School Cybersecurity, Policy vs. Guidelines, & the Legal Realities of AI with Dr. Rachelle Dené

How do school districts keep up with the breakneck speed of artificial intelligence without leaving themselves vulnerable to catastrophic data breaches?

In this episode of _GaETC: The Podcast_, host Dr. Lee Green sits down with edtech powerhouse Dr. Rachelle Dené Poth. Bringing decades of secondary classroom experience in Spanish, STEAM, and emerging technology together with her background as an attorney, author of ten books, and founder of the #THRIVEinEDU community, Rachelle offers a rare, multi-dimensional view of educational technology.

Rachelle dives into the critical differences between slow-moving district policies and agile, living guidelines. Drawing on her recent work as a national grant coach across twelve school districts, she highlights why acceptable use policies must evolve to address digital wellness and AI transparency, and why student voice is essential when shaping responsible use frameworks. She also breaks down school cybersecurity realities, explaining why culture and empathy beat punitive gotcha tests every time, and examines the legal blind spots surrounding terms of service, third-party subprocessors, FERPA, and student data privacy.

Plus, Rachelle takes on our signature game, "How Well Does Gemini Know You?", scoring high marks on cybersecurity culture, emerging tech litmus tests, and hometown Pittsburgh favorites!

*In this episode, we discuss:*

* The legal and practical fallout of district-level AI bans and restrictions
* Policy vs. Guidelines: Building agile guardrails that adapt to emerging tech
* Lessons from national task forces: Centering student voice in digital citizenship and wellness
* Cybersecurity in schools: Moving from compliance lectures to positive digital habits
* Legal blind spots: Unpacking terms of service, data scraping, and third-party vendor contracts
* Creative classroom applications of AI tools, from NotebookLM to generative music with Suno
* Previewing Rachelle's upcoming session at GaETC 2026

Catch Dr. Rachelle Dené Poth live at the Georgia Educational Technology Conference (GaETC), taking place November 4–6, 2026, at the Georgia International Convention Center (GICC)!

*Connect with Rachelle:*

* Website & Blog: https://rdene915.com/
* Socials & LinkedIn: @Rdene915