Schools Beyond Screens Winchester

Advocating for safe and intentional tech in Winchester Public Schools

Schools around the world are adopting intentional, kid-centered policies for classroom tech.

School districts around the United States and beyond are pushing back against Big Tech's intrusion into children’s education. New York and Los Angeles, the two largest school districts in the country, have each enacted age-appropriate individual screen time guidelines across all grades. Both districts also enacted a moratorium on student-facing generative AI in grades K-8.

Meanwhile, Winchester lacks guidelines and transparency around classroom tech.

Currently, WPS doesn't publish data or set guidelines around classroom screen time or generative AI use, leaving teachers to navigate decisions about these technologies without sufficient support. Parents report screen time varying dramatically by classroom, anecdotally reaching multiple hours per day by later elementary grades and middle school. Ultimately, it is not screens or software but the expertise, mentorship, and care of Winchester's teachers that help our kids learn and thrive. Our policies should reflect that.

The School Committee has not committed to a timeline for making changes.

We were very encouraged when Winchester agreed to form a Tech Usage Committee last spring, yet we have started a new school year without any recommendations or changes from our district — and, to date, no timeline for change has been communicated. Nearly six months after the formation of the Tech Usage Committee was announced, the group still remains in the research phase.

We have a chance to take action now.

Our stance is that our kids can't keep waiting. Hundreds of districts have already acted, backed by abundant research showing that excessive and unintentional tech usage in classrooms harms learning. Winchester doesn't need more research; it needs action. We're urging the School Committee to publicly commit to three steps:

Begin periodically publishing screen time data per grade level by January 1, 2027.
Implement age-appropriate screen time guidelines per grade level, effective no later than January 1, 2027.
Implement a one-year moratorium on student-facing generative AI in K-8 classrooms, excluding assistive technology required for students' 504 or IEP plans, effective no later than January 1, 2027.

Read below to learn how you can help push for these steps.

Take Action: Email School Committee and Superintendent's Office

Use the tool below to write a personalized message and send it to the School Committee and district leadership. Share an anecdote or personal perspective to explain why this matters to you.

Recipients

School Committee members, Dr. Hackett, Dr. Elineema, Dr. Paisner

Subject

Body

This is a starting point. We strongly encourage you to personalize your email by introducing yourself and sharing any anecdotes or rationale about why this matters to you. Also, be sure to sign your name at the bottom!

Dear School Committee, Dr. Hackett, Dr. Elineema, and Dr. Paisner,

I am writing to express concern over the technology usage in our schools. I am grateful for the action taken to establish the Technology Usage Committee last year. However, we have now started a new school year without any recommendations or changes from our district. Moreover, the School Committee and Tech Usage Committee have not committed to any timeline for implementing changes. Our children should not need to keep waiting for safe and intentional tech policies. I urge you to publicly commit to taking three steps:

1. Begin periodically publishing screen time data per grade level by January 1, 2027.
2. Implement age-appropriate screen time guidelines per grade level, effective no later than January 1, 2027.
3. Implement a one-year moratorium on student-facing generative AI in K-8 classrooms, excluding assistive technology required for students' 504 or IEP plans, effective no later than January 1, 2027.

Thank you for the work you are doing on behalf of Winchester's children.

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