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Parents ask Katy ISD to scale back constant device access, set screen-time caps and pause student-facing AI
Summary
Several community members under the banner Schools Beyond Screens Katy urged the board to limit 1:1 Chromebooks for grades 3'8, adopt grade-level screen-time caps, favor paper-based instruction and delay student-facing generative AI until independent research shows benefits.
A group of parents and former teachers addressed the Katy ISD Board Monday with a set of technology-policy recommendations they say would protect instructional time and student well-being.
Speakers from Schools Beyond Screens Katy presented survey results and research summaries supporting limits on daily student screen time and reduced home access for school-issued Chromebooks in grades 3'8. "Do 1-to-1 Chromebooks for students in grades 3 through 8 and sending them home daily improve student outcomes enough to justify the trade-offs?" asked Chancy Davis, a former Katy ISD teacher. She urged the district to consider classroom sets that stay at school so teachers can control when devices are used.
Other requests included age-appropriate daily caps, greater use of physical books and handwriting instruction, and a pause on student-facing generative AI until independent research demonstrates learning benefits and safety. Kelly Mendez specifically asked the board to "remove student-facing AI until its benefits have been clearly proven to outweigh its costs." Several speakers cited the U.S. Surgeon General's advisory and pediatric guidance urging intentional device use.
Filtering and safety: Meredith Seeley and others urged a move from reactive, block-list web filtering to a proactive safe-list model to prevent exposure to inappropriate content. Parents reported many successful proxy bypasses and long ticket response times when they asked IT to block sites.
District response and next steps: Superintendent Dr. Gregorski said administration has met with board leadership and will bring a detailed presentation about district technology use in July. Trustees asked for the administration's upcoming presentation and materials cited by the speakers.
Context: The public comments came during the open-forum portion of the meeting; no board action was taken during that session, but administration committed to a future presentation and additional review.
