Petition for Intentional Technology Use in the City School District of Albany

A campaign from Schools Beyond Screens - Schools Beyond Screens - Albany, NY

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Why This Matters

The use of educational technology, including Chromebooks, Smartscreens, and generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), in the City School District of Albany (CSDA) is not supported by research on student learning and raises serious concerns about student privacy and data security. To date, CSDA has not engaged parents and other community stakeholders in discussions about the use of educational technologies and AI in the classroom. CSDA’s widespread implementation of these technologies and plans for increased future use are concerning given the lack of evidence for their efficacy as educational tools and the substantial risks they present.

In recognition of these and similar concerns, the largest school districts in the country, including Los Angeles Unified and New York City, are starting to move on classroom screen time and educational technology-- setting clear grade-level limits on screen time, blocking YouTube and gaming platforms on school devices, eliminating devices for the youngest students, setting moratoriums on student-facing AI, and requiring weekly screen reports to parents. In addition, key organizations representing teachers, including American Federation of Teachers and New York State United Teachers are advocating for constraints on educational technology. These changes reflect the determination and voice of many parents, educators, and community members, like us, who fear that the overuse of instructional technology in the classroom, including the introduction of generative AI, is undermining the quality of education being provided in schools rather than enhancing it.

This petition will allow us to unite our voices to communicate the urgency and importance of establishing intentional and responsible education technology policies to the City School District of Albany community. Upon signing, your signature will not be publicly visible to protect your privacy, but will be appended to the letter sent to the superintendent and school board. If you have questions about the petition or want to get more involved, email us at schoolsbeyondscreens.acsd@gmail.com

