§3921.2. Statewide Educational Technology Plan
A. The state Department of Education shall develop and implement a statewide
educational technology plan that ensures that every public elementary and secondary school
and classroom has the infrastructure and capacity necessary to provide a high-quality, digital
instructional environment that maximizes the integration of technology into the classroom
and enhances and improves student engagement and learning.
B. The plan shall do all of the following:
(1)Establish recommended standards for devices, Internet bandwidth, software
applications, and local network capacity.
(2)Establish clear short-term and long-term goals and standards for school
technology readiness and develop a realistic strategy, timeline, and cost estimates to meet
both minim
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§3921.2. Statewide Educational Technology Plan
A. The state Department of Education shall develop and implement a statewide
educational technology plan that ensures that every public elementary and secondary school
and classroom has the infrastructure and capacity necessary to provide a high-quality, digital
instructional environment that maximizes the integration of technology into the classroom
and enhances and improves student engagement and learning.
B. The plan shall do all of the following:
(1) Establish recommended standards for devices, Internet bandwidth, software
applications, and local network capacity.
(2) Establish clear short-term and long-term goals and standards for school
technology readiness and develop a realistic strategy, timeline, and cost estimates to meet
both minimum and optimal standards.
(3) Ensure that every classroom has reliable, high-speed, wireless, broadband
Internet access and connectivity for computers, white boards, smart boards, and other
interactive devices.
(4) Consider the technology needs of high poverty and rural areas.
(5) Identify and utilize all available Internet bandwidth assets provided through a
request for proposal process through which both public and private entities shall be
considered.
(6) Provide for the development and implementation of a strategy to provide training
and ongoing professional development to ensure that teachers and other school level staff
have the skills necessary to effectively and efficiently use the technology infrastructure,
software, data management, and online resources.
(7) Require every school and school system to develop and implement an Internet
safety policy that protects students from harmful materials and prevents unauthorized access
to content and resources. The policy shall comply with all state and federal student laws,
including the Family Educational Rights Privacy Act of 1974 and the Children's Internet
Protection Act of 2000.
C. In developing the plan, the department shall do both of the following:
(1) Conduct a technology needs assessment of all schools and school systems,
including an inventory of existing hardware and software, internal and external networks,
servers, workstations, and operating systems.
(2) Evaluate the current technology readiness status of every public elementary and
secondary school, including hardware, software, and broadband capacity.
D. The state superintendent of education shall do all of the following:
(1) Identify the costs for upgrading existing software and equipment, acquiring new
software and equipment, ongoing maintenance, and technical support and develop a funding
strategy, including state contracts to provide for cost savings wherever possible.
(2) Identify and develop funding mechanisms to support implementation of the plan.
(3) Inform schools and school systems of available technology funding sources and
applicable timelines and deadlines and encourage local schools and school systems to
maximize the use of existing local, state, and federal funding sources for technology
purposes.
(4) Conduct and publish a technology readiness assessment of each public school
twice a year including a review of devices, Internet bandwidth, school and school system
expenditures on technology, and use of state technology contracts.
(5) Provide ongoing guidance and technical assistance to schools and school systems.
(6) Evaluate the statewide school technology plan and update as often as necessary,
but not less than once per year, to keep current with technological advances.
E. The Board of Regents shall collaborate and cooperate with the state Department
of Education to develop policies and procedures to allow public elementary and secondary
schools access to all available Internet assets provided through a request for proposal process
through which both public and private entities shall be considered.
F. The state Department of Education shall submit a written report to the Senate
Committee on Education and the House Committee on Education, not later than January
fifteenth of each year, regarding implementation of the statewide education technology plan
and the status of technology readiness of each public school and school system.