The Southern York County School District board on Jan.15 approved a site license for the Woodcock‑Johnson Fifth Edition assessment system, supporting school psychologists’ psychological assessments. Administration said the electronic system stores encrypted, non‑name‑identified data on the vendor’s servers and includes multi‑factor authentication and penetration testing; student name is not retained in the vendor database for norming, though grade and age are used for norms. The board approved an annual unlimited subscription at $3,725 covering 02/01/2026–01/31/2027.

During a lengthy discussion, members pressed administrators on enrollment counts used for pricing, whether private‑school or homeschool students were included (administration said those are excluded from district enrollment), and how parental privacy will be explained. Administrators said site licensing is required by the vendor’s pricing model and that the district historically paid for consumable versions which are being phased out.

Separately, the AI committee updated the board on vetting technology tools. Committee chair Joe Wilson said the district is cataloging apps and tools to identify embedded AI components, using a red/yellow/green framework that limits generative AI in curriculum. Dr. Hughes said the district has a paid Gemini subscription for staff to keep data inside district controls and is producing an AI handbook and COPPA‑focused online safety guidance for parents and staff.

The board approved a renewal agreement with Vector Solutions for professional development and compliance tracking at a recurring $8,077.10 per year (plus a $994.59 prorated implementation cost) that adds a parent training component for special education. Administrators said Vector will provide usage counts (not individually identifiable parent usernames) and will allow the district to document required trainings for compliance purposes. The board also approved a three‑year agreement with FMX to digitize facility use requests and consolidate overlapping software, with net savings expected by eliminating redundant tools.

Board members requested follow‑up reports on parent usage metrics for Vector Solutions and clarified that reports will show counts of completions rather than identifiable parent activity.

Next steps: administration will publish privacy clarifications for parents regarding the Woodcock‑Johnson system and bring back usage metrics for Vector Solutions in June and prior to renewal.