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Laredo ISD outlines STEAM summer academy and wins preliminary FCC cybersecurity pilot allocation
Summary
District staff reviewed a STEAM summer academy that served elementary students and described technology initiatives including ClassDojo, AI guidance, esports pilots and a preliminary FCC cybersecurity grant with an RFP recommendation that will be considered at a special-called meeting.
Laredo ISD technology and instructional staff updated the Curriculum & Instruction Committee on Sept. 3 about summer STEAM programming, district digital initiatives and a preliminary FCC cybersecurity pilot award that could fund substantial security upgrades.
STEAM summer academy: Technology and instructional leaders said the district ran a 14‑day STEAM summer academy that served roughly 400 students across kindergarten through fourth grade. The program included coding, robotics, 3‑D design, virtual reality and drone challenges, and culminated in an innovation showcase for families. Presenters credited cross‑department cooperation — for example, athletics provided hula hoops used as drone targets — and said the program supports early exposure to STEM pathways.
Instructional technology initiatives: Staff said the district is rolling out ClassDojo for family communication and classroom management (no cost to the district), sharing teacher technology resource guides and publishing digital‑citizenship materials for parents. Staff said they have drafted local best practices on artificial intelligence for teacher and student use and are piloting esports and other technology programs at elementary campuses.
FCC cybersecurity pilot: Ambrose Gomez and the district's information security officer, Gene Gutierrez, said the Federal Communications Commission selected Laredo ISD for a cybersecurity pilot and preliminarily allocated $825,000 to strengthen network security, threat prevention and related services. Staff issued an RFP (25‑018 Network Security and Support Services) and recommended Solid Border Inc. as the vendor; the RFP response totaled approximately $1.0 million. Gomez said the district will only spend up to the funding provided by the FCC and that the program requires further federal form submissions and program integrity checks. The district scheduled a special‑called meeting for Sept. 4 to present the RFP recommendation for board action.
Trustees asked whether the recommended vendor had worked with the district before; staff said Solid Border Inc. is the district's current provider for firewall subscriptions and certain security services. Staff emphasized cybersecurity is a high priority because K‑12 education is a frequent target of cyberattacks. No final procurement action was taken at the Curriculum & Instruction Committee; the RFP award recommendation will be presented for board consideration at the special meeting.
