Darien schools unveil five‑year technology plan; K–8 take‑home device policy would change

Tim McGuire, the district instructional technology coordinator, outlined a draft five‑year technology plan to the Darien Board of Education on June 9, saying the effort places technology “in service of our vision of the graduate.” The plan organizes work into three goal areas — teaching and learning; infrastructure and operating efficiency; and data privacy and security — and sets a series of phased changes and pilots over the coming years.

In his presentation McGuire described several immediate priorities: changing K–8 device deployment so that elementary classrooms keep a set of shared tablets and middle schools store Chromebooks on carts (fifth graders would no longer take devices home), adopting an “allow‑only” or walled‑garden web strategy for elementary learners, switching the district’s mass‑communication system from SchoolMessenger to ParentSquare to improve accessibility compliance, and piloting a new data‑analysis product (Edgic Climber). He said the device changes aim to reduce breakage, limit leisure use outside school hours and better protect student data.

“Technology is in service of our vision of the graduate,” McGuire told the board, and he described the web‑filtering change as one that will require each online resource to be vetted for student data privacy before it is allowed on elementary devices. He said the changes are intended to be “purposeful” and noted appendices in the plan that explain timelines and focus areas in more detail.

Board members generally welcomed the direction but pressed for specifics. Board member Katie praised the accompanying memo and slide deck as a clear package for discussion: “The memo … the quick slide deck, the quick overview, and then the deep resources of the appendix is just perfect for this conversation in my opinion,” she said. Members asked about timelines for pilots and implementation, whether the district will need more printed materials if students stop taking devices home, and how staffing or consultant support would be aligned to the plan’s many responsible parties.

McGuire and other staff said some items are already ahead of schedule — for example, work on multi‑factor authentication is moving faster than the published timeline — but acknowledged the plan is a large lift. Dr. Fedigan and other administrators were listed as responsible parties on multiple focus areas; McGuire said many initiatives list multiple responsible staff and that the plan is intended to be a living document adjusted through the budget and strategic planning processes.

The presentation also described a micro‑credentialing concept for staff professional learning; McGuire said the technology plan’s role is to evaluate systems to support micro‑credentials and that the district could both create staff‑developed credentials or adapt vendor resources. On communications, staff said they will send K–8 families a notice this week and that principals will supply school‑level details later in the summer.

Board members asked for additional, grade‑level‑specific memos so trustees and the public can see how the planned changes will look in kindergarten, third grade, sixth grade and high school. Officials said they would provide more granular documentation, including projected printing needs and approaches for required digital portfolios.

What happens next: McGuire presented the plan for board review; no vote on plan adoption was taken at the June 9 meeting. Administrators said the plan will be refined as a living document during budget discussions and the upcoming strategic planning process.