District updates Acceptable Use Policy to add AI rules, monitoring language and accessibility deadlines

District technology staff presented revisions to Policy 8-15 (Acceptable Use Policy), saying the update replaces older terms with "district technology resources" to explicitly cover cloud accounts, printers, cameras and other devices. "So a user is anyone who utilizes or attempts to utilize district technology resources," the presenter said, explaining that the definition now includes guests and presenters.

Staff emphasized policy markup conventions — bold text shows added language and bracketed items indicate mandated statutory requirements reviewed by PSBA. On discipline the policy shifts toward building leaders as the first line for technology-related discipline rather than removing access wholesale.

Monitoring and privacy: the draft repeats that district technology resources are periodically monitored and that there is no expectation of privacy. "This is not new — users understand they could be monitored," staff said, and noted monitoring procedures are governed by the district’s access and security governance policy and are intended for specific operational uses (lost devices, emergency location), not for surveilling students.

AI and academic integrity: staff said the revision expressly references the district’s generative-AI guidance and prohibits using district technology resources to commit plagiarism or other academic dishonesty. Staff also noted other prohibitions reflect existing practice, such as prohibiting installation of unauthorized hardware and directing staff to use the help desk for installations.

Accessibility: staff described new federal accessibility (WCAG) guidelines that will require forward-facing content — district websites, YouTube, Schoology and other public content — to include alt text, correct color contrast and accessible attachments. Staff said smaller districts have a later effective compliance date (April 2027) while larger districts have an earlier date; the district will provide training and is already using ParentSquare and some web platforms that prompt or auto-generate alt text.

Board members asked about private or classroom-facing posts and whether ParentSquare content requires the same treatment; staff clarified the guidelines apply to forward-facing content and that some platforms (ParentSquare) already provide prompts or AI-generated descriptions. No vote was taken; staff will return with printed change-tracking that separates statutory mandates from discretionary language and with training/implementation plans for staff.