serious risk is detected.
Unmask identities only to intervene in cases of self-harm, violence, or bullying.

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Tammy Wincup has served for over 25 years as a business executive at the intersection of technology and education. Tammy is currently the Chief Executive Officer of Securly, the leading digital safety and wellness company serving over 22,000 K-12 schools globally to keep students safe, secure, and ready to learn.

Before Securly, Tammy was a partner at Rethink Education, an impact venture fund investing in global education technology. For almost a decade, Tammy was the Chief Operating Officer (COO) at EVERFI, a leading education technology company. She also served as the President of Revolution Foods and the Founding President of Protocol, a media company covering the intersection of technology and policy.

💡 5 Things You’ll Learn in This Episode:

Why Securly sees digital safety as a shared responsibility between schools, families, and communities
How schools can implement AI without compromising student privacy
What real-time data from 40% of U.S. schools reveals about device use, social media, and AI trends
Why human-in-the-loop systems matter for student mental health monitoring
The emerging role of CTOs as strategy leaders in K-12 districts

✨ Episode Highlights:

[00:02:29] Tammy Wincup explains Securly’s mission to protect students across digital environments
[00:04:42] How classroom management and device use connect to digital wellness
[00:09:20] Phone bans lead to 30% spikes in school device usage
[00:14:16] What Securly learns from 40% of U.S. K-12 schools
[00:16:08] Why Tammy urges districts: “Don’t block AI — manage it transparently”
[00:24:31] Using anonymous trends to flag real student wellness risks
[00:34:03] How AI puts school tech leaders back in strategic roles
[00:46:20] Tammy’s go-to sources for spotting big edtech shifts

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