K12 Tech Talk

In episode 261 of K12 Tech Talk, the hosts are back from CoSN Chicago and revisit the P3 breach story that has been ongoing for the last few weeks. The latest reports show the stolen records have now been listed for sale, while the company has not issued a full public disclosure.

On the screen time front, the hosts review LAUSD’s draft approach that emphasizes guidelines over hard time caps, reductions in K–1 screen use, changes to...

Live from CoSN 2026 in Chicago, this episode brings quick conversations with leaders across K12. Guests include:

Earl Franks, NAESP

Jean-Claude Brizard, Digital Promise Global

CTL (Jason and Michelle)

Dr. Kari Murphy, Deer Park

Joey Wender, SHLB

Amanda Lanicek ("Amanda from LinkedIn")

Joan Wade, AESA

Jim Rowan, ASBO

Stacy Hawthorne, CoSN Chair

David Wren, NTP

School leadership, funding concerns, AI, building coordinated systems, su...

The guys discuss the rising AI-driven security risks facing school districts, including convincing deepfake video and voice scams, advanced phishing, and the implications of new AI research such as Anthropic’s Mythos and Project Glasswing.

They cover recent news items that affect K12 cybersecurity: proposed federal budget cuts that shift CISA and school safety responsibilities to states, the growth of non-classroom education jobs i...

Josh, Chris, and Mark debrief last week’s Infinite Campus interview, explaining new findings about the leaked support data - what was in the release, how directory-level information and PII were involved, and what districts can do to check and respond. They discuss vendor ticket practices, district ticket practices, minimizing data in support requests, and how districts should approach vendor privacy agreements going forward.

The e...

On this episode of the K12 Tech Talk podcast, Josh, Chris, and Mark interview Charlie Kratsch, CEO of Infinite Campus, about a confirmed cyber incident involving the company’s Salesforce instance. Charlie explains how attackers used a fast, professional vishing campaign and an imposter login domain to harvest credentials and bypass MFA, and then ran targeted reports through Salesforce. The data accessed was limited to support and c...

On this episode, the guys discuss how students are using AI and how districts are responding with pilots, policy lessons, and content controls. They share real pilot data showing most AI chats were educational, while a smaller portion involved attempts at academic dishonesty or flagged content.

The conversation also explores the controversial use of AI chatbots for mental‑health support. Josh, Chris, and Mark share personal experie...

On Episode 255, Chris, Josh, and Mark return from the MidwestTechTalk Security Symposium to discuss several hot topics. They cover New Hampshire's recently revised data privacy law and the temporary fallout for school livestreams and events, plus a Chicago district using license plate data for residency enforcement.

The guys recap the MidwestTechTalk Security Symposium, including their hands on impressions of Apple's new MacBook Ne...

On Episode 254 of K12 Tech Talk, Josh, Chris, and Mark break down Apple’s big announcement: the Mac Neo, a $499 laptop that many call a potential Chromebook killer. They compare specs, durability, repairability, management with Apple School Manager, resale value, and the extra operational costs and security considerations (EDR, content filtering, app installs) for school districts. The hosts debate whether the Neo could replace stu...

Live from the K12 SIX National Cybersecurity Leadership Conference in Albuquerque, Chris goes solo and interviews several attendees and leaders about practical K12 cybersecurity.

Guests include Cory Rankin, a K12SIX member, who talks about community and membership benefits, Dr. Tim Tillman on building governance and board-level engagement, Doug Levin on the importance of in-person trust and fundamentals, David Waugh of ManageMethod...

Josh, Chris, and Mark discuss Tennessee proposals that would severely restrict or ban classroom devices and online assessments for younger grades, and debate whether this is an overreaction or a needed reset on screen time.

They discuss a widespread, sophisticated phishing campaign that hit many Midwest school districts, including guidance on immediate steps to secure compromised accounts for Google and Microsoft.

Google: https://k...

Chris, Josh, and Mark interview Mark Mark Keierleber from The 74 about his investigation into Flock license-plate cameras and how those camera networks are being queried by federal and out-of-state law enforcement.

They then bring in cybersecurity expert Michael Klein to explain the impacts on schools, covering mass surveillance risks, audit logs, data-sharing practices, and the ways camera access can be shared beyond a district’s ...

Josh, Chris, and Mark discuss the 74 reporting that federal immigration agents have been tapping Flock license plate cameras, which leads to broader conversation about school and neighborhood cameras (Ring/Nest/home systems) balancing safety and privacy. The guys unpack a listener email about how K12 techs should approach student data privacy. Finally, there is an interview with Rise Vision, discussing digital signage, templates, d...

Episode 249 of K12 Tech Talk podcast has Josh, Chris, and Mark discussing their Olympic favorites, the latest news in K12, and the Snow Day Message winner:

Option 3: Code Red - Montgomery County Public Schools (MD)

The episode features an interview with Tyler Kingkade, national reporter at NBC News, about his recent reporting on internal Google documents revealed in litigation. Tyler explains how those slide decks describe K12 as a...

Episode 248 has a listener poll of viral snow-day announcement songs from districts around the country. Check out the videos below and tell us your favorite by emailing us at info@k12techtalkpodcast.com:

Option 1: Benson Boone - Ozarks Schools (MO)

Option 2: Extraordinary - Novi Community School District (MI)

Option 3: Code Red - Montgomery County Public Schools (MD)

The second half of this episode is an interview with Dr. Richard ...

On this episode we talk about free certifications, Google Gemini updates, and updates to Microsoft’s Copilot Teach and Study & Learn Agents. We discuss SSL certificate lifetime changes and ACME automation. Finally, we unpack and react to last week’s Senate hearing on screen time led by Senator Ted Cruz - including perspectives from Dr. Jean Twenge and Senator Markey.

Senate Hearing on Screen Time: https://www.c-span.org/program...

Hosts Josh, Chris, and Mark unpack a week of wild headlines and K12 tech policy: viral AI images that complicated a search for wild vervet monkeys in St. Louis, Denver Public Schools’ decision to block ChatGPT for students, and a preview of a Senate hearing on kids and screen time.

They discuss a Texas district fighting state regulators over bell‑to‑bell phone bans, cybersecurity warnings about teen recruitment by criminal hacking ...

And we're back! We discuss the New Year spike in cyber attacks on schools over the holiday break and practical strategies for vacation periods - automated alerting, third‑party monitoring, suspending or shutting down non‑critical services.

Other topics include what to look for when hiring technician, the rise of remote psycho-educational testing, early findings from the E‑Rate cybersecurity pilot, vendor liability caps in data priv...

Josh, Chris, and Mark close out the year on Episode 244 with a fast-paced, candid recap: reviewing last year’s predictions, unpacking the biggest 2025 themes, and making bold calls for 2026. Chris shares a story about Missouri-flavored smoked ribs and a district core switch outage.

Key topics include the mainstreaming of AI in K12, vendor security scrutiny (PowerSchool and Infinite Campus MFA), continued funding uncertainty, device...

Josh, Chris, and Mark discuss students and screen time - including Australia’s ban on social media accounts for under 16, a NTIA listening session on excessive screen time in schools, and proposed Missouri legislation limiting K‑5 screen use and tech‑required homework. They dig into enforcement and equity concerns, district reporting and instructional use of devices, and the tension between digital literacy and reduced screen expos...