[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},"mediaId",6310338,"mediaKeyId","2402771-be9722892f9afc2d0c9a016d7eb2823a","parentId",2402771,"title","SPIT committee recommends board approve switch from Palo Alto to Lightspeed firewall/filter solution","audioSeconds",188,"startMs",1331730,"endMs",1520724,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2402771-be9722892f9afc2d0c9a016d7eb2823a&start=1331&end=1520","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2402771-be9722892f9afc2d0c9a016d7eb2823a/thumbnail_1331730.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6310338/North-Carolina/SPIT-committee-recommends-board-approve-switch-from-Palo-Alto-to-Lightspeed-firewallfilter-solution","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6310338-1e6033b78d37e197d6e9691f86827f5f/orig.mp4?Expires=1771104931&Signature=YdH401oTBjrdjcWOHcKVUqcG7PC7ueLkn78eybT-99B9wokm2n3duBsqg-2N45yhdY8coXcciP5lgqLqR1r4qZZ4sfmuCfaors0kuzp9LsgEoS~DFFDpIpyzzLY6opLOxB4kkNMpRiLXPEKQ8MM96Yr-8jxBoN5d15pirtdgrJBkrAlNFaUtuDdWSWHvP~YczCg-7AZXeOZDQ9GYWqmDosB5FXxb2AhlZ6IQG5LYCqM9hDjkOOx-4dgK6gcVMOHKRT5OKDaMYrS8ysfUixAvRXJB-kKSn5byBoUZ0qKYM0sFKFOAB8ddOxNc7BTDNl4OCbzIQacFN88QIv8NvtEaGg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","","date","2025-02-26T13:01:00Z","article","Union County Public Schools technology staff told the SPIT Committee on Feb. 26 they recommend replacing the district’s current Palo Alto firewall/filter solution with Lightspeed and asked the committee to forward the purchase to the full board for approval.

Mr. Parker presented the procurement rationale and a cost figure. \"We're changing our firewall provider from one we're currently using is Palo Alto. It's $120,000,\" Parker said, and placed supporting documents in the meeting materials.

Staff said the proposed change would align the district's on‑site filtering with the state's off‑site Lightspeed filtering used when students are away from district networks. Parker said Lightspeed provides a more usable administrative console and more robust reporting that facilitates investigations and filtering decisions. He added the vendor’s reporting produces structured data rather than the long Excel exports the district currently receives from the Palo Alto console.

The committee discussed the recommendation and then voted to recommend the purchase to the full board for approval. A motion and second were recorded and the motion passed by voice vote; committee members asked staff to include the item in the March board packet for formal approval.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Union County Public Schools Board of Education SPTT Committee Meeting (Feb 26, 2025)","oneSentenceSummary","The committee recommended the full board approve replacing the current Palo Alto firewall/filter with a Lightspeed solution; staff said the switch will unify on‑site and off‑site filtering, improve reporting and reduce costs.","taxTitle","Union County Public Schools, School Districts, North Carolina","taxId",14185,"location","North Carolina","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},6310343,"UCPS tech update: Infinite Campus migration, Teams-based phone rollout and Google consent deadline",681,613770,1295200,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2402771-be9722892f9afc2d0c9a016d7eb2823a&start=613&end=1295","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2402771-be9722892f9afc2d0c9a016d7eb2823a/thumbnail_613770.jpg","/articles/6310343/North-Carolina/UCPS-tech-update-Infinite-Campus-migration-Teams-based-phone-rollout-and-Google-consent-deadline","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6310343-1d85d0d01e525b9cb7d64c15126eae0b/orig.mp4?Expires=1771104931&Signature=gJ3U9OI30lGhllnzLFbsIgVK1CHKpzhauYYegNXac2d5tjZHDb0O59h~CyqFVoerlBVueFZzk7Tq0TTs1zzAX0U9H1rqXBW~jSBy9bMheUS6Y-yus1kwvanh4dHP15Xw3oyeTqIuHFCstoeZCr01sgHQpoX9N~gYwwHKxvOcNkFkdLCKJ9YMYb1LTwGjvpC3vCVAOh8JGDeXB8-JvB2MEibB~7Q1eQ3NRDvjQitnY-TSwvAEox-KmDQa0DxeGi~6LydxuS9iv0PlIPlgWfd~LsMbbpIVyQSpAV02hPMvKPR6kOvb4K0nWVZ2HUK~V~ZGyp6vALEYvOBljF0MPY1Y-A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Union County Public Schools technology staff told the SPIT Committee on Feb. 26 that the district has moved its student information into Infinite Campus as part of a statewide migration and is in the final quarter of a 12‑milestone project plan.

