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Board approves Dragonfly Athletics renewal after data-privacy debate
Summary
The New Hanover County Schools board approved renewal C for Dragonfly Athletics after trustees debated whether student directory and eligibility data stored in the vendor''s system posed co-mingling and security risks; a motion to have staff research alternatives failed 6-1 before the approval passed 6-1.
The New Hanover County Schools Board of Education approved agenda item C to renew Dragonfly Athletics after a board debate about whether the cloud-based application co-mingles confidential student information.
Miss Peg raised data-security concerns during discussion, saying the board should not be "putting and co-mingling very confidential information" in a cloud application and suggesting the district could build an in-house solution. Miss Justice moved that the board "look in the other options before we approve this," and the motion to research alternatives was seconded and put to a vote but failed six to one.
District staff member Miss Farnum explained Dragonfly's role: the service "provides the application and services for management of student athlete information as provided by parents, most of which is directory information," and it also maintains eligibility, scheduling and referee payments. Staff said Dragonfly does not charge the district and is distinct from the district's ticketing vendor.
After the failed motion to research alternatives, a board member moved to approve item C. The board voted to pass the renewal, recorded in the meeting as "passes six to one." The transcript includes members' repeated questions about whether the tool is mandated by state authorities; staff answered that Dragonfly is not mandated but facilitates statewide scheduling and eligibility functions.
The board directed no immediate policy change; one trustee had urged additional research into whether district student data are co-mingled with other districts in Dragonfly's systems. The meeting record shows staff agreed to research the co-mingling question further.
The decision follows the board's broader discussion of procurement, data privacy and existing state-level systems for high school athletics. The board moved to the next pulled consent items after approving item C.
