District presents parent survey, plans YouTube/Chromebook limits and gathers student input on phones

Mr. Doherty presented results from a district technology survey and outlined near-term policy changes and next steps.

He said 904 parents responded (one response per child), representing roughly half the student population, and that approximately half of students bring smartphones to school (concentrated in grades 7'12). "We did have 904 parents fill out the survey," Mr. Doherty said, and he reported roughly 70% of parents believe these devices have a negative impact on learning.

Mr. Doherty described how the district has responded: social media has been blocked on Chromebooks across the district, and the administration is moving to an "approved YouTube" model in K'6 where teachers submit videos for district approval and only those videos will be viewable from school-issued devices. He said that approval system is already in progress and that the change will go into effect on Dec. 2, after Thanksgiving.

Staff feedback was described as largely positive: Mr. Doherty said about 80% of staff reported the enforcement has been effective and 83% said the reinforcement had a positive impact on students. He said the district will collect additional feedback at the high school about personal devices and is watching middle-school usage closely; he noted higher Chromebook breakage at grades 7'8 and said the district wants to pilot K'6 changes before expanding.

On lunchtime and recess use, Mr. Doherty said responses were mixed: some staff and students view phones as downtime, while others see social or communication benefits. He said the district will solicit student input before making changes to lunchtime/recess freedoms and will study Chromebook use in common areas such as the library and Gurney free-use time.

Mr. Doherty said he will post the survey results and add context on the district website.