Mr. Parker, who led the update, said the district completed 10 of 12 project milestones and conducted in‑person training for data managers to perform data sanitization within Infinite Campus. \"Part of this month was actually the in person training of our data managers where they actually saw their information within the Infinite Campus program and they were able to perform data sanitization on it,\" Parker said. He reported that district data was moved from PowerSchool to Infinite Campus beginning Jan. 17 and that staff will continue targeted communications for guardians and parents about creating accounts and using the mobile app.

On communications and next steps, Parker said the district would run \"train the trainer\" sessions where data managers and school champions will return to their buildings to show staff how to set up grade books, manage schedules and use the web portals. He said online registration forms will be integrated into Infinite Campus so parents can complete back‑to‑school forms within the platform.

Parker also outlined a multiyear shift of the district phone system from an on‑premises Cisco Call Manager to a Teams‑integrated voice‑over‑IP platform. The plan calls for converting roughly 26 schools between the current month and the end of June, with a full district rollout expected by the end of 2026. Parker said the Teams platform will enable long‑distance calling from every phone and that most school conversions will occur after hours to minimize disruptions; 911 routing and other emergency services will be tested during deployments.

The technology update included an item on Google and recent COPPA-related guidance from the Federal Trade Commission. Parker summarized that Google now requires parental consent for certain add-on Google services for users under 18 and that the district must collect consent by March 31. He described the distinction between Google’s \"core services\" (Gmail, Drive, Calendar, Classroom) — which do not require additional consent — and add-ons such as Colab, Maps, Earth and YouTube, which Google has identified as services that require parental consent when used by minors.

Parker said the district would issue an electronic consent form and paper options for families who need them, and would track submissions by school so each school can monitor its completion percentage. He also noted that Lightspeed is the state's off‑site filtering platform for students and that the district is coordinating filtering work across platforms.

Parker concluded that staff will post a projects list and status updates in the superintendent’s weekly update and continue to brief the committee and board as milestones are completed.","Technology staff briefed the committee on the district's student-information-system migration to Infinite Campus, a phased Microsoft Teams voice-over-IP rollout, and a required Google parental-consent process tied to recent COPPA updates.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},6310348,"SPIT committee recommends legislative agenda, flags teacher compensation and student funding needs",276,326490,602840,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2402771-be9722892f9afc2d0c9a016d7eb2823a&start=326&end=602","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2402771-be9722892f9afc2d0c9a016d7eb2823a/thumbnail_326490.jpg","/articles/6310348/North-Carolina/SPIT-committee-recommends-legislative-agenda-flags-teacher-compensation-and-student-funding-needs","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6310348-8378a9ef649d30ee6a95fddfa9489514/orig.mp4?Expires=1771104931&Signature=EmDBeN9rKu3i0XO-GZkiG9HzkefNwyz71~HuUbJdvAZozBO75CQD~yQ8EDk7XgjU~9ODJ7QBOpST3dCyg7JMd0vOKzPoEqS~~8JHvDkBsffUMDT1A09f0MIatEY5hNBxe9usFo~ftzm5T~R-4DT8bJhJ5SdlviEMX0tsS7Tdmmj05ftdsPC1qZoU6O2chwftn3lQz1v9slqXFipdf1EgVluOxK9qyjZ9A5XGbe0LIo1U29pP~rEuorfnMSrz8pCQayb5jLJ5Z1EhTlfuFkHFbvBkwLhzE1pqgUlvc1NU2GAL7LlEQI3jJTB47nDCX3N88PshGs-KehBPxodvWpsjqg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Union County Public Schools' SPIT Committee voted Feb. 26 to refer a proposed legislative agenda to the full board for approval and to share the document with legislative liaisons and delegates for a planned legislative breakfast in late March.

Ms. Morris presented the packet and asked the committee to review the draft. \"What we hope is a comprehensive legislative agenda... some of it is expanded from previous legislative agendas, some of it is new,\" Morris said. She told the committee staff planned outreach to the district's legislative contacts to explain why the board considers the items priorities for the General Assembly’s long session.

Committee discussion focused on funding and workforce priorities. Members confirmed that compensation and staffing retention are included in the agenda under a recruiting-and-retention heading. Morris identified the compensation item and its subparts: \"5A is address staff compensation. One is certified staff and two is non certified staff.\" The agenda also highlights recruitment strategies targeted at high-need schools and shortage subject areas such as special education, mathematics and science.

Members raised concerns about recent changes to the state's graduation-credit requirements. Morris said a new entry in the legislative agenda (5B6) reflects those changes: \"This is something that is new due to changes in the last legislative session,\" she said, noting that adding required courses while reducing the total number of credits can limit students' elective options.

