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Parents and teachers tell board 1:1 Chromebook policy harms equity; ask for CART model
Summary
Multiple commenters told trustees a shift back to 1:1 Chromebooks in middle schools creates equity and sustainability problems and harms students who lack charged devices or accommodations; they urged the district to explain the rationale and consider classroom cart systems.
During the open forum at the May 21 meeting, parents and teachers urged the board to reconsider plans to implement a 1:1 Chromebook program at middle schools and to instead adopt a classroom cart (CART) approach.
Speakers described problems they say were experienced during prior 1:1 deployments: devices that are lost, damaged or uncharged; insufficient spares/chargers; increased electronic waste; and behavioral or attendance consequences when students lack charged devices. One commenter said 80% of surveyed middle‑school teachers favored CART systems at three middle‑school sites; another argued CARTs better support students with IEPs and accommodations who need consistent access to word-processing and reading supports.
"Returning to a 1 on 1 model instead of a CART system hurts our equity and achievement goals in the long term," a parent speaker said. Another speaker urged staff to provide the rationale for requiring all three middle schools to align to the same model.
Board response: Trustees asked staff to circulate the rationale and any relevant survey results and indicated they would review the district’s decision-making documents. The board invited additional emailed comments to the district board email.
What’s next: Commenters requested a formal staff memo explaining the pedagogical rationale and an equity analysis comparing the two deployment models.
