Paulding County says firewalls replaced, device rollout mostly complete before school year
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Summary
Chief information officer Julie Ragsdale told the board the technology division replaced firewalls, upgraded cybersecurity, refreshed interactive panels at seven sites and prepared laptops for sixth graders and rising ninth graders before distribution at open houses.
The Paulding County School District technology division reported on July 22 that it completed major summer upgrades — including firewall replacements and cybersecurity updates — and has technology ready for the new school year, Chief Information Officer Julie Ragsdale said.
The upgrades are significant because district testing, instruction and assessments are increasingly digital, and availability of devices and network resiliency affect classroom instruction on day one.
Julie Ragsdale, chief information officer, told the board the division replaced the district’s firewalls over the summer and implemented multiple cybersecurity upgrades. "We've done a lot of cyber security upgrades over the summer to increase our cyber security footprint," Ragsdale said.
Ragsdale said the district completed classroom-technology refresh work at seven sites and began a four-year refresh schedule for interactive panels. She reported the district’s 1-to-1 initiative for student devices will expand in elementary classrooms with carts; K–5 classrooms now have easier access to devices and the district remains on a multi-year rollout schedule for device maintenance and refresh.
The technology team also prepared laptops for distribution: Ragsdale said sixth-grade devices will be distributed at open houses and that senior laptops have been prepared to be reissued to rising ninth graders. The division installed new testing and assessment applications, updated servers and upgraded firmware for switches, wireless access points and phone systems as part of the summer work.
Ragsdale outlined instructional-technology supports as well: the department offers ongoing training sessions, 60 on-demand "will call" topics and booking-based coaching for teachers, along with co-teaching support when schools adopt new classroom tools. The instructional technology staff supports STEM innovation lab resources and works directly with teachers for lesson implementation.
Board members praised the technology staff for completing large-scale work in a short summer window and for preparing staff and classrooms for the year. The CIO asked for continued board support for ongoing maintenance and the refresh schedule.
