District technology director outlines device policy changes and cybersecurity upgrades

Tim Ressler, director of technology for Beech Grove City Schools, gave a July 15 presentation to the school board describing changes to the district technology department, device management and recent cybersecurity upgrades.

Ressler said the technology department now includes three on-site technology support technicians and three integration specialists who work with teachers on classroom technology and test coordination. He said the district moved from outsourced on-site technicians to in-house staff over the past two years to increase consistency and reduce turnover.

Ressler described the district's managed service relationship with 5 Star Technology Solutions. He said the contract provides “unlimited engineering support” for the district's infrastructure and that the district recently added cybersecurity consulting, including a NIST assessment and incident-response planning. “It gives us a pathway to improve,” Ressler said of the NIST assessment.

On hardware and software, Ressler said the district moved its virtualization platform from VMware to Scale Computing last spring to reduce costs and that the data-center hardware purchased carries a five-year warranty. He listed key software the district uses, including Skyward for student information and Google Workspace for Education (the district maintains a paid Workspace Plus license).

Ressler outlined the 1-to-1 device program and recent policy changes. He said K–1 students use Apple iPads, and grades 2–12 use Chromebooks from a mix of vendors. The district completed a teacher-device rollout and planned to finish a Windows 11 rollout for desktops before the school year; Ressler noted Windows 10 will be end-of-life in October. He said the district has changed the take-home policy so that student devices are kept on campus rather than going home in many grades, a change he described as aimed at financial sustainability and reducing classroom distractions.

On student safety and data security, Ressler listed federal requirements the district follows — FERPA, CIPA and COPPA — and described tools the district uses to monitor safety signals and security risks in Google Workspace, including a content filter and Google investigation tools that come with the Workspace Plus license.

Ressler said the district has strengthened its cybersecurity posture in the last two years by replacing an aging firewall with a next-generation firewall, deploying next-generation antivirus across endpoints with 24/7 monitoring via a security operations center, enforcing multi-factor authentication for staff accounts (including elevated and business accounts), and scheduling monthly vulnerability scans and annual penetration tests. He also said the district is using a state-provided phishing simulation program for ongoing staff training and that 5 Star will help the district implement a formal cyber incident response plan and disaster-recovery procedures.

Ressler described additional operational steps, including redundant internet providers to reduce single-point failure risk, and said the combination of in-house staff and the MSP provides engineering depth at predictable cost.

Board members responded with praise for the work described and thanked Ressler for the department's efforts to improve student safety and system reliability.

Ending: The presentation closed with board appreciation; no board action was required on the technology report.