Parents and teachers tell board internet blackout and reduced screen time improved focus; criticize i-Ready and district technology reliance

Multiple parents and a classroom teacher told the board during public comment that a recent internet blackout and reduced student screen time had noticeable benefits for student focus and writing stamina and urged the district to rethink reliance on devices and certain literacy software.

A speaker who identified himself as a parent and educator said he was "surprised during the Internet blackout about the positive effect that the lack of technology had on our students," and added that pencil-and-paper work forces deeper thinking. "Literacy softwares like I Ready focus mostly on patchy texts in which students practice multiple choice answers, leaving completely to the side, citing evidence or reasoning ideas through writing," he said.

Another speaker, who said she is a dual-language teacher, contrasted writing skills of students who attended schools in other countries with less device use and said those students "command the mechanics of writing and know how to organize their ideas." She told the board that spending class time on itemized multiple-choice software does not build the stamina to read whole books or to write extended responses.

Speakers called for renewed emphasis on sustained reading and writing, cautioned that screens reduce face-to-face interaction, and urged the district to invest where classroom instruction and additional educators would better serve literacy outcomes.

No board action was taken during the public-comment period. The superintendent later noted the district’s plans to gather student input on cell phone usage and to consider a possible policy recommendation based on a student survey.