Week 33: More Than Just a System Update

Happy Friday!

As we approach the final weeks of the school year, I want to take a moment to thank each of you for your steady focus and hard work. This time of year always brings excitement, reflection, and anticipation. Whether it is preparing students for end-of-year assessments, planning celebrations of growth, or supporting the many daily needs of our students, your efforts continue to make a lasting impact. I am grateful for your professionalism, patience, and commitment to helping us finish strong. In this week’s Wrap-up, I will also share important updates about cybersecurity measures and training that will be implemented for the next school year to help protect our students, staff, and systems.

You May Have Missed This

Last week, I shared information about a new communication platform called Rooms that will soon be launched in our district. However, based on the number of people who opened last week’s Wrap-up, I can tell that many may have missed this update. Frankly, if I had seen the title about new laws impacting education, I probably would have skipped it, too. That being said, this information is important enough to share again.

Over the next several weeks, we will begin a soft launch of Rooms, a communication platform integrated into our existing Thrillshare system from Apptegy. This tool will become the unified platform for students, parents, and staff beginning this fall. While we are not asking anyone to stop using Remind, Seesaw, ClassDojo, or other classroom apps just yet, we do ask that you participate in training sessions when they are offered so we can transition together smoothly.

Rooms includes all of the familiar features you use daily: messaging, file sharing, updates, announcements, and parent-teacher communication, all within a secure, school-managed system. It also syncs with Google Classroom and supports many other tools already in use in your classrooms. Our goal is to reduce confusion and streamline communication, especially for families who currently juggle several apps because they have students in multiple schools.

This conversion is driven by two important needs: first, to allow the district to oversee and support all communication, ensuring consistency and professionalism; and second, because families have directly requested a single app for all school-related messages.

We will continue the gradual rollout through the spring and summer, giving everyone time to become familiar and comfortable before full adoption this fall. I appreciate your flexibility and professionalism as we make this positive change. If you would like to learn more about Rooms, you can visit: https://www.apptegy.com/rooms/

Safety is Inconvenient, Getting Hacked Is Devastating

When talking about safety, one of the things I have said several times over the years is: "Safety is inconvenient." Whether it is waiting for buses to unload one at a time, requiring double-checks on field trip lists, or wearing those itchy orange vests at car duty, safety slows us down, gets in our way, and complicates what could otherwise be simple. But we do it because not doing it costs too much.

That same truth now applies to a new and growing domain of cybersecurity.

Two recent laws — HB1369 (Act 504) and HB1780 (Act 846) — require Arkansas public schools to tighten the digital borders of our operations. These are not issues for the IT department alone. They are now part of how we protect students, staff, and systems. And like any real safety effort, they will feel inconvenient. But the alternative is much worse.

~What These Laws Mean for Schools~

HB1369 (Act 504) requires us, as a school district, to:

* Adopt and enforce a Technology Resources Policy that defines appropriate use of school-provided devices, networks, and accounts.

* Develop a Cybersecurity Policy that meets the standards issued by the State Cybersecurity Office.

* Provide mandatory training for every employee.

* Establish and follow disciplinary procedures for misuse, including sharing passwords, using school email for personal political messages, installing unauthorized software, or bypassing security protocols.

HB1780 (Act 846) creates the Arkansas Self-Funded Cyber Response Program, which:

* Offers coverage of up to $100,000 for damages from cyberattacks if minimum security standards are met.

* Requires annual audits of our technology systems.

* Reduces or withholds reimbursement if the district has not followed required standards or fails to respond properly to known threats.

These laws exist because public institutions, including schools, are increasingly being targeted by cybercriminals. We manage large amounts of sensitive data and rely heavily on digital systems. In that sense, our district's digital infrastructure is every bit as important as its physical security.

~When Convenience Becomes Costly~

To be clear, this is not just about checking compliance boxes. This is about prevention and protection. Here are several real examples of how digital carelessness has created serious consequences in school settings:

* At an Arkansas school district, a teacher clicked a phishing link and entered their login information into a fake site. Hackers gained access to student information. The district had to reset every staff and student account and hire outside experts to assess the damage.

* In the Midwest, a district paused system updates to avoid interruptions during testing. The outdated systems became a target. Ransomware locked everyone out of the network for a week. Teaching stopped. Recovery costs were substantial, and public trust was shaken.

* A coach installed a video streaming extension on a district laptop. The software brought malware with it. It quickly spread across devices, leading to a full system shutdown that interfered with testing and instruction.

* A staff member unintentionally posted a politically sensitive meme from the district’s social media account. The fallout was swift — including community outrage, a public apology, and emergency retraining.

In each of these cases, someone chose convenience over caution. And each of those small decisions created outsized consequences. Safety is inconvenient — until it is absent. Then the inconvenience becomes damage control.

~What This Means for You: Necessary Action Steps~

* Attend All Required Cybersecurity Training

* These sessions may feel technical or repetitive, but they are critical. Completion will be required for all employees every year. Even for those of you who do not consider yourselves “technology users”. If you have a menaschools.org email, which you do even if you do not use it, you have to go through the yearly training.

