Petition for Intentional EdTech Limits in Seattle Public Schools

Dear Superintendent Shuldiner and Seattle School Board members,

We are writing to express our deep concern regarding the Seattle Public School’s overreliance on screen-based learning.

Our children are already spending an enormous amount of time on screens outside of school—an average of nine hours per day for high school students, according to recent studies. Excessive screen time has been associated with many serious issues, including anxiety and depression, executive function disorders, eye disorders, sleep loss, neck pain, and screen addiction.

It is for these reasons that we are glad to see SPS exploring a policy around student personal devices in the classroom and we further support policies banning phones throughout the school day. 

However, it's time to acknowledge that school-issued devices present urgent problems of their own.

Internet access on classroom devices can fragment students' attention, making it difficult for them to think deeply and stay on task. Indeed, numerous studies have shown better comprehension and retention when students learn on paper versus on screens. Classroom devices also create new behavioral challenges for teachers, requiring them to police online activity instead of teaching.

EdTech apps pose privacy risks in their collection of student data. And by gamifying the learning experience, they can undermine children's ability to focus on other work that doesn't trigger short-term rewards, thereby diminishing our children’s capacity for deep thinking.

Additionally, computer-based homework can be a gateway to unsanctioned online activity, placing an undue burden on parents to monitor their children's online activity at home.

We question whether the so-called benefits of being prepared for a tech world justify the current practices and look to you as leaders to evaluate research and make decisions that are in the best interests of our students.

These are the steps Seattle Public Schools can take now to begin addressing these concerns:

In the SPS Information Technology Advisory Committee (ITAC) meeting minutes from over the last year, there is no noted discussion around any of the issues raised in recent research around Ed Tech efficacy, effects, or ethics. This is troubling. We request an additional or revised committee that includes caregiver and teacher representatives to evaluate both existing and prospective EdTech products, determining whether their educational value outweighs potential harms. Such a committee must rely on independent research regarding each product's efficacy rather than studies provided by the companies themselves, seek input from a wide range of SPS teachers and caregivers, and be responsible for bringing this information to the school board.

In August of 2025, the FTC issued an amicus brief for the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). The result was that:

As such, we expect that SPS will obtain caregiver consent annually for any products that collect personal data on students before allowing students access to those products. In addition, we ask that SPS create a clear policy stating that no student data will be collected, shared, or sold without explicit, informed caregiver consent. 

We request a comprehensive list of all digital educational applications and platforms currently being used in our district’s classrooms, categorized by grade level and updated annually on the school district website. Such a list should include links to privacy policies. Caregivers should also receive specific lists for their student(s) at the beginning of each school year and updates regarding any changes to the applications used, data collection practices, and associated privacy policies before student use begins. This information is crucial so that caregivers understand the tools our children are interacting with daily. SPS should also provide information on how the use of EdTech apps improves upon analog methods. The costs are becoming apparent so the gains need to be named and well-proven. 

Given that concerns about screen time and its effects on student well-being and learning outcomes continue to grow, it is imperative that caregivers are informed about the policies in place to safeguard our children’s health. We request that SPS provide clarity on the screen time limits enforced during the school day, broken down by grade. Additional time on 1:1 devices should not be used as “occasional rewards.” Schools must also adhere to manufacturer guidelines for the safe use of digital devices, including all ergonomic and eye protection measures.

The world is in a steep learning period on the costs, benefits, and ethics of generative AI. Developing brains are not appropriate test subjects. Therefore, SPS should restrict such technologies to teacher instructive materials until the district can guarantee AI products have been vetted for safety, legality, and educational efficacy for minors. Even teacher use of AI should be rigorously evaluated for safety and legality, and if teachers are using AI to assess student work, the district needs to clearly communicate this to parents.

SPS should formally permit individual teachers and schools to opt out of district EdTech mandates (or "guidelines") for the use of specific EdTech products like Amplify, provided their students meet reasonable benchmarks for academic progress. Likewise, SPS should formally permit students to opt out of computer-based activities if requested by a caregiver and/or medical or mental health professional, with alternative learning methods provided. Although this should be a natural result of gaining caregiver consent, we request that the district  explicitly state how they will support teachers when families request paper-based assignments.

As caregivers in the Seattle School District community, we have seen firsthand how excessive screen time affects our children's ability to focus and engage in meaningful learning. We believe these changes will benefit our students’ well-being and academic outcomes.

On behalf of our children, we respectfully request that you take this issue seriously and work with our community to implement these evidence-based improvements for the 2026-2027 school year.

Sincerely, 

The undersigned