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Board to collect middle‑school Chromebooks for summer as public presses pause on Burke turf over PFAS concerns
Summary
Assistant Superintendent Melissa Samansky announced that the district’s NYSED‑approved instructional technology plan will be followed by collection of Chromebooks from grades 6–8 this summer while the technology committee finalizes action steps; in public comment residents urged delaying Burke field demolition and turf installation citing PFAS (forever chemical) and drainage concerns and asked for more community engagement, testing and a possible second vote.
At the May 27 Board of Education meeting, the district announced a change in device practice and heard extended public concern about the proposed Burke field turf installation and chemical (PFAS) risks.
Assistant Superintendent Melissa Samansky told the board that the district’s instructional technology plan has been approved by the New York State Education Department and sets three goals: develop professional learning for educators on purposeful technology use; explore the role of artificial intelligence while protecting academic integrity; and strengthen home‑school guidance on healthy device habits. Samansky said family and faculty surveys indicated the bulk of concern centers on the middle school and outlined a near‑term step: collect one‑to‑one Chromebooks from sixth‑through‑eighth‑grade students at the end of the school year so devices are not at home over the summer. She said the district will present specific action steps at the next board meeting and is evaluating cart‑based alternatives and homework policy changes.
The meeting’s public‑comment period was lengthy and focused heavily on the Burke field replacement. Speakers asked the district to pause demolition and to ensure the product chosen meets the bond’s promise of no PFAS (per‑ and poly‑fluoroalkyl substances). A public commenter who identified themself as Mark said a May news interview by the superintendent claiming the proposed turf would bring "no added PFAS" was "preposterous" and cited third‑party test values; the commenter asked whether the district will approve a longitudinal health study to follow students playing on the field. Several parents and community members urged the board to delay construction, seek PFAS‑free alternatives, and improve communications. One parent, Katie Baker, urged reclaiming Chromebooks for summer and described physical and developmental concerns around sustained screen use. "Please choose creating a stable nervous system for our developing children over Chromebooks and unnecessary technology in classrooms," Baker said.
District representatives and board members acknowledged public concern; the superintendent said legal review of the surface continues while other bond work proceeds, and that staff are preparing detailed bond implementation plans. There was no formal district commitment to a longitudinal study recorded in the transcript.
Trustees certified the budget and approved business items 1–10, placement services and May 5 minutes by voice vote during the meeting’s business section; the transcript records voice votes of "All in favor? I" but does not include detailed named tallies in the public minutes.
The board will take up the technology committee’s detailed action steps at its next meeting and the district promoted the June 3 science research symposium to the community.
