Board hears options to tighten device control, address VPN and AI concerns
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Summary
Trustees heard staff describe problems from a bring-your-own-device program, including VPNs bypassing filters and students accessing inappropriate content; staff proposed returning to district-managed devices and ramping up AI acceptable-use guidance and assessments.
Trustees discussed technology challenges stemming from a mix of district-issued devices and a bring-your-own-device (BYOD) approach. Staff said the district’s firewall and filtering remain active but that home devices can use VPNs and other workarounds that make classroom enforcement difficult.
The district’s IT staff explained that controlling district-owned devices would allow administrators to restrict installs, enforce policies and better manage AI tools and content filters. Trustees and staff discussed policy options, including revisiting the BYOD handbook language, creating clear instructional policies on AI use, expanding teacher training, and increasing paper-and-pencil or oral assessments where appropriate.
One trustee noted faculty groups are already working on AI acceptable-use frameworks and that pilot changes will come through the tech and instruction teams next month. The board did not vote on a policy change during the meeting but asked staff to bring proposals and cost estimates for any device-purchase or management plan.