 
Dear Superintendent Joseph Hochreiter, Board of Education Chair Tabetha Wilson, and Members of the Board:
We are writing to urge the City School District of Albany to take urgent action to align educational technologies policy with teacher recommendations and evidence on best practices for student learning, safety, and privacy and to require the meaningful engagement of parents and other community stakeholders as part of the policy development process.
As parents and committed community members of the City School District of Albany, we have tremendous respect for our teachers and other educators who demonstrate their expertise, dedication, and care in the classroom and beyond everyday. For that reason, we take seriously the recommendations of the American Federation of Teachers, which recommended “no screens” at all for those in second grade or younger, and no AI chatbots for students in elementary school, and a re-prioritizing of active learning. We also stand in agreement with New York State United Teachers’ recent Resolution for Developmentally Appropriate Use of Educational Technology, including their limits on screen time and strengthening hands-on learning.
While educational technology adoption was accelerated during the Covid-19 pandemic as an important tool for sustaining educational access, we are now at a moment requiring critical assessment of the role of technology in our classrooms and schools. The American Academy of Pediatrics has linked excessive screen time to vision problems, anxiety, depression, addictive behavior, reduced attention span, and lower academic achievement. And there is mounting evidence on the ways that educational technology undermines rather than enhances student learning. With the pandemic behind us, the role of these tools must be critically assessed and the further expansion of instructional technology must be more intentional. Given the risks they present and the lack of long-term evidence on their impact, responsible implementation of these technologies involves oversight, including a thorough evaluation of their educational value and safety, along with an opportunity for students, teachers, administrators and parents to learn about their implications and provide feedback.   
We were therefore encouraged to see the New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) and Los Angeles Unified School Districts (LAUSD) -- the two largest school districts in the nation -- pass landmark resolutions earlier this year to establish educational tech policies that limit screen time and establish high thresholds for adopting new technologies in the classroom. We are asking the City School District of Albany to join this growing cohort of forward-looking districts willing to engage intentionally in shaping the role of technology in the future of education. 
Our Requests
We urge the City School District of Albany to adopt an intentional technology use and education policy that includes the following:
1. Reduce 1:1 device use.  Remove Chromebooks, laptops, and other 1:1 digital devices from early education through 2nd grade classrooms, except where required for mandated assessments or as specified in individualized education programs. Transition to shared laptop carts and computer labs for grades 3-8.
2. Set specific, enforceable screen time limits by grade level. Establish clear daily and weekly maximums for student screen use on district devices, with less screen time for younger students. Consider adopting NYCDOE’s policy of no more than 30 minutes a day of screen time in grades 3-5, and no more than 45 minutes a day in grades 6-8. We recognize that our dedicated and trained educators are best positioned to support student learning, and therefore that screen time should be prioritized only when it provides educational value that cannot be replicated offline. This includes prohibiting screen time from being used as a reward or being utilized during unstructured time such as lunch or recess, which are essential opportunities for student socialization and social development. 
3. Adopt a 2-year moratorium on student-facing AI. Disable student access to any generative AI tools, apps, websites, and software on all school-issued devices and terminate CSDA’s existing contracts with student-facing AI technology companies, including MagicSchool and Snorkl. The district should use this 2-year period to undertake robust assessment of the evidence on the effectiveness, safety, legal and privacy risks, and purported benefits of these technologies and develop policies informed by this assessment before any future adoption. When it comes to our children’s education there is a benefit in not being early adopters and in not experimenting with their future. Evidence-based research is necessary and the bar for adoption must be high.  
4. Provide parents with transparency on screen use and sharing of student data. Share monthly reports on children's screen activity on district devices. In alignment with updated Federal Trade Commission guidance under the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule (COPPA), require parental consent for each individual app or website that collects student data.  Provide annual plans for screen activity at the beginning of the school year followed by a report at the end of the school year reviewing their implementation.
5. Evaluate all ed tech contracts for educational value and student data privacy. Require independent review of ed tech products for efficacy and establish plans to regularly assess associated outcomes. This requires independent evaluation and cannot rely on vendor-supplied research. Ensure robust and transparent assessment of contracts that prioritize student privacy, ensure student data is not used for commercial purposes, and that contracts include accountability mechanisms. In alignment with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), require parental consent for each individual software or technology that will receive personally identifiable information (PII) from students. Software companies should not be treated as “school officials” in order to exempt them from FERPA’s consent requirement.
6. Establish a technology civics curriculum. In alignment with the District’s vision statement for instructional technology (“provide a technology-rich environment that will develop a full range of digital literacy skills for all students”), build an educational technology curriculum that prioritizes teaching students about the underlying technology and critical use of digital technologies. Preparing students for a technology-rich and AI-enabled future requires a curriculum that provides them with a comprehensive and critical examination of digital technology rather than passive usage of the tools. The use of these tools does not constitute digital literacy. A technology civics curriculum will prepare students for how to approach emerging technologies, including those we cannot foresee right now, in intentional, critical, and ethical ways. 
7. Establish an educational technology committee composed of administrators and community stakeholders. In order to ensure district policies leverage the expertise and priorities of diverse stakeholders, a committee composed of parents, teachers, students, and administrators should be formed to guide future policy decisions related to AI and screen time. The committee would contribute to developing policies related to the content of a technology civics curricula, establishing educational technology transparency policies and practices, professional development opportunities for teachers that emphasize active learning and hands-on curricula, and other educational technology issues that may arise.
We have seen firsthand how educational technology affects our children's ability to focus, connect with their peers, and engage in meaningful learning. Students as young as pre-K are utilizing Chromebooks and headphones in CSDA classrooms. Elementary students are utilizing online gamified learning programs for English language arts and math each week. Middle school and high school students struggle with the distraction of constant online access and reduced interaction related to Chromebook access, while teachers and staff are put in the difficult position of monitoring the online behavior of their students and competing for student attention with online devices.  
The evidence and public consensus is growing, and LAUSD, NYCDOE, and others around the country have shown it can be done. We respectfully urge the City School District of Albany to act now to align our education technology policies with the CSDA Vision to be a “district of excellence with caring relationships and engaging learning experiences that provide equitable opportunities for all students to reach their potential.”
Sincerely, 
The undersigned

Additional Resources: 
1. LINK to research on educational technology indicating unintentional adoption undermines student learning.
2. LINK to NYCDOE’s intentional screen time and AI policies. 


Recent Supporters

  • Grandparent

    Signed in Albany, NY

    about 2 hours ago

  • Grandparent

    Signed in Albany, NY

    about 2 hours ago

  • Parent

    Signed in Albany, NY

    about 14 hours ago
381 supporters have signed this campaign

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