Twinsburg committee advances cybersecurity course, No Place for Hate pilot and special-education updates

The Twinsburg City School District’s curriculum and technology committee reported Jan. 15 that it has adopted recommendations to launch a cybersecurity course for 10th–12th graders beginning in the 2025–26 school year, to propose a No Place for Hate schoolwide program at Wilcox Primary, and to update special-education policies to align with new Ohio guidance.

The committee presentation said the district will partner with Paradigm to offer a course “guided by industry” with certifications, competitions and an internship pathway. The committee report noted students will not need prior cybersecurity or computer science experience and that the course will be open to 10th, 11th and 12th graders in 2025–26.

Why it matters: committee members framed the cybersecurity course as a workforce pipeline and the social-emotional programs as supports that address climate and student behavior. Gloria, a board member on the curriculum and technology committee, told the board the course responds to local labor demand: “Over 2,100 jobs open in the Cleveland area alone,” she said during the report, arguing the pathway could provide entry-level through advanced career opportunities.

The committee also recommended adopting No Place for Hate — described in the report as a schoolwide program that promotes diversity, counters bias and bullying, and increases students’ sense of belonging — and a We Thinkers curriculum for social-emotional learning proposed for January–May 2025. The presentation identified Lynn Turner, principal at Wilcox Primary School, and Natalia Williams, the Wilcox school counselor, as local staff who would support implementation.

Separately, Marcy Spence, the district’s pupil services supervisor, presented updated special-education model policies and procedures. The committee report said those updates align the district’s materials with changes in federal and state law and with Ohio’s operating standards and guidance published in June 2024; the presenter noted the new standards went into effect Dec. 1, 2023. The committee recommended the board review and move forward with the revised policies.

No formal board vote adopting the course, No Place for Hate or special-education policy changes appears in the public portion of the Jan. 15 meeting record; the items were reported out of committee for board consideration and future action. The committee packet and presenters’ materials were made available to board members and are on file with district staff.