Eatonville board to consider adopting cybersecurity and wildlife biology materials for high school

The Eatonville School District on Wednesday heard a recommendation from its Instructional Materials Committee to adopt Project Lead The Way cybersecurity course materials and Great River LearningIntroduction to Wildlife Management and Conservation for 2025-26 for grades 10-12.

Sally, a staff member with the district, told the board the two courses were chosen after teacher review and evaluation using the state-recommended EQUIP rubric and, for cybersecurity, review against the CTE framework. "So I would like to, speak to, high school course materials for cybersecurity and wildlife biology," Sally said when introducing the recommendation.

The recommendation followed a teacher-driven review process in which classroom teams narrowed materials and the Instructional Materials Committee (IMC) evaluated alignment, equitable access, differentiation and bias using rubric tools. Sally said the IMC rated the next-generation science standard alignment for the wildlife materials a 3 out of 3 and gave instructional supports a 2.5 out of 3.

Board members and staff described career-alignment as a key reason for the change. Sally said the cybersecurity course is a CTE offering and that Project Lead The Way materials "fit that framework," providing career connections and industry certification pathways. Teachers presenting to the IMC included Randy Burschnell, a first-year wildlife biology teacher, and Travis Collins, who will teach the cybersecurity class.

Student interest and workforce demand were cited as additional drivers. Sally said more than 90 students signed up immediately for the wildlife biology offering and that national projections show substantial science and technology job openings through 2030. "We had over 90 kids sign up right away when they saw wildlife biology versus biology," she said.

Cost and implementation details were provided. Sally told the board Project Lead The Way materials are already paid for through existing course subscriptions and "are not an increased cost." The district would need to purchase the wildlife-management digital materials; Sally said "that cost of for 90 seats is $4,860," and that figure includes professional development that otherwise might have added roughly $1,000.

Board members asked about piloting and student access. One board member asked whether the materials had been piloted with students; the board member said, "These materials were not really available to pilot. ... They have not been piloted with the students." Sally responded that the review happened on a shorter timeline than past adoptions and that the IMC considered alignment, differentiation and equitable access in lieu of a pilot.

Professional development and monitoring were discussed. Sally noted Project Lead The Way provides extensive professional development and that Collins completed about 80 hours of PD last summer to prepare to teach the course. The IMC highlighted monitoring student progress and the need for teachers to build project-based interventions as part of instructional supports.

No formal board vote on the adoption of the materials is recorded in the meeting transcript. Sally said she was bringing the IMC recommendation to the board "to consider the approval of these materials for the 2526 school year for tenth through twelfth grade students." The board agreed to address the item under business; a recorded motion and vote did not appear in the provided transcript.

If the board approves the materials, the district plans to offer cybersecurity and wildlife biology as part of its high school course catalog with career-pathway connections and industry-aligned assessments; the transcript did not specify an exact implementation timeline beyond the 2025-26 school year recommendation.

Speakers quoted or referenced in this reporting are drawn from the meeting transcript and include staff and teachers who participated in the IMC review and the board discussion.