WOBURN – Superintendent Matthew Crowley is pleased to announce that Woburn Public Schools Director of Technology and Innovation, Jennifer Judkins, attended the Ed Tech Advocacy and Policy Fly-in event in Washington for the third year in a row.
Judkins attended the Ed Tech Advocates and Policy Fly-in event, along with two other Massachusetts technology directors and a representative from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) Office of Ed Tech, on Tuesday, May 2, in Washington. The event is designed to facilitate discussion on educational technology topics among representatives of school districts, states, educational service agencies, members of Congress, their key congressional staff, and leaders of education professional associations.
At the event, Judkins met with staff from the offices of Senator Elizabeth Warren, Senator Ed Markey and Representative Catherine Clark, along with the chairmen of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), to advocate on student data privacy issues, funding for cybersecurity responses, and more.
“I was honored to participate in the Ed Tech Advocates event to connect with education leaders from across the U.S. who share many of the same priorities around student data privacy, technology access and cybersecurity,” said Judkins. “Meetings with legislative staff provided a unique opportunity to share the specific challenges and successes we face in Woburn to help contextualize and hopefully influence further policy decisions.”
Discussions at the event focused on current issues such as e-Rate, a grant program that helps fund about 60 percent of Woburn’s IT infrastructure improvements annually, including support for incorporating cybersecurity to protect student data.
Judkins helped facilitate discussions about supporting and protecting student personal information, as well as improving the K-12 Cybersecurity Act, as it was cited as a significant concern for K-12 schools given the national increase in cyberattacks and the vulnerability of students with in terms of identity theft.
Lack of homework was another key theme, particularly the push to make the Emergency Connections Fund permanent. Woburn has received over $440,000 in ECF funding over the past two years to help purchase student devices and help with Internet services for low-income families.
“Jennifer’s dedication to technology education and improving the lives of our students is evident through her dedication to training and advocacy,” said Superintendent Crowley. “Her presence at the Ed Tech Advocacy and Policy Fly-in, for the third year in a row, demonstrates that commitment.” We are very fortunate to have her here at Woburn.”