Elizabeth Covell told the board the district is preparing to comply with a new digital accessibility rule tied to ADA Title II and OCR enforcement, with an effective compliance date of April 20, 2026.

Covell outlined common website accessibility issues — missing alternative text on images, low-contrast text, ambiguous link labels and improper heading structure — and emphasized that district web content should be perceivable, operable, understandable and robust for people with disabilities. She described practical steps already under way: training new webmasters, running the district site through an online accessibility scanner to identify errors, working with an OCR lawyer for compliance guidance and prioritizing closed captioning for videos.

Covell said some exceptions apply (archived content and password-protected personal documents) and that the district contact for incoming state guidance is the presenter. She urged that central-office materials be built accessibly so they are accessible when distributed to schools.