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District technology team details cybersecurity posture and staged rollout of student AI tools
Summary
District technology staff reported a 72% Microsoft secure score for identity, participation in CISA cyber-hygiene scanning, and the district's enterprise deployment of the Magic School AI platform (Magic Student rollout for grades 7–12 is optional and teacher-controlled).
Todd Pickthorn, the district technology coordinator, briefed the board on security measures and technology survey results, and Karen Lundgren, the district digital learning coach, described the district's implementation of AI tools for staff and students.
Pickthorn said Marshall uses Microsoft tools to manage identity and reported a secure identity score "close to 72%" compared with a 51% typical score for similar‑sized organizations. He described automated patching for roughly 3,500 devices and participation in CISA's external cyber-hygiene scans. He also summarized a recent FCC pilot program that made $200 million available for K–12 cybersecurity and received more than $3.7 billion in requests nationwide.
Lundgren described the district's primary AI tool as Magic School (enterprise version adopted January 2024) and said the vendor reports more than 5,000,000 education users. She said the district has provided staff training, an AI addendum to the digital learning handbook and a controlled student-facing environment called Magic Student that is optional for teachers to distribute. "Magic Student is optional," Lundgren said. "The teachers control the tools that the students have accessibility to and the teachers also see all the interaction that the students do with the AI tools within that room." Lundgren highlighted a writing-feedback tool that returns strengths and suggestions but does not produce finished student writing in the district environment.
Why it matters: technology and data‑security controls affect student privacy and class operations; the board was told the district is monitoring external vulnerability reports and using vendor tools to manage patching and identity controls. The AI rollout balances access with guardrails: staff receive training and students in grades 7–12 can use Magic Student in teacher-supervised settings.
District staff also reported results from an annual technology survey (FilterED ILT) that placed Marshall above national averages across leadership/vision, resources, infrastructure, instruction, practice and learner impact. Pickthorn said the district's participation in Kaseya/CoSN advisory initiatives informed the district's priorities (digital equity, evolving pedagogy, workforce attraction) and listed generative AI as a key tech enabler.
Ending: Staff said they will continue training, update board materials as vendor and threat information changes and report back on implementation and any recommended policy adjustments related to student AI use and data protection.
