Diligent Community + BoardDocs

10/01/2026

A lot of the PDF documents a district publishes weren't produced by the district. Architect reports, audit statements, consultant studies, vendor proposals, state filings.

They arrive as PDFs, frequently scanned and no amount of internal training changes how someone else built the file.

That’s the part of accessibility planning that quietly breaks. Process fixes only reach the documents your own staff create.

DocAccess processes what comes in regardless of origin, generating an accessible HTML version with reconstructed structure and auto-generated alt text for images.

Now available inside Diligent Community, BoardDocs and iCompass.

09/30/2026

🏛️ September had our public sector team in Washington, DC twice!

First up was the Billington CyberSecurity Summit, where Jason Venner, RIMS-CRMP-FED got on stage with a room of federal CIOs and CISOs and just talked shop, RMF automation, cATO, identity security, the stuff that actually matters to them day to day.

Then last week we were back for AGA Fraud '26. Katja Vermehren Freeman moderated a session called "What Oversight Reviews Reveal: Technology and Financial Risks Government Leaders Should Watch" in front of more than 150 auditors and finance leaders, and the conversation kept coming back to the same thing: catching problems early instead of finding them at year end.

🙏 Thanks to everyone who came out for either one and told us what's actually on your mind right now.

09/23/2026

Manual PDF remediation runs roughly $5 to $8 a page in public education, with three to five business days turnaround. Complex documents go past $13. A 200-page budget book is therefore a four-figure invoice and a week of waiting, for one document.

Now count the PDF documents on your board portal.

The DocAccess Integration with Diligent Community takes a different route. Rather than remediating each file, it generates an accessible HTML version alongside it, across current and future PDF documents.

DocAccess makes accessibility coverage possible, automatically and at scale.

https://bit.ly/3V64nyY

09/22/2026

Some public sector organizations are taking documents off their websites. Not because the information is out of date, but because they can't make the PDF accessible in-house in time for the DOJ Title II deadline, and can't afford to send it out for remediation.

Today we announced the DocAccess Integration with Diligent Community, built with CivicPlus, that will support an organization’s compliance efforts.

It detects PDF documents uploaded to agenda packets, supporting materials and libraries, then generates a screen-reader-friendly HTML version alongside the original file.

DocAccess gives residents, families and screen reader users an ADA-aligned version of PDF documents that would otherwise go unread, at a volume manual remediation was never going to reach.

Available with Diligent Community, BoardDocs and iCompass.

09/14/2026

🌟 Over a decade partnering with the people who keep their communities running, and Jeff Schaefer still calls them some of the kindest, most dedicated people he knows.

That's Jeff, Regional Vice President of Customer Success and our People of Purpose spotlight for September. He works with Diligent's Mission-Driven Organizations, the school districts, local governments and community groups that rely on solid governance to stay accountable to the people they serve.

His favorite Diligent Community feature is Policy Publisher, specifically the timeline, because seeing who's been in the platform and what they've done keeps boards and district teams on the same page.

09/10/2026

"Share the agenda early. Put it into their inbox. Send a message with a link. And encourage members to take personal notes." Jeff Schaefer's routine for approval and prep, from our guide.

The point isn't one big reminder, it's a rhythm members can count on. The guide lays out an approval process that keeps everyone moving together.

→ https://bit.ly/4xDg3rb

Discover how education boards can build trust, streamline communication and tackle complex risks with practical strategies and tools for stronger alignment.

09/09/2026

Only 11% of city and county IT executives have one person coordinating AI development. 63% have assigned no one at all.

New guide on AI governance for government: what OMB M-25-21 requires, how it plays out from federal agencies down to school boards, and five questions elected officials should answer before approving any AI use case. https://bit.ly/4dmdbGU

AI governance for government explained: Frameworks, OMB and NIST mandates and how federal, state and local bodies oversee AI adoption.

09/08/2026

Riverview Gardens School District in St. Louis, Missouri serves a wide community of more than 5,000 K-12 students across 13 schools. In this video, Sha Fields, Coordinator of Board Governance, shares how migrating from BoardDocs to Diligent Community has transformed meeting preparation and given her team hours back every week.

09/07/2026

This Labor Day, we’re recognizing the board members, administrators and public-sector staff who show up to keep their organizations moving forward.

Behind every effective meeting are people preparing agendas, organizing materials, documenting decisions and keeping communities informed. Much of that work happens behind the scenes, but it makes good governance possible.

Today, we’re celebrating the people who make it happen — often quietly, and sometimes voluntarily.

https://bit.ly/4zYJZj7

Administrative Professionals Day celebrates the people who that are central to running your community organization, local government or school district.

09/03/2026

🎉 Meet September's Community Champion: Laura Fromm, Board Coordinator at Rockford Public Schools.

Laura's kept the board meeting process running smoothly since 2012, making sure staff and board members have what they need to make informed decisions.

When Rockford adopted Diligent Community, she guided the whole transition, and now keeps materials on track through deadline notifications and submission reminders, so teams get more time to actually review before publication.

Her take on governance is simple: consistently meet deadlines so everything's accurate and complete for approval, for students, staff, and the board alike.

Congratulations, Laura 👏

Know someone who deserves the spotlight?

Nominate them for the Diligent Community Champions program 👇
https://bit.ly/4h6X5TP