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Technology director outlines cybersecurity upgrades and YubiKey trial for Sidney City schools
Summary
A district technology presenter briefed the Sidney City School Board on strengthened cybersecurity measures — new 14-character password rules, phishing training, multi-factor improvements and a trial of hardware tokens (YubiKey) for high‑risk accounts — and outlined Windows 11 and licensing upgrades planned next year.
The district's technology presenter told the Sidney City School Board that the district has tightened its cybersecurity posture over the past year and plans further upgrades next year.
"Cybersecurity has been a big focus for us," the technology presenter said, describing new controls including multi-factor authentication for Google and Microsoft accounts, a new password policy requiring 14 characters with annual expiration, and repeated phishing exercises for staff. The presenter said those steps have increased incident reporting among staff even where click-through rates remained a challenge.
The presenter described technical and operational measures already in place: off-site backups with contracted vendors, account sign‑in alerts for logins from unusual locations, and an inventory and ticketing system (InternetIQ) to track device repairs and histories. He said PowerSchool data is hosted at Noaca and that other services are housed with third‑party providers to reduce single‑site risk.
On future changes, the presenter said the district will trial token‑based authentication for administrators and other high‑risk accounts using hardware security keys (YubiKey), which he described as more secure than SMS‑based multi‑factor authentication. "Your cell phone numbers can be spoofed," he said, adding that tokens are inexpensive ("like $25 to $50 a piece") and persistent. The presenter said Windows 11 upgrades are required because Windows 10 is at end of service and that some older desktops will need replacement.
Board members asked how the district would respond to a ransomware event and whether operations could continue during an outage. The presenter said the district maintains a written business‑continuity plan, uses off‑site backups and has contracts to restore critical systems; he recommended coordinating continuity plans with principals to address operations if internet access is lost during the school day.
The presenter also outlined plans to adopt Microsoft Intune with the district's new Microsoft licensing for better device and user management, and said network rewiring work has been contracted (forward edge) to add ports and classroom connectivity. He said the district purchased roughly 500 Chromebooks last year and is working on solutions for charging and loaner devices, and that a staff technology survey produced 128 responses this year.
The board did not take action on the presentation itself; the presenter said staff will continue implementing the upgrades and return with updates as needed.
