HOOVER CITY SCHOOLS
How AI creates cybersecurity challenges for K-12 education The rapid emergence of AI-driven tools creates both opportunities and challenges for the district. On the infrastructure side, AI-powered analytics offer improved network management and predictive troubleshooting capabilities. But in classrooms, the flood of new AI applications requires careful evaluation and security review.
“ On the classroom side, AI has been a dominating topic of discussion. We evaluate what AI looks like in the classroom and how this can assist teachers. How do they use it? What AI-driven platforms should we make available to our educators? Those conversations are driven by our Director of Technology Integration and her team of tech coaches. As Director of Information Technology, my team and I must ensure they have the network infrastructure that can support the chosen technology,” Wes says.
The cloud-based infrastructure provides the foundation for implementing AI-enhanced services. The shift from physical servers to subscription-based cloud services required adjustment for the team. Balancing innovation with security, privacy and sustainability presents the primary challenge for educational technology in coming years. Every new tool introduces additional data pathways that require protection, while students often discover new applications faster than technology teams can evaluate them.
“ Every new tool we introduce is a new data pathway and we have to protect those, especially in K-12 environments,” Wes explains.“ It requires constant vigilance. Cybersecurity isn’ t just an IT issue anymore, it’ s a shared responsibility across our entire district. Managing Cybersecurity for more than 15,000 end users is challenging, but it makes the days go by fast and it keeps the work engaging and interesting.”
The district plans to implement advanced threat monitoring as part of an expanded cybersecurity posture. Professional development for staff remains crucial as new tools proliferate.“ With AI coming onto the scene so quickly, there’ s a flood of new technology and new services. Our team is tasked with evaluating which tools are actually beneficial to use in our environment to maintain staff bandwidth,” Wes says.
The technology strategy continues to evolve from managing devices towards curating environments. The department measures success by how seamlessly technology supports teaching and learning, rather than by the sophistication of the systems themselves.
“ When everything’ s working right in our environment, from the infrastructure side down to the technology in the classroom, no one should know me or my team exists. Everything should just work,” Wes explains.“ Teachers should be able to come in and teach and not have to troubleshoot a piece of technology in the classroom to start their day.”
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