Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Student Technology topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Berlin‑Boylston subcommittee details middle‑school email whitelist and expanded Chromebook protections
Summary
The subcommittee reviewed a district decision to create a middle‑school PowerSchool email whitelist, expand Chromebook off‑Wi‑Fi protections (Bark; Securly configured first for teachers), and phase out BYOC to ensure consistent safety controls; administrators plan to discuss the rollout at the full committee on Sept. 9.
The Berlin‑Boylston Regional School District Student Success and Technology Subcommittee on Sept. 5 discussed administrative steps to limit middle‑school student email access and strengthen Chromebook safety off school Wi‑Fi. Joseph Sposato presented the technology update and said administrators have decided to create a middle‑school PowerSchool "white list" that will include parent or guardian email addresses; parents will be responsible for ensuring their PowerSchool emails are current.
Sposato told the subcommittee the decision followed an "urgent safety concern" about middle‑school emailing and came after meetings with administration and teacher input. The item will appear on the full School Committee agenda Sept. 9; if discussion there goes well, Sposato said the district aims to implement the whitelist on Sept. 15. Jessica Deglialberti and Beth Mancini thanked Sposato for his work updating protections and tools for staff.
On device management, the subcommittee noted that Chromebooks are now configured with protections that follow devices off school Wi‑Fi. The district uses Bark and is implementing Securly as an additional tool; Securly will first be configured for teacher use in classrooms (to limit apps and monitor desktops), with parent‑facing controls for home Wi‑Fi planned later pending configuration and training timelines. Sposato said staff training will come before any parent trainings and that use of Securly by teachers will be optional, not mandatory.
The district also plans to phase out Bring Your Own Computer (BYOC) so that district safety controls can be applied consistently on district Wi‑Fi. The subcommittee discussed parental communication paths for after‑school activities (email vs. front‑office written notes) and potential coordination with the new athletic director on apps such as Game Changer.
Next steps: the whitelist and associated communication plan will be presented at the full School Committee meeting on Sept. 9 for further discussion; implementation timing is contingent on that discussion and additional configuration and training work.
