My high school children both have ADHD and have trouble staying on task. Requiring them to do their work on a medium that has multiple distractions just a click away is beyond their ability to regulate themselves and focus on their work. Both have experienced constant distractions, friends messaging during class, classmates in proximity with videos or games on their screens. My youngest who isn’t predisposed to distractions, still has trouble with sustained reading, hitch research attributes to the use of short passages on a screen versus longer text assignments. He had such trouble in 4th grade with English texts on the Chromebook and having to toggle back and forth from the passage to answer questions, he made many errors due to the modality. And I know it was due to the modality because when asked his teacher to provide the test on paper, his grades improved dramatically. When I asked why he thought that was, he said he was able to underline key words and could see the text in total rather than broken up by what fit in a screen’s text box. So it was easy to determine what the “third paragraph” was or find the quotes being used.

My daughter was introduced to Internet gaming on her computer by her teacher, and taught in class how to access Minecraft on her Chromebook. She also has full access to YouTube, and watches all kinds of junk on there at inappropriate times, including in the middle of the night- she sneaks her Chromebook into bed with her, and I don't find out until later. She has a tablet that has parental controls, so I can block websites and set up daily screen time limits, as well as monitor her activity. There is NOTHING like this on the school-issued Chromebooks, and I wish there was!! Parents should be able to set and control limits on the Chromebook, and block inappropriate websites, and parents should be able to fully monitor what their kids are accessing on those Chromebooks. My daughter exhibits screen addiction behavior, and I have to learn what to do about it, and free, unmonitored laptops from the school are not helping!

Both of my kids have shared many stories of peers gaming on Chromebooks in class. We’ve caught our own kids gaming on Chromebook’s under the guise of working on homework when we have taken away their home devices. Kids create elaborate Google slide presentations that become lengthy (months long) group chats which can become hurtful, inappropriate, and exclusionary. Our kids have lost their love of reading and writing and have become prisoners to devices over the past few years. Really miss the days before these devices became integral to their lives (via Covid zoom school and subsequent increase in device dependence). Both kids were once avid readers and wrote incredible stories, even their own chapter books. We have a child entering Tk who does not have access to devices. Going to do everything in our power to delay this for him.

Our family is currently considering TK school options but we are applying outside of the district due to the amount of screen time for CVUSD students. I would love to send my child to our neighborhood school but we are a low-screen household and believe in hands-on learning. Professionally I work in tech, specializing in database, application and AI development. I’m not against technology but young children do not need exposure to high addictive screens so young while their brains are growing. Additionally, at the rapid pace of tech advancement, what they are learning in 2026 will not be practically relevant in 2040. Coding labs or computer enrichment classes would be fine, but I can’t send my son to a school that relies on daily Chromebook use.

My children were not allowed to have much gaming/computer time at home, then they were given Chromebooks at school and were expected to be proficient on them. They, at times, did worse on tests because they weren’t use to that testing format. My daughter was frequently considered a burden for not knowing how to sign in to her Chromebook (in first grade). Now my son is in middle school, I found him wasting his time at home and at school playing games when he should have been working. His spelling has also suffered- he knows he can just use spell check later- and now Word/google even can guess or finish his sentence for him. I wanted to install my own parent controls on his computer, but it isn’t allowed.

My 8th grader spends all day on the computer at school then comes home to several hours of homework on the computer. My 5th grader looks at things online during class time that is not related to school. He watches videos and listens to music. He has googled things during class to help with homework/classwork. We’ve printed his search history and on some mornings he’s googled 10+ things within the first 30 min of school. In 5th grade he still plays silly games that are supposed to help him study meanwhile he doesn’t know how to take notes or study pages he brings home; it’s all made into a game, which isn’t functional for high school and beyond.

I am deeply worried about AI, chrome book usage, overuse of smart screens in the classroom. We have all seen the data on poor educational and mental health outcomes from screen and device use. As a mental health therapist and parent I want to see technology limited in elementary schools. I want personal devices banned from classroom through high school. I want to know AI use will be limited and highly monitored. I want technology to be a tool not a crutch or focus in the classroom. Our children deserve the best and technology overuse harms them and the educational environment.

My son has dyslexia and using screens has harmed his ability to learn. His specific language processing issues requires the frequent brain to body connections that paper and pencil provide as reinforce. Screens do not have the same effect. Moreover, the screens read for him, in IXL and his reading assignments, which is ok for a workaround later, but bypassing his learning of foundational reading and writing skills is dangerous. The whole point of education is to teach these foundational skills, not work around them.

We are a screen free home and only do a movie night every week or two as a family. This is an activity that we do together and is not just them staring at a screen by themselves. The amount of screen time I’ve seen in the school even just TK - first grade feels very unnecessary. I have volunteered every week in both of my kids classes and even though the TV or iPads might seem to help control the kids, I believe it actually makes it harder for them to pay attention and listen after the fