Version 2: Community Call to Action Letter for Safe, Clear & Accountable Technology Standards in Sudbury Public Schools
A campaign from Turning Life On - Sudbury for Digital Balance
Sign This Campaign
Why This Matters
Dear Sudbury Families,
The evidence is conclusive that pen/paperWe are concerned about unclear, potentially harmful, and unaccountable use of technology in our public schools. In discussions with other parents, we have heard about improper and potentially harmful content viewed and shared by schoolchildren on SPS-issued devices and platforms. Additionally, many of you have shared concerns about overuse of technology, and a lack of clarity regarding what our children have access to, why they have access to it, and what the educational benefit of these tools and platforms are.
While SPS has recently announced some technology changes, these measures do not provide a consistent approach across grades. For example, some of the practices being introduced for 6th graders, are not in place for other grades, and it's unclear what protections and expectations apply across the rest of the district. Gamified platforms remain in use, and there are no clear district-wide guidelines on the use of screens in the classrooms.
At the heart of these concerns is a gap between what the district says is happening in our schools, and what families and students are actually experiencing--and without transparent policies, meaningful measurement, and accountability, families have no way of knowing whether concerns are being addressed.
If you want to see the research and information regarding technology in our schools that has influenced our positions, we encourage you to visit our website. In the meantime, we have put forward evidence-based practices and policies to create a safer and better learning environment for our children.
Your support will make a difference for every child in Sudbury Public Schools. We appreciate your support.
Sincerely,
The Coalition of Concerned Families at Sudbury for Digital Balance
https://www.sudburyfordigitalbalance.org
What We Are Asking the District and School Committee To Do and Why:
- Require human-led, face-to-face instruction the default.
- Restore physical books, texts, and paper-and-pencil work as the default for reading, writing, and core-subject practice, reserving screens for tasks that clearly require them.
- Eliminate student device use in PK–2.
- Eliminate routine 1:1 device use in grades 3–8, using carts or computer labs when technology is appropriate.
- Establish developmentally appropriate limits on screen use by grade, and eliminate device use during passing periods, lunch, recess, and unstructured downtime.
- Require the District to demonstrate why technology is being used, and how it meaningfully enhances learning beyond effective non-digital approaches.
- Require EdTech products to meet independent standards for efficacy and demonstrate that their educational benefits outweigh potential risks.
- Eliminate gamified learning platforms designed to promote habitual or excessive use.
- Publish the platforms, apps, and programs used by grade level, along with their educational purpose.
- Provide clear information about how technology is used during teacher-led instruction and on student devices.
- Change to an opt-in pathway for technology consent with meaningful no-tech and low-tech alternatives.
- School Committee to Adopt a clear, district-wide technology policy with consistent standards across schools and classrooms.
- Establish a Technology Advisory Committee made of families, as well as a variety of stakeholders.
- Track and publicly report student device use by grade.
- Ensure the District, not individual teachers or principals, is responsible for implementing these standards and reporting on progress.