The agenda requests increased state funding for students with disabilities and continued support for high-dosage tutoring programs (initially funded with ESSER funds). The packet also includes cybersecurity protection and funding requests; staff said they are working with Mr. Parker to highlight district cybersecurity needs to legislators.

After discussion, the committee chair called for a motion to send the legislative agenda to the full board for discussion and approval; a motion and second were made and the committee approved the referral by voice vote.

Next steps described by staff include scheduling a late-March legislative breakfast with liaisons and delegates, and returning the document to the board for formal approval at the March meeting.","The SPIT Committee reviewed and voted to refer a proposed legislative agenda to the full board for approval. The agenda emphasizes recruitment and retention, staff compensation (certified and non-certified), new graduation-credit rules, special education funding and continuation of high-dosage tutoring.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},6310353,"UCPS strategic-plan update highlights high-school pathways, expands middle-school engagement efforts",247,59454,307398,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2402771-be9722892f9afc2d0c9a016d7eb2823a&start=59&end=307","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2402771-be9722892f9afc2d0c9a016d7eb2823a/thumbnail_59454.jpg","/articles/6310353/North-Carolina/UCPS-strategic-plan-update-highlights-high-school-pathways-expands-middle-school-engagement-efforts","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6310353-29495bd5521f20ccbe929c653100eacb/orig.mp4?Expires=1771104931&Signature=j0c9XvcJ63J3GgksMBc7uL8Ut6wQEeIk9LLhOmjYNjzhFC4wUSinmrseTFmyBfig706e~JZCDhEa09dM9LHHLRkn1G7nK~hYKJB93CbFvqfkYanfYI7Q33Wv8ulLRTGGlRgWaTYs~QYnPN4ivqyJttQqaIBU~hstez~jZe43~rQ1afI6X6l~L8yDdsx5njmx1vRMxYGtlxen9rETmQZBM5y8icOF6WPYlI5L3tCs-XMCFkEnCAU7kW~8l21mFprerwmfMW88lWzGkgofLyLOWqJnCNo2FiiGFUw-vWcfwJMqrizODmn9cH7pxv9QU2HcQX4~TGaoaA5j8KaGFqOMDA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Union County Public Schools staff told the SPIT Committee on Feb. 26 that the district is near completion of activities for its current strategic plan and will post the materials to the board agenda as an FYI item.

The update was presented by Ms. Morris, who said the presentation materials were included with committee packets and that Dr. Rogers was available to answer questions. \"We are almost completed with the activities for this strategic plan,\" Morris said, adding the materials would be placed in the board agenda for the March meeting.

Committee members pressed staff on whether the plan’s initiatives reached younger students as well as high schoolers. A committee member asked, \"This seems very high school centric. Do we have something as well for like middle school opportunity for all?\" Morris and Dr. Rogers described several existing and expanding middle-school supports. Dr. Rogers noted the district’s dual-language immersion program serves K–12 and that Wayfind — an engagement program — had been expanded to include four middle schools. \"We're just always seeking and researching what is out there for middle school, especially to increase student engagement,\" Dr. Rogers said.

The presentation also highlighted Teach UCPS pathways at the high-school level. Dr. Rogers described four Teach UCPS pathways and spotlighted a new pre-apprenticeship pathway currently enrolling students at two high schools: \"Currently we have 19 students enrolled as pre apprentices in that pathway and that is at Weddington High and Porter Ridge High,\" Dr. Rogers said.

Committee members praised the plan's career-focused offerings, noting hands-on credentials such as QuickBooks and industry certificates. Ms. Morris said the materials were being finalized and would be provided to the full board as information; no board action on the strategic plan was taken by the committee at the meeting.

The committee recorded the strategic-plan update as an informational item to be shared with the full board at its March meeting. Staff said communications and training tasks tied to the plan — for example, training staff and preparing outreach for guardians — would continue in March and beyond.

The SPIT Committee did not vote on policy changes; the update was designated \"for information\" and will be added to the March board agenda under the FYI section.","Union County Public Schools staff briefed the SPIT Committee on the final activities for the district's strategic plan, highlighted the expansion of Teach UCPS pathways including a new pre-apprenticeship and described ongoing work to increase middle-school engagement.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

SPIT committee recommends board approve switch from Palo Alto to Lightspeed firewall/filter solution

UCPS tech update: Infinite Campus migration, Teams-based phone rollout and Google consent deadline

SPIT committee recommends legislative agenda, flags teacher compensation and student funding needs

UCPS strategic-plan update highlights high-school pathways, expands middle-school engagement efforts