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Parent asks North Allegheny board for audit of elementary iPad use, app vetting
Summary
A parent told the North Allegheny School Board that many apps on elementary iPads are unrelated to classwork and urged an audit, adoption of vetting standards and better parental controls; he said district staff described a vetting process still in development.
Kevin Draper, a parent, told the North Allegheny School Board on Nov. 20 that the district lacks adequate vetting and real-time controls for apps on elementary school iPads and urged officials to audit student device use.
Draper said he found "dozens of unused applications" on students' devices that are beyond grade-level instruction and singled out apps such as Duolingo and YouTube as frequent distractions. He said parents cannot remove apps from district-managed devices and that existing monitoring "doesn't stop anything in real time." He asked the board to "conduct an audit of student iPad usage, implement universally accepted technology standards, and ensure that our youngest students understand how to effectively integrate technology into lifelong learning."
Draper attributed to district technology coordinator Victoria LoJack an account that "during COVID, many apps were free and open to teachers, which led to many resources in our ecosystem," and said the district is "developing a process for vetting those apps." He told the board he had installed the district-approved Securly application but found it "lacks sufficient controls" for the kinds of problems he described. Draper referenced the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) as a model for standards he would like the district to adopt.
Why it matters: Parents and teachers nationwide debate how 1:1 device programs balance instructional benefits, student attention and data privacy. Draper framed his request as a local implementation issue: he asked the board for concrete evidence — an audit of device usage and a written vetting protocol — before expanding iPads to younger grades.
The transcript contains no formal board response or motion directing staff to conduct an audit at tonight's meeting. Draper said he "seeks to be a partner, not a combatant" and urged joint work to create a clear plan for elementary iPad use.
