Trustees open acceptable-use/AI policy review after public privacy concerns

Trustees voted to approve the first reading of an updated EHAA acceptable-use policy and its administrative regulation, a step the board and administration described as the start of an ongoing review process.

Public commenter Charles Curley, who identified himself as an IT professional, urged the board to rework language in EHAA-R he said "reads" as allowing the district to inspect employees' entire personal devices. "If I read that correctly, any employee who uses a personal device as part of school duties is makes that device subject to inspection by the district," Curley said, adding, "As far as I read it, it's the entire device." Trustees took the concern seriously and asked the district to involve legal counsel and the Wyoming School Boards Association (WSBA) before the second reading.

Trustees framed the policy work as balancing three goals: protecting student data, preserving employees' personal privacy, and retaining tools the district needs for investigations under federal requirements (for example, Title IX-related discovery). Trustee questions asked whether the policy should include a "reasonable suspicion" standard and whether the district already mitigates risk by issuing school email and technology accounts.

Superintendent said the administration intends to route the proposed language to counsel and WSBA, and that the EHAA policy will likely remain a work in progress: "It's gonna be a work in progress," he said, and trustees noted technology policy can become outdated quickly.

The board approved the first reading of EHAA and related regulations, and directed staff to return with counsel’s recommended revisions before a final vote.