Corona‑Norco board hears plan to 'bridge the digital divide'; district to pilot GoGuardian and publish AI guidelines

District officials presented a multi‑year plan to “bridge the digital divide,” saying access to devices is only one piece of classroom technology work and must be paired with instruction that teaches students how to produce, collaborate and publish using digital tools.

Dr. Pablo Sanchez, introduced by Benodipo as the Ed Services lead on the initiative, said the district’s strategic plan frames the work and that the district is expanding professional development to be site‑specific: “We’re going to the sites as our principals need the training that’s specific to their schools,” he said. He and Ken Shelton, a consultant the district described as a thought partner, said teams from IT and Ed Services now visit schools together to align classroom practice with infrastructure and content.

The board was told the district already runs a 1:1 Chromebook program and now is focusing on content management and teacher support. Shelton said the district’s approach is designed for sustainability: “We looked at cohesion, coherence and sustainability,” he said, urging a standards‑based observation framework so classroom visits can identify whether students are producing, collaborating and publishing.

On artificial intelligence, staff recommended guidelines rather than a fixed policy. “Boards of education are being recommended to move with guidelines,” Dr. Sanchez said, noting guidelines can be updated as the technology evolves. Britney Konrash, who spoke about academic integrity tools, said the district uses Turnitin at the intermediate and high school levels and emphasized keeping “humans in the loop” when automated detectors flag work.

District IT leaders also described a GoGuardian pilot that will begin next school year in 15 elementary schools. Staff said administrator training is complete and teacher trainings will follow; the district estimated roughly 18 months to train ~2,600 elementary teachers and expand the tool districtwide, contingent on pricing and a funding decision. The board was told the pilot schools should have access next year and that the district will monitor usage and work with labor partners on rollout.

District staff said they will publish the AI guidelines and related resources on the district website as living documents, and that the Innovate team will lead teacher training and site visits. Staff also noted a Neptune Navigate rollout tied to digital citizenship requirements, with an October 11 deadline cited for student completion of initial modules.

What comes next: staff will publish the AI guidance and report back on GoGuardian pilot progress, training schedules and any required budget decisions.