School IT director outlines draft tech plans; committee weighs dark-fiber links and AI study group involvement

Jonathan Parent, information technology director for Northborough–Southborough Public Schools, told the Municipal Technology Committee that the district has draft educational and administrative technology plans and is interested in exploring dark-fiber connectivity and shared redundancy with town networks.

Parent said the district’s administrative systems vary by school and that bundling connectivity and purchasing enterprise-grade redundancy could save money and improve reliability. He described dark fiber and redundant links as a longer-term goal that could allow schools to take advantage of town-built network redundancy and better support migrations to cloud services.

Committee members also discussed an AI study group focused on guidance for schools. Parent and others said the state previously produced an 80–90 page guidance document the group is condensing into a small set of guidance cards and practical tools. The group includes the district’s educational technology director, Kathleen Carmignani, John Bell (a principal in Northborough), and local members including Orla. The committee noted local concerns about students using AI for coursework and the need for balanced policies that guard against learning loss while preparing students for workplace use.

The committee heard that staff across departments are beginning to use AI tools (primarily for note-taking) but that the town currently lacks a unified AI policy; staff recommended drafting a responsible-AI policy to prevent inadvertent sharing of PII and to set guidance for departmental use.

Next steps: Parent will share draft educational and administrative technology plans with the MTC when ready; the committee and school IT will continue coordination on fiber and redundancy planning and encourage the AI study group to present concise local guidance to this committee and the Select Board.