Baltimore

Students aged 13 and up at Baltimore County Public Schools have free access to the online therapy messaging platform Talkspace, which will give them an assessment and match them with a licensed therapist.

Two Baltimore City Council committees this week heard discussion about a pair of proposals designed to regulate the growing use of facial recognition technology within city boundaries.

The city will spend $5 million in American Rescue Plan Act money in an effort to help city employees return to the office early next year, almost three years since many were asked to work remotely amid the coronavirus pandemic.

By the end of the year, Baltimore residents who don’t speak English will be able to communicate with 911 services in their native language, without waiting for an interpreter, officials say.

Plus, New Mexico’s broadband director is retiring, California has a new public broadband services bill and applications are open for the National Digital Inclusion Alliance’s 2023 digital trailblazers program.

More than 400 residents and business owners have responded so far to a survey that Carroll County’s Technology Services created to gather information about access to broadband Internet connections.

Baltimore County Police will start using a controversial gunshot detection technology in two southern precincts next week. Opponents have questioned the reliability and accuracy of the technology.

The Baltimore Police Department is asking residents for input on a plan to use drones during crime scene management and tactical situations, outlining the specific circumstances where the technology could be used.

Baltimore’s use of surveillance and facial recognition technology would face new restrictions under legislation introduced by a city councilman this week.

Funded by federal and state grants and tax credits, Baltimore City Public Schools has entered a 12-year contract with Massachusetts-based Highland Electric Fleets for 20 buses and 25 chargers starting this fall.

District leaders from Baltimore County Public Schools reflect on their ongoing cybersecurity efforts and lessons learned in the course of recovering from a crippling cyber attack in 2020.

Baltimore’s procurement process caused backlogs in the Baltimore Police Department’s forensic laboratory, hindering lab testing and analysis, according to a city audit completed earlier this year.

Maryland’s inspector general partially faulted the Baltimore County school system for a cyber attack on its network in November 2020, because it had neglected to relocate database servers as advised by the state.

Baltimore Mayor Brandon M. Scott has announced that Shelby Switzer has been hired to lead the city's Digital Services Team. Switzer is the first official hire for this team that was created in September 2022.

Valuable student data, many digital systems and devices frequently shuttled between homes and schools make K-12 districts vulnerable to cyber attack. But there are plenty of ways districts can armor up.

Plus, New Mexico has a new leader for its state broadband team; Baltimore is restructuring its digital equity work; FCC leadership is proposing an increase for minimum broadband speeds; and more.