Third through eighth graders in Weston's public schools no longer have Chromebooks of their own. The devices wait in slots at the back of the classroom until a teacher calls for them. This year the district also rewrote the permission form families fill out each year so they can opt their children in or out of district devices, and as of Oct. 7, fewer than 60 students were opted out.
Assistant Superintendent Tina Henckel walked the Board of Education's Curriculum Committee through the changes on Wednesday, Oct. 7. "Our goal was never simply to just reduce technology," she said, "but it was always to become more intentional about when and why we use it."
What changed
- Videos. A summer audit of the kindergarten-through-grade-2 curriculum, prompted by feedback about "overuse of video," found that some videos linked in lessons still carried advertisements. Henckel said the ads have been stripped from those videos across all English and social studies units.
- The youngest grades. In kindergarten through grade 2, device use is teacher-directed and used for approved instructional purposes.
- The permission form. Director of Digital Learning and Technology Daniel DiVito said the form is now "a true opt-in opt-out" for district devices, with expanded language on using non-digital tools whenever possible. It also gives examples of where technology is still required, including state and district testing, computer science, Project Lead the Way, Project Challenge, academic interventions, and services under a student's IEP or 504 plan, the individual plans for students with disabilities.
How many opted out
DiVito said the year began with "slightly under 70 students" opted out, and as of the morning of Oct. 7 the number was "under a total of 60." Weston Intermediate School, which serves grades 3 through 5, has more than Hurlbutt Elementary School or the middle school, he said. Superintendent Erica Forti said the district had not predicted that some families would opt back in, and that no classroom has an overwhelming majority of students opted out.
In the buildings
At Weston High School, Principal Meghan Conetta said teachers are stressing handwritten notes and more writing in class, and the school moved from Canvas to Google Classroom this year. Phones stay put away during the day, without phone pouches, in the second year of that approach. "It really comes down to relationships and the trust we have in each other," she said.
At Weston Middle School, Principal Jason Bluestein said there is "a lot less use of Chromebooks" as teachers rethink where a device helps a lesson, after years of reaching for it "almost reflexively." Use could rise again as lessons are revised, he said, but it would be more purposeful. "We're not using AI with our kids really at all at this point," he said.
At Weston Intermediate School, Principal Jennifer D'Amico said most third graders have used the devices only for benchmark assessments so far, and more students are writing in reading notebooks. Some families who opted out have opted back in after learning more about the school's approach, she said.
Questions still open
Committee chair Lisa Luft asked whether the district would bring back cursive. Henckel said she would take the question to principals and teachers. Board member Nicole Wallach asked how devices were used in grades 3 through 5 before the change, and whether bullying has dropped as screens and phones have receded. She asked for those answers at a later meeting or by email.