Technology

VISION STATEMENT

The Ardsley School District believes that technology is a tool that can support and enhance learning. We aim to cultivate curious, capable, resilient, and empathetic learners. We use technology to spark inquiry, strengthen critical thinking, and personalize learning. When used intentionally, digital tools expand students’ opportunities to explore, communicate, and create in ways that help them thrive in an evolving, interconnected world.

Our vision centers on people first. We prioritize empathy, ethics, and cultural responsiveness, empowering students to take ownership of their digital lives. Through guided practice, students learn to navigate information responsibly, express themselves thoughtfully, and make ethical contributions within local and global communities. Technology is not an end in itself; it is a medium through which students develop character, agency, and real-world readiness.

To realize this vision, we commit to supporting educators with professional learning that encourages innovation while honoring effective, research-based practice. Our curriculum evolves deliberately to meet emerging challenges and opportunities, ensuring that technology remains balanced, purposeful, and human-centered. Together, we prepare all learners to engage confidently, think critically, and lead with integrity in a rapidly changing world.

Student Tech HuB

Help Desk for Faculty

Parent Portal

Pantherslink

Student Portal

Test HR-STYLE-2

Technology in Our Schools

AI

Understanding Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Understanding AI in education means exploring both the opportunities and responsibilities that come with these emerging technologies. As schools continue to adapt, students, families, and educators need to learn how AI can be used thoughtfully, ethically, and effectively to support teaching, learning, and digital citizenship.

Artificial Intelligence is reshaping how we learn, work, and solve problems. To understand its capabilities, it helps to break AI down into three distinct categories:

Predictive AI: This type of AI looks backward to look forward. By analyzing historical data, it detects complex patterns and forecasts outcomes to support smart decision-making.
- Examples include: IBM Watson and Netflix's recommendation algorithms.
Generative AI: This creative tool responds directly to user prompts. It can generate entirely new content from scratch, including text, images, videos, code, presentations, or ideas.
- Examples include: ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Perplexity.
Agentic AI: A step beyond simple generation, agentic AI acts as an autonomous assistant. It can execute multi-step actions and leverage different digital tools to achieve complex goals with minimal human intervention.
- Examples include: Alexa+ and Gemini Spark.

As a district, we focus on using AI responsibly, safely, and in compliance with student privacy requirements under New York Education Law 2-d.

AI Task Force

The AI Task Force will explore and support the intentional use of AI in teaching and learning; create entry points for staff; promote AI-supported feedback; and plan parent/community education efforts.

AI Forum Ask Us Anything - Dec. 2, 2025 Slidedeck

AI Forum Recording

Navigating AI in Education: A Parent’s Guide

In the News-District Forum, to delve into the use of A.I

Board Policy 5840: Artificial Intelligence

AI Forum #2 - What Are Your Kids Doing With AI? - May 28, 2026 Slidedeck

AI Forum #2 Recording

Chromebooks

Insurance for Chromebooks

Every school-issued Chromebook is a $350 investment in your child’s education. To protect your family from unexpected costs, Ardsley School District has partnered with AKKO to offer an affordable, comprehensive insurance program for the upcoming school year.

Insurance is highly recommended for all student devices, regardless of the device's age.

Plan Cost: Just $23.99 per device / per school year

Why Enroll?
Chromebooks are used daily both in school and at home. Accidents can happen, and repairs can be expensive. Insurance provides a cost-effective way to protect your student's learning device and ensure they remain connected, engaged, and ready to learn.

Purchase or renew coverage
from AKKO.

Insurance coverage

Insurance coverage provided by AKKO will protect the Chromebook against:

Accidental damage
Cracked screens
Liquid spills
Liquid submersion
Fire/flood damage
Vandalism
Natural disasters
Power Surge Due To Lightning

The insurance policy does not cover the following situations:

Lost devices/accessories
Theft
Intentional damage or misuse
Cosmetic damage that does not impact functionality

What Happens If I Decline Coverage?
Financial Responsibility: If insurance is not purchased and a Chromebook is lost, stolen, or damaged, families will be held responsible for the full cost of the repair or replacement, $350.
School Use Only: Uninsured students with a broken device will receive a loaner to use only while at school until the replacement or repair cost is resolved.

⚠️ Important Policy Details
15-Day Waiting Period: Accidental damage claims are subject to a 15-day waiting period from the date of purchase.

Pre-Existing Damage: Any incidents or damage occurring before purchasing the insurance policy will not be covered. We strongly recommend purchasing coverage before the school year begins.

Troubleshooting Guide for Students

WHAT HAPPENS IF A STUDENT DAMAGES A CHROMEBOOK?

If you encounter any problems with your school-issued Chromebook, we kindly ask that you refer to this guide.

If you were not able to fix the issue using the guide, please generate a ticket using the One to One Plus Student Help Desk. This dedicated platform ensures a streamlined process for reporting and resolving technical issues. To learn more about how to generate a ticket and access the One to One Plus Student Help Desk, please refer to this document.

We follow these protocols when a student breaks their school device:

Student fills out a ticket using the Chromebook Kiosk.
Our Systems Engineer assesses the device and finds out if the device has coverage.
If the device is insured, the device will be sent out for repair, and there are no fees to the families.
If the device isn't insured, the district will send an invoice to the family to cover the cost of repair. The average cost for repair is approximately $200. The district strongly suggests purchasing the insurance for $23.99.
While devices are being repaired, students will have to borrow a loaner Chromebook from the library on a daily basis. Please keep in mind that we have a limited supply of spare Chromebooks.
If a student doesn't have access to a computer at home, a more permanent loaner would be made available.

