Parents, teachers and a student urge limits on classroom tech and ask board to restore Wikipedia access

At the Greenville County Schools Board of Trustees meeting on May 26, parents, educators and students urged trustees to curb classroom screen time, tighten oversight of classroom AI and restore student access to Wikipedia.

Dr. Cinnamon Stettler, a parent and higher-education professional, told trustees the district’s revised AI policy "lacks a solid evidence base" and risks worsening students’ screen-time and mental-health problems if adopted without strong safeguards. "AI will never replace a human teacher," she said, and recommended expanded professional development so teachers can use AI for administrative tasks while preserving classroom learning.

The concerns were echoed by members of a local parent group. Grace Pouch, a cofounder of Upstate Unplugged, said the coalition formed because parents want "safer, purposeful use of technology" and opt-out options; Katie Heights, a child and adolescent therapist and Upstate Unplugged cofounder, argued the district should align day-to-day practices with the South Carolina Graduate profile and said students "don't learn it behind a device." Hank Geddes, who has worked in educational technology and currently works for an AI company, urged that fundamentals such as typing and reading comprehension be taught before students are broadly given devices.

A student speaker, Benjamin Frick, said Wikipedia became inaccessible on district devices between the afternoon of April 23 and the morning of April 24. Frick said he gathered 61 student and 5 teacher signatures in person plus 58 online signatures for a petition asking the district to restore access, calling Wikipedia "one of the few free, accessible learning tools students still rely on."

Speakers framed their concerns around three linked points: (1) instructional quality — that overreliance on devices can erode handwriting and foundational skills, (2) transparency and parental choice around AI and EdTech vendors, and (3) student access to reliable research tools such as Wikipedia. Several speakers said they had not received follow-up from the district after raising related concerns in prior meetings.

Board practice limits direct responses during public comment; the chair reminded the audience that the board will not engage speakers at the podium and that the superintendent will designate staff to follow up. The committee of the whole, which the chair said meets the second Tuesday of each month for in-depth discussion, is the usual venue for detailed debate on topics raised tonight.

The meeting record contains no board vote or immediate action on the technology or Wikipedia issues; speakers requested the board consider policy changes and follow-up from staff.