The SPS school board and leadership are meeting for a special board meeting on November 4. Yes, we know it’s a Wednesday afternoon and the day after election day, but we need YOU. Let’s channel our activist energy one extra day to demonstrate how important this issue is to the board. AGENDA: 3:30pm Sign-Making 3:50pm Rally & Speakers 4:15pm Speakers end 4:30pm Board Meeting begins Please get creative with posters and bring friends. The board needs to see how important this issue is to families in order to push the district to make meaningful progress. (That said, please creatively censor imagery and text to be safe for young eyes. Yes, we get the irony.) We’re also trying to get media coverage so if you have a student experience you can share, please let us know so we can connect you with them. SFIT plans to share a one-pager with board members on top priorities: FOLLOW THE DATA: At the heart of all of this is that the research shows most kids learn more meaningfully through analog, hands-on interaction with materials and other humans. The school district needs to change course and follow best practices as demonstrated by non-biased research, not the assertions of tech companies profiting from hooking kids on their products. PAUSE GEN AI: SPS should pause student-facing generative AI, following the lead of the two largest school districts in the country (NYC and LAUSD) and rethink their new AI curriculum which encourages fourth graders to use AI to brainstorm and create class mascots, outsourcing the very creative and critical thinking they are entering school to learn. BE TRANSPARENT: Up until a few months ago, the district had over 2,000+ tech products in use, with no centralized vetting system. Caregivers have no clear way to know what products their student(s) are using or what companies are collecting their personal, academic, behavioral, and/or health data. ALLOW OPT-OUT: While SPS plays whac-a-mole with access to inappropriate content and surveillance apps that collect more student data, and pushes gen AI with young minds as guinea pigs, students and caregivers should have the right to refuse these practices until SPS can demonstrate the benefits outweigh the risks and that peer reviewed research has informed the ages at which students are taught tech skills. We know families are choosing to leave SPS over this, so make a way for them to choose to stay in their community schools. JOIN US TO RALLY FOR INTENTIONAL TECH IN SPS! (We think it may be possible to enter the board meeting and some of us may do that as well. They won’t post the agenda until 24 hours before the meeting so if you RSVP, we’ll keep you updated.)