Amy Stager and Andrew Valella presented the district’s fall and winter technology work, describing a phased rollout of ClearTouch interactive panels, a multi‑level professional‑development approach and a new cybersecurity partnership to strengthen monitoring and incident response.

Stager (district instructional technology lead) said the district is using a "learning‑first" framework when placing technology in classrooms and emphasized sustained professional development: "What this book does is it puts learning in the forefront," Stager said, describing the district’s decision rule that technology must engage, enhance or extend learning. She described a train‑the‑trainer model that initially placed six boards with teacher leaders, a middle‑school rollout that prioritized on‑demand tech support, and additional deployments to Windermere and Smallwood Drive. Stager said the district expects 13 total ClearTouch panels this school year and has deployed smaller panels to AIS math rooms and a high‑school math classroom where three teachers co‑teach.

Teachers showcased classroom uses in video excerpts the district shared: a middle‑school science teacher described using simulations so students "get to see that mantle coming up from underneath the surface," a librarian said the board "increases my efficiency in teaching" by enabling two teaching spaces, and a first‑grade teacher demonstrated dividing the board so three students could work simultaneously in a small‑group fluency activity.

On artificial intelligence, Stager said the district tech committee selected AI as a year‑long theme; staff plan focused sessions in November, February and May and will review the district’s AI policy and outside presentations. Andrew Valella (senior network manager) framed three topics for AI and related systems: legislation, risks and opportunities, and systems/processes. "Your recent policy which you just adopted gives teachers the authority to choose if AI is appropriate in their classroom," Valella said; he also emphasized teacher training and the need for controlled site access and planning.

Valella described the district’s recent cybersecurity work and a new relationship with a third‑party security provider. The district commissioned a gap assessment mapped to the NIST Cybersecurity Framework and has entered a virtual chief information‑security‑officer (vCISO) arrangement and managed detection and response. Valella said the arrangement provides 24/7 monitoring by a dedicated external team, incident reporting and an anti–next‑generation antivirus agent that the vendor cited as top‑ranked in MITRE testing. The vendor will deliver a POAIM (plan of action and milestones) to map recommended investments and staffing priorities; Valella said the board will review a POAIM executive summary and the assessment results at an upcoming administrative review meeting.

The presenters noted prior state review activity: a New York State controller’s audit in spring 2022 examined user accounts and policies, and the current assessment is broader and advisory. Staff said they are continuing PD for teachers (after‑school PLCs, building training hubs and onsite anchor support from the tech integrator) and will pilot AI sessions and vendor presentations with teachers before wider adoption.

Next steps: Smallwood Drive deployments are planned for January–February, the district will continue its train/deploy/train cycle for PD, the tech committee will host AI presentations in February and May, and the district will review the POAIM and preliminary assessment results with administrators before sharing an executive summary more broadly.