District outlines technology upgrades: MFA rollout for staff, Chromebook repairs and ADA web timeline

Ryan Blanchard, the district technology leader, briefed the school committee Oct. 22 on cybersecurity and device-management work underway across the district.

Blanchard said the district performed Chromebook “device health checks” over the summer, inspecting and repairing devices returned at each grade level, and distributed replacements during ninth-grade orientation. The technology department is phasing out desktops purchased in 2015 that cannot be upgraded to Windows 11 and transitioning staff to Chromebooks by 2026 to reduce hardware and security costs.

On cybersecurity, Blanchard said the district began rolling out multifactor authentication (MFA) for district-issued employee accounts and that staff — including teachers and administration — are being enrolled first. “We’re not at students yet. We’re starting with all employees,” he said, noting that some outside accounts (coaches, contractors) are being scheduled for enrollment.

The district received a cybersecurity grant from the state executive office to provide sustained awareness training; teachers were offered a pathway to earn professional development points for completing more extensive training.

Blanchard also highlighted ADA digital-access requirements: web content and mobile applications must meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA standards; larger public entities must comply by April 24, 2026, and smaller entities by April 2027. Finally, he reported that the phone system upgrade to the Mitel enterprise platform this summer brought the district into compliance with the Ray Vaughan Act while reusing the existing handsets.

Committee members asked whether MFA will apply to students; Blanchard said that step has not begun and that the focus is on employee accounts for now.

Members thanked the technology department for device support and training.