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Burbank parents and teachers press board to curb Chromebook use and form tech policy group
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Summary
Parents, teachers and students urged the Burbank Unified School District on April 16 to limit everyday Chromebook use, return to classroom carts and create a community advisory group to shape a new AI and EdTech policy. The board directed staff to form a working group and pursue a technology audit.
Public comment at the Burbank Unified School District Board of Education meeting on April 16 centered on classroom technology, with multiple speakers urging the board to reduce 1:1 Chromebook deployment and insist on more intentional media-literacy instruction.
Jim Fostante, a parent and media-literacy educator, told trustees: "We gave our students EdTech, the devices, but we completely failed to give them TechEd," and proposed a five-point framework and a three-school pilot to teach students how platforms shape attention. Cheryl Sacatelli, representing a petition with about 650 signers, recommended moving from 1:1 devices to classroom Chromebook carts, imposing universal screen-time limits during recreational periods, and forming an EdTech advisory group of parents and teachers.
The circulation of concerns was broad. SPED teacher Shauna Collins said lower-grade students and some classes are overexposed to screens and urged a review of how Chromebooks are assigned and when families are held responsible for device breakdowns. Elizabeth Isabella, PTSA president at Burbank High, framed part of the issue as equity: Burroughs High has two concession stands and Burbank High has none, a separate facilities gap she said ties back to campus resources that include access to equipment and storage.
In response, Interim Superintendent Oscar Macias thanked speakers and outlined immediate next steps: staff will form a working group on technology use, complete a technology audit that had been requested in November, and share findings with the board. He said a new director of technology is in place and told the board that staff are already discussing classroom cart models and wider consultations with unions and parents.
Board members pressed staff for more data. During the Measure ABC discussion later in the meeting, project staff warned of an upcoming Chromebook procurement window (a quoted firm deadline in May) tied to pricing guarantees, and the board noted the district faces a device "cliff" by 2029 if replacements are not staged. Dr. Hasty said quotes for a Phase 2 Chromebook purchase were roughly $3.1 million for about 5,500 units and that the district is also budgeting carts and infrastructure.
What happens next: the board directed staff to return with an agenda item that will detail how the tech working group will operate, the scope of the audit, and an implementation timeline. Trustees said they want staff to include teachers, labor partners and parents in planning and to present clear cost and timeline options before any large purchases are finalized.
