Bill Summary – FastDemocracy

ENROLLED ORIGINAL

                                           AN ACT

                                       ______________

                   IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

                               ___________________________

To require the development and submission of a comprehensive, multi-year student technology

       plan for the District of Columbia Public Schools and annual updates.

       BE IT ENACTED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this

act may be cited as the DCPS Digital Equity Act of 2022".

        Sec. 2. Comprehensive Student Technology Equity Plan.

        (a) The Chancellor of the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) shall develop

and maintain a Comprehensive Student Technology Equity Plan (Plan) in accordance with this

act.

        (b) The Plan shall:

                (1) Articulate DCPSs vision and goals for ensuring that all DCPS students have:

                        (A) Digital literacy skills and access to technology in and outside the

classroom sufficient to support their learning needs;

                        (B) Access to robust IT support; and

                        (C) Sufficient internet access to support in-school and assigned out-of-

school learning.

                (2) Articulate and clearly define the strategies to achieve the vision and goals

identified pursuant to paragraph (1) of this subsection during each of the 3 years following the

date of submission of the Plan to the Council;

                (3) Include an assessment of the technology needs of each DCPS school,

including, for each school:

                        (A) The number and condition of student and teacher devices and

classroom technology;

                        (B) Dedicated resources for technology device and asset management;

                        (C) Quality of the Wi-Fi; and

                        (D) Technology training opportunities for school staff;

                                               1

                                                                        ENROLLED ORIGINAL

                 (4) Include a schedule and framework for refreshing the technology for all schools

in order to maintain current (in-lifecycle) devices for teachers and students, classroom

technology, and reliable school building internet infrastructure;

                 (5) Design an asset management system to maintain, support, and track the

devices and software for students and teachers at each school level (elementary, middle, and high

school), including staffing, funding, and training;

                 (6) Include an educational technology professional development plan to provide

all teachers with baseline technology skills for instruction;

                 (7) Delineate the responsibilities of DCPS, the Office of the Chief Technology

Officer, DC Net, and the Department of General Services in the provision of technology support

and services with clear lines of reporting, metrics, and performance standards;

                 (8) Provide multi-year detailed cost estimates for every component of the Plan,

including hardware and software acquisition costs, the costs of service provision, and capital

expenses;

                 (9) Include comprehensive privacy impact assessments of any third-party learning

applications that schools use or any planned expansion of technology; and

                 (10) Include a section or chapter that explains how the Plan will meet additional

technology needs for schools with a large number of at-risk students and schools located in areas

with weak internet access.

         (c) The Chancellor shall submit the Plan to the Mayor and Council no later than March

31, 2023. Thereafter, the Plan shall be updated annually as of January 31 of each year in

coordination with the Mayors proposed budget submission to Council, and always with a 3year

horizon.

         (d) In developing the Plan, the Chancellor shall utilize a process that:

                 (1) Includes both internal (DCPS) and external education technology experts,

including, but not limited to the Districts Chief Technology Officer;

                 (2) Prioritizes stakeholder engagement, including DCPS parents and DCPS

teachers; and

                 (3) Incorporates feedback from an advisory committee comprised of internal

(DCPS) and external individuals.

        (e) In developing the Plan, as well as the annual updates, the Chancellor shall submit a

draft plan to the Council for review and comment no less than 2 months in advance of the final

submission date.

        (f) Following the submission of the first Plan to the Council, the Office of the District of

Columbia Auditor will conduct a review of the Plan to assess whether it meets the requirements

of this act and shall report its findings to the Council within 180 days after the Plans submission.

                                                 2

                                                                      ENROLLED ORIGINAL

       Sec. 3. Fiscal impact statement.

       The Council adopts the fiscal impact statement in the committee report as the fiscal

impact statement required by section 4a of the General Legislative Procedures Act of 1975,

approved October 16, 2006 (120 Stat. 2038; D.C. Official Code  1-301.47a).

       Sec. 4. Effective date.

       This act shall take effect following approval by the Mayor (or in the event of veto by the

Mayor, action by the Council to override the veto), a 30-day period of congressional review as

provided in section 602(c)(1) of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, approved December

24, 1973 (87 Stat. 813; D.C. Official Code  1-206.02(c)(1)), and publication in the District of

Columbia Register.

               ______________________________

               Chairman

               Council of the District of Columbia

_________________________________

Mayor

District of Columbia

                                                3