Chambersburg Area SD presents AI policy, data and cybersecurity upgrades

Chambersburg Area School District technology leaders presented the district's new artificial intelligence policy, described progress on device deployment and data systems, and outlined cybersecurity upgrades during the school board's June 3 meeting.

Christine Wagamuth, the district's director of technology, said the department has grown its device inventory by roughly 19,000 items since 2020 and thanked the board for funding that expansion. She said the district will deploy Chromebooks for K–8 next school year and works with curriculum staff to ensure software selection aligns with learning outcomes.

"We have 4 different service areas for our department," Wagamuth said in opening remarks. She identified SAFIRE as the district's main student records database and described rostering and automation via Clever to ensure accurate enrollment and programmatic data for reimbursements and E‑rate applications.

The presentation included a demonstration of the district's AI policy, which staff said the board adopted previously on Sept. 24. Presenters described a three‑tiered usage framework they call a "red light" approach that marks some uses as prohibited; an AI task force and an AI approval process will vet vendor tools for privacy and academic integrity before classroom use.

"You'll see at the very top the red light, no AI," a presenter said, explaining the policy's intent to balance instructional benefits and student protection.

Staff described instructional uses of AI — personalized learning, accessibility tools (speech‑to‑text and translation), and tutoring that prompts thinking rather than supplying answers — and emphasized teacher training and an intentional SAMR model for when technology is appropriate.

Dave Kirkpatrick, the district's network administrator, reviewed infrastructure and cybersecurity work: broadband upgrades from 1 Gbps to 10 Gbps, building connectivity improvements, multifactor authentication for critical applications, and deployment of SentinelOne for endpoint protection and around‑the‑clock monitoring. Kirkpatrick said the district scheduled a National Guard vulnerability assessment and penetration test to occur this October at Fort Indiantown Gap.

Board members asked how classroom successes are scaled districtwide; staff described "innovation teams" at schools that share effective practices with administrators for broader adoption. Trustees also asked about tracking screen time and GoGuardian monitoring. Wagamuth and others said GoGuardian and admin tools provide aggregate visibility of Chromebook activity and that rostered software reporting can show where students access resources, but they cautioned those tools cannot reliably measure whether a student is actively engaging with content versus having a screen open.

During public comment, Aaron Atherton told the board his son, who participates in choir and band, must complete MAP Accelerator at home and that the GoGuardian filters and pop‑ups affect family devices when his son logs into school work. "Can computers, if need be, be sent home with kids if they're responsible?" Atherton asked. Board staff said the superintendent's office would follow up.

The district said it has formed an AI task force, will require vendors to be rostered, and will apply an AI approval workflow before classroom rollout; staff also said the policy aims to protect student data while enabling promising instructional uses.

The board did not take formal action on the AI policy at the June 3 meeting; staff said they will return with implementation details and training plans.

The presentation touched on procurement and vendor vetting, training and professional development, and work to integrate SAFIRE with a unified secondary learning management system (Schoology or Google Classroom) and single sign‑on and dashboards for classroom‑level data.