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Parents, teachers urge caution on $1 million Chromebook plan and call for restoration of student‑facing staff
Summary
At a March 23 School Committee public hearing on the FY2027 budget, more than a dozen parents and educators urged the district to pause a proposed expansion of one‑to‑one Chromebooks and prioritize restoring interventionists and special‑education staff, citing limited evidence and student privacy concerns.
At a March 23 public hearing on the Northampton Public Schools’ proposed FY2027 budget, parents, teachers and advocates urged the School Committee to reconsider a planned expansion of one‑to‑one Chromebooks and to prioritize funding for student‑facing staff.
"I urge the district to reconsider the plan to invest $1 million in expanding the one‑to‑one Chromebook program," said Maya Bay (Bayak), a Leeds parent, who raised concerns about student data privacy, extractive vendor business models and the developmental effects of early and pervasive screen time. "This is an opportunity to pause and reflect on the precedent it sets."
The hearing was convened under Mass. Gen. Laws, c. 71, §38N and drew more than a dozen speakers during…
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