* The basic level training required for everyone, which is what most of you will require, will be part of the set of beginning-of-year online training through TalentEd. Those of us with access to more Personal Identification Information (PII) will require more.

* Adhere to Technology Use Policies

* Do not use district accounts for personal agendas, political statements, or unauthorized downloads. Personal use of school-issued devices, even briefly, can compromise our systems.

* Report Suspicious Activity Immediately

* If you receive an email that feels off or if your device begins to behave oddly, contact the technology team without delay.

* Protect Student and Staff Privacy

* Always lock your screen when stepping away. Never share login credentials. Ensure district devices are secured when not in use.

* Accept Digital Delays as Part of a Safer System

* Two-factor logins, software updates, blocked websites — all of these may slow you down, but each is a layer of defense. Each is part of keeping the district safe.

The digital realm is now part of the classroom, part of the office, and part of our obligation to keep children safe. Let us not make the mistake of treating it as invisible or optional. The systems we use are not just tools — they are part of the trust our families place in us.

Safety is inconvenient — but it is far less costly than regret.

Let us do the right thing, even when it takes longer.

Student Hack-a-thon

This afternoon, we welcomed Karen Kilroy, the creator of Nyx No-code, and Sam Acar, a mountain biking enthusiast, coach, and CEO of Beeline MTB, to Mena as we celebrated the outstanding students and teachers who participated in our recent Hackathon experience. We gathered in the PAC, where students were recognized for their creativity, innovation, and teamwork. The teams shared the prompts they developed, the websites they created, and the process they used to bring their ideas to life, demonstrating how no-code platforms and artificial intelligence are already shaping the way we solve problems. Karen and Sam spoke to our students about the opportunities emerging through these technologies and how understanding AI tools will be vital to success in the careers of tomorrow. As part of the Hackathon awards, Sam and her team provided bikes and mountain biking lessons for the winners, taking advantage of the new trails our community has worked so hard to build. These events connect directly to the broader focus of this week’s Wrap-up: preparing our students to navigate a future defined by digital innovation, cybersecurity, and safe, streamlined communication. Through experiences like this, we are not only recognizing the talents of our students today but also building the skills, confidence, and adaptability they will need to lead tomorrow.

Closing

This week, we had the opportunity to honor and express our gratitude to two essential groups within our school community.

On Tuesday, April 22, we celebrated School Bus Driver Appreciation Day. Our bus drivers play a crucial role in our students' daily lives, ensuring safe and reliable transportation to and from school. Their dedication and commitment contribute significantly to the well-being and punctuality of our students. We extend our heartfelt thanks to all our bus drivers for their invaluable service.​

On Wednesday, April 23, we observed Administrative Professionals Day. Our administrative staff members are the backbone of our schools, managing daily operations with efficiency and professionalism. Their hard work behind the scenes ensures that our educational environment runs smoothly. We are deeply appreciative of their contributions and the vital role they play in our district's success.

As we move through the final weeks of the school year, it is important to pause and recognize the people who make our work possible. Our bus drivers and administrative professionals embody the dedication, patience, and service that define our school community. Thank you for joining me in celebrating their contributions this week. I encourage all of us to continue showing appreciation for one another as we finish the year strong, together.

Yesterday, Mena Public Schools proudly hosted the Mena Relays, and I want to take a moment to commend our coaching staff for the outstanding job they did organizing and leading the event. Hosting a track meet requires careful planning, teamwork, and a great deal of energy, and our coaches handled every detail with professionalism and pride. Their efforts provided our athletes and visiting teams with a positive, well-run experience that truly showcased the spirit and hospitality of our district. I am also proud to share that our girls' team captured first place at the meet, adding an exciting highlight to an already successful day. Congratulations to our athletes and coaches for representing Mena so well.

Last night, our high school and junior high choirs delivered an outstanding spring concert that truly showcased the talent and hard work of our students. Their performances were a testament not only to their musical ability but also to the confidence, discipline, and pride they have developed through the choir program. I am grateful for the leadership of Mrs. Tilley for the opportunities she creates for students to grow both artistically and personally. It was a wonderful evening that reflected the heart and spirit of our schools.

Congratulations to the Mena High School students in Mrs. Wilson's Introduction to Teaching and Educational Technology classes who recently passed the Praxis ParaPro Test at the University of Arkansas at Rich Mountain. This accomplishment is more than a certification; it is the beginning of a pathway toward a future career in education. We have seen firsthand how paraprofessional positions can serve as a launching point for full teaching careers, with several former paraprofessionals now leading their own classrooms in our district. I want to especially thank Mrs. Wilson for her leadership and commitment to preparing these students for success and for opening this door to their future in education. We are proud of these students and excited to see where this journey will lead them.

It was a good week of learning at Mena Public Schools.

At Mena Public Schools, our students are prepared, our staff is supported, and our community is confident.

Keep the #menareads posts and videos coming and have a good weekend!