Device Distribution Plan

The district’s device distribution plan is designed to support instructional needs at each grade level while maintaining flexibility and equity.

Grades K-4:

Elementary classrooms are equipped with dedicated carts of Chromebooks that are available for student use during the school day and remain on campus. In addition, shared carts of iPads are available for classroom use as needed to support instruction.

Grades 5-8:

All students in grades 5–8 are issued a district-owned device that they are permitted to take home daily.

Grades 9-12:

High school students may choose to bring their own devices to school. For students who do not have a personal device or prefer a district-issued option, a Chromebook is provided upon request.

All students in Grades 5-12:

Device Responsibility: Students are responsible for ensuring their devices are charged at home, and must bring a fully functional Chromebook or laptop to school.
Optional Accessories: While not required, students may find earbuds/headphones useful during the school day. These are not provided by the school, but students may bring their own.
System Access: Only Ardsley students can access the system on school-provided laptops. Personal Google account credentials will not be accepted.

How to Sign in to your Chromebook

Please note that additional restrictions based on grade/age are in place. We currently maintain an allowed list for District-approved software and colleges, as well as a walled garden. Students are restricted to sending and receiving emails exclusively from users within the ardsleyschools.org domain. Each student utilizing a school-supplied device is required to sign a Chromebook Usage Agreement, which will be provided.

Student use of Chromebooks is subject to the rules and regulations outlined in the District’s Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) for technology.

Help Desk & Support

Parents/students can email Tech Support to report issues and get assistance.
If parents encounter difficulties accessing the parent portal, please contact Erin Newton.

Edlaw 2d

Data Privacy -What is 2d compliance? During the 2014-2105 fiscal year, the New York State Education Department enacted Education Law 2-d, which includes a series of provisions designed to enhance protections surrounding personally identifiable information (PII) held by schools and school districts.

Chrome Extension and Apps - Approved, Pending, Denied list

To proactively protect the security and privacy of our students’ data, we will use EdPrivacy by Education Framework. EdPrivacy is an online software solution that will help us quickly vet EdTech learning resources. It is designed to help you understand if our district, and you as a teacher, can use an app, website, extension, or any online learning resource to be used in the classroom.

Step 1: Please learn how to complete the Education Framework EdPrivacy user registration process by watching this video.

Step 2: Click on this link to begin the registration

Step 3: Once you register and sign in, I encourage you to watch the entire video training series to understand the EdPrivacy features that are most useful to you.

Please refer to this link for the district's approved applications, websites, etc.

FAQs

If the image on the monitor is flipped, make sure you are logged into the computer then press CRTL + ALT and the UP arrow key at the same time.

How to Create an MP3 file using GarageBand

How to share your Google Contacts using the Delegate feature

How to clean your Chromebook

How to Take a Screenshot

How to Adjust the Resolution for NWEA MAP Testing

GSuite - Help and Tutorials

How to Create a shared Doc for Parent Teacher Conferences

How to Create a Google Form for Parent Teacher Conferences

Parent Bill of Rights for Data Privacy and Security

Parents and students have the right to specific safeguards concerning the confidentiality of student information. The District is dedicated to ensuring that personally identifiable information is protected against unauthorized access or disclosure.

Policies and Plans

Phone System

How Do I Access My Voicemail From Home?
In order to do so, you have to call the main District number (1-914-295-5500) and then press the star on the keypad once the automated message begins. It will then ask you to enter your ID and then pound. Your ID is your 4-digit extension. After that, it will prompt you to enter your Voicemail PIN and then pound. Then you're in. From there, you can follow the prompts to change your outgoing message. All voicemails will be sent to your inbox.

Software Subscriptions

Technology Newsletters

Video Tutorials for Teachers

Our Team

Sabrina Rich - Director of Technology
Erin Newton - CIO/Database Specialist
Ramon Santos - Operations Manager
Larry Martinez - Systems Engineer, AHS
Bobby Williams - Systems Engineer, AHS
Carlos Rodriguez - Systems Engineer, AMS
Jordan Lee - Systems Engineer, CRS

Please email Tech Support for any technology-related issues.

Please email Erin Newton for issues with the eSD Parent/Student Portal.

Director of Technology

Sabrina Rich

MESSAGE FOR FAMILIES

Education continues to evolve at a rapid pace, and technology plays an increasingly important role in how students learn, collaborate, and prepare for the future. Today's classrooms are dynamic learning environments where students have access to a wide range of digital tools, instructional resources, and emerging artificial intelligence (AI) technologies that support creativity, critical thinking, communication, and personalized learning.

As we embrace these innovations, our focus remains on using technology thoughtfully and purposefully to enhance teaching and learning while supporting the whole child. Technology is an important component of our district's commitment to Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) and our Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS), helping educators personalize instruction, monitor student progress, identify areas of need, and provide targeted support so that every learner can succeed.

As Director of Technology, my goal is to partner with teachers, students, and families to create engaging, safe, and meaningful learning experiences. I am committed to providing ongoing professional learning opportunities that empower educators to integrate technology effectively, leverage AI responsibly, and equip students with the digital literacy, problem-solving, and collaboration skills they need to thrive in an ever-changing world.

I am excited to be part of the continued growth and innovation taking place throughout our district and look forward to supporting our students as they learn, create, connect, and achieve their full potential.

Yours truly,
Sabrina Rich
Director of Technology