Technology director outlines device program, PowerSchool response, cybersecurity and AI plans

Eric, the district’s technology director, gave a program update covering the 1:1 device program, network and phone infrastructure plans, device repair strategy, PowerSchool incident response, cybersecurity improvements and preliminary guidance for AI use.

Eric said the district’s 1:1 device and network program — funded through a 2021 technology levy — supports more than 30,000 active accounts and about 13,000 district-owned connected devices. "We do have more than 30,000 active accounts between staff, students, and family accounts," he said, and described the district-wide scale of devices, wireless connections and infrastructure the department supports.

Infrastructure and phones: Eric described a forthcoming network switch upgrade to replace aging switches (some nearly 15 years old) and said the district is postponing a phone-system replacement until after that network work so the new phones will be supported on refreshed network infrastructure. He said the current phone system is "antiquated" and that replacement handsets are difficult to source; modern replacements include soft-phone features that run on the district network.

Device repair and life cycle: The district has experienced delays and costs with outsourced screen and device repairs. To reduce turnaround time and cost, the technology team is piloting a student repair internship at the high school and plans to hire an IT support technician to bring most repairs in-house. Eric said outsourcing repair turnaround had been as long as several months and that in-house capacity should improve service and reduce cost.

PowerSchool incident: Eric reviewed the district’s response to a third-party PowerSchool student-information-system incident. He provided a timeline: the district received notice of a PowerSchool incident on Jan. 7 and mobilized an incident response team; by Jan. 8 the district had logs and an understanding of affected data and engaged external cybersecurity support; staff-level stakeholder communications were prepared and sent the morning of Jan. 9. Eric emphasized the district’s focus on incident response improvements and data stewardship: "That PowerSchool breach was not our breach, not our systems, it was our data," he said.

Cybersecurity and awareness: The technology director said most K–12 breaches involve phishing and urged a culture of reporting suspected phishing to improve resilience. The district runs simulated phishing campaigns and uses an external security firm and MNIT (state IT services) for guidance. Eric described tabletop exercises, improved internal roles and communication templates to speed responses.

AI pilot and guidance: The district is piloting an AI tool (BridAL — referenced as a pilot name in the transcript) with staff this spring and plans to create guidance for staff and students about appropriate use, data protection and prompts. "When we talk guidelines for staff around how we're using AI, that's a big key piece of that around, ensuring we're all clear on what data we are okay plugging in there and what data we are not okay plugging in there," Eric said. The plan includes summer development of draft guidance and an introductory AI session during back-to-school staff work.

Parent and user experience: Eric discussed parent single sign-on (district-provided Google account) and acknowledged that some families find the integration confusing because district Google accounts are limited (Gmail is not provided to families). He described ongoing efforts to simplify parent onboarding and tool access.

Next steps: The technology department will pursue the network switch replacement, phone-system replacement next year, bring device repairs in-house by hiring an IT support technician, continue cybersecurity enhancements and finalize AI guidance with student and staff input.