Board approves FEMA cybersecurity grant application and two-year Adaira contract

District staff told the Poteau School Board the district was awarded an $86,549 FEMA State and Local Cybersecurity Grant and proposed a two-part set of purchases and services to be covered by the award.

Miss Warren, who presented the item, said the district requested two key components: the Adaira cybersecurity solution suite, a two-year contract priced at $70,500, and a FortiGate firewall to be installed at the middle school as a redundant network path. “This firewall will sit at the middle school, and it will be a redundant, network connection in case we ever have a network go down with Dobson,” Miss Warren said. She added the Adaira suite will support the district’s incident-response plan, help establish policies and procedures, and provide 24/7 remote network monitoring.

Board members asked whether the grant required reimbursement and about future costs after the two-year contract. Miss Warren said the FEMA award is not a reimbursement grant and that the FEMA line items are currently being held for approval at the federal level; she said the grant “is 100% coverable” and the district hopes the two-year contract will identify the district’s long-term needs so it will not have to renew the contract afterward.

A board member moved to approve the contract with Adaira (the motion was recorded as approved by roll call). The transcript shows a roll-call vote in favor; the board approved the contract and the district indicated it would proceed when federal approvals on the grant line items are finalized.

The board briefing noted the vendor works with multiple school districts in Oklahoma and beyond, and that the Adaira suite would help the district prepare for potential ransomware or other cybersecurity incidents.