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District 211 reviews technology strategic plan, details iPad protections and cybersecurity measures
Summary
Chief Technology Officer Gary Gerson told the board the district is on track for Windows 11 migration and aligned with CIS security standards; board members pressed for clearer parent communications and noted that filtering works only on district networks.
Chief Technology Officer Gary Gerson updated the Township HSD 211 Board of Education on the district's technology strategic-plan targets and cybersecurity work, detailing device counts, software projects and the district's approach to student iPad protections.
Gerson told the board the IT department supports "nearly 15,000 users every school day," including "over 13,000" student iPads, and manages a large infrastructure of switches, firewalls and servers. He described four 2024–25 IT targets: migrate users to Windows 11 and Office 21, automate rentals and workflow processes, improve application-team collaboration with end-user managers, and implement a new version of Infinite Campus Messenger when it becomes available. On cybersecurity, he said the district has aligned endpoint imaging and group policies with the Center for Internet Security (CIS) benchmark.
The update matters because the district faces a growing cyber threat environment and an impending end to Windows 10 support. Gerson cited sectorwide increases in reported attacks — "129 attacks reported in…
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