District 57 technology review: tighter device rules for younger students, cautious AI use and a push for penetration testing

Mark Feuer, the district’s director of technology, briefed the board on completed infrastructure work and next steps for classroom devices, artificial intelligence guidance and cybersecurity.

Feuer said the district completed projector upgrades and replaced core data‑center switches and firewall hardware using E‑rate funding. He described improved power backups and new clocks/speakers for improved sound and visual announcements; several of those devices will be repurposed across the district.

On student device policy, the technology office reported an analysis of browsing data (with AI‑assisted review) and said the district tightened YouTube access at home, applied time‑based device restrictions (devices turn off at 10 p.m.), and is considering a narrower take‑home policy. The recommendation under discussion was to keep devices at school through at least third grade (devices stored in carts and checked out for lessons) while preserving 1:1 access to digital curriculum and allowing Lincoln students to take devices home because of curriculum needs.

Feuer outlined AI guidance for staff: do not submit personally identifiable student or staff data to AI tools; treat AI outputs as a starting point and verify them; and prefer vendor subscriptions that expressly limit data use for model training. He said students will not be given unregulated chat‑bot access; any AI features available to students would be teacher‑mediated or walled‑garden features in approved curriculum tools.

On cybersecurity, the district reported a positive audit from the Learning Technology Center of Illinois and said the district uses enterprise‑grade endpoint protection, network segmentation and multi‑factor authentication. Feuer recommended a penetration test (internal testing in‑building during the school year to simulate real‑world conditions) and additional tabletop exercises to test incident response. He estimated a penetration test could cost in the mid‑five‑ to low‑five‑figures and recommended budgeting for it next year.

Board members asked about parental controls and opt‑out options, the logistics for e‑learning days if devices are kept at school, and how fee waiver families would use ParentSquare Pay; Feuer said district teams will continue parent outreach and refine procedures over the summer.