Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School is years overdue for an information technology risk assessment, according to the firm that audits the school’s financial management.
The school has not had a review of its technology policies since 2021, and an audit by consultant CliftonLarsonAllen cited this as an area of concern.
“It’s something we always recommend be done on an annual basis,” lead auditor Chris Rogers told the high school committee Monday night, noting multiple weak points in the school’s technological security.
There’s no formal policy on removing users’ access to data when they leave school employment, Mr. Rogers said, and the information technology inventory is incomplete.
A nearly $100,000 state grant for cybersecurity will help the school review and tighten its technological safeguards, information technology director Rick Mello told the committee.
The state announced $7 million in cybersecurity funding for districts, municipalities and agencies earlier this year, with $99,995 awarded for the Island.
Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School will use its funds to conduct its first information technology review in three years, Mr. Mello said.
The high school also is joining the Island’s town schools on a new committee to develop a coordinated set of technology policies for all grades, he said.
Mr. Mello said he and Up-Island School District system administrator David Crawford are working with policies that vary by campus and don’t always transition smoothly from the town schools to the high school.
“A lot of times David and myself are working in parallel, instead of combined, efforts,” Mr. Mello said.
Information technology policies vary among other town schools as well, he said.
“The goal of that [technology] committee is to unify some of the policies and efforts that each school goes through,” Mr. Mello said.
Also this week, the high school committtee agreed to outsource the process of hiring and paying athletic officials for competitive sports.
For $1,000 a year, plus a one-time set-up fee of $495, a company called Abiterpay will provide referees and umpires as needed and issue payments directly to the officials.
Committee members took their unanimous vote at a special meeting Friday morning, held because the Arbiterpay proposal wasn’t listed on the agenda for Monday’s meeting.
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