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Batavia City School District names technology hires, audits inventory and outlines AI and data-security steps
Summary
Director of educational technology Wendy Malone told the school board the district filled a full-time network role and a help-desk position, completed a yearlong device inventory with BOCES, is tightening vendor and data-filtering controls, and is developing guidance for AI use in classrooms.
Wendy Malone, the district’s director of educational technology, told the Batavia City School District board that the district has filled a full-time network position and a customer-support role and has completed a comprehensive device and network inventory to strengthen security and device tracking.
Malone said the district worked with QStar BOCES on a physical audit of closets, servers and equipment and that the process took about a year. “We went through every single room. We went through every single device and made sure that everything was correct,” she said. The inventory work, she said, will feed into a formal system to track assets going forward.
The presentation emphasized three continuing priorities: data privacy and filtering (many external connections are routed through BOCES), contract and vendor compliance for software purchases, and annual audits and acceptable-use training for staff. Malone said the district is moving to a central point of contact for help requests to speed response times and cited improved ticket response since hiring a dedicated network staff member and a help-desk person. “I feel 99.9% that we have everything tracked as I stand here today,” Malone said when asked about inventory confidence.
Malone also addressed classroom software and emerging tools. The district audited ClassLink and reorganized permissions by building and grade to make usage reporting easier; she listed iReady and IXL as examples of software with adaptive or AI features already embedded and said the district has brought in two standalone AI products — Magic School and Brisk — for pilot use and professional development. She said district leaders are working to clarify how embedded AI features and third-party AI tools are identified and used in classrooms.
Malone noted the district is preparing for the state’s requirement that annual standardized testing be fully computer based and described coordination with special-education staff to ensure students who need accommodations may use approved online proctoring or remote tools. She told the board the technology office is developing a five-year budget plan for infrastructure and software purchases.
Board members asked about audit frequency and staffing; Malone said some audits are annual and that she expects to continue acceptable-use training and phishing simulations on a recurring basis. She said the new help-desk model and the full-time network hire have reduced the need for staff to run between buildings to solve routine problems.
The technology update ended with board appreciation for the work and a commitment to provide a periodic status report as those inventory and policy changes are fully implemented.
