District outlines instructional‑technology plan, flags AI tools and screen‑time guidance

The Port Washington Union Free School District presented a second instructional‑technology update that detailed classroom uses of digital tools, student screen‑time guidance, early results from adaptive programs and the district’s approach to artificial intelligence.

Assistant Superintendent Dr. Sean Feeney delivered the presentation as a follow‑up to a prior technology overview. Feeney told the board that technology should be "purposeful integration" and emphasized that "technology's not going to replace great teachers but technology in the hands of great teachers can be transformational." He described classroom tools in use (iReady/MyPath, Google Workspace, Edpuzzle, BrainPOP, Gizmos, Book Creator, Canva, coding activities) and said the district has created thousands of teacher‑designed quizzes and activities; teachers have produced over 4,000,000 answered practice questions and 10,000 Edpuzzle activities with more than 1,200,000 questions answered by students since September.

Feeney presented district data that students using iReady's MyPath for at least 30 minutes per week "demonstrated 15% more growth in mathematics" compared with peers, and he noted external studies that align with district results. On screen time Feeney cited American Academy of Pediatrics guidance and distinguished "purposeful academic screen time" (active creation, critical thinking, collaboration) from recreational screen time. The district’s recommended daily in‑school device guidelines presented to the board were: pre‑K–grade 1, roughly 30–60 minutes of purposeful screen time per day (cumulative, not continuous); grades 3–5, roughly 60–90 minutes; grades 6–12, flexible, assignment dependent.

On classroom monitoring and tools, Feeney said the district is piloting GoGuardian to help teachers monitor in‑class device use and reduce distractions; the pilot uses the full product and staff recommended continuing deployment after the pilot. He described the district’s tool‑approval process — teacher request, building administration review, curriculum/technology office review — noting data privacy considerations and referring to New York State student data privacy law (referred to in the presentation as "law 2d"). The technology department also reviewed software titles and trimmed some subscriptions to free funds for new tools; Feeney cited specific AI‑driven tools under consideration or trial, including Magic School (district license planned), Brisk (pilot), and DiffIt.

Board members asked substantive questions about critical thinking, monitoring, AI and parental communication. Trustee Deborah Brooks asked for concrete examples of how tools develop critical thinking; Feeney described classroom practices such as using Edpuzzle to embed questions in videos and using adaptive platforms to tailor instruction. Multiple trustees recommended the district formalize the material into a technology strategic plan, update acceptable‑use policies and consider an AI policy; Feeney said many practices are in place but consistency and professional development remain priorities. Trustees also asked for periodic reporting on usage and outcomes; several board members requested future demonstrations for trustees and deeper data on classroom impact and equity for subgroups such as students with disabilities.

No formal board action was taken; the presentation prompted requests for follow‑up, additional reporting and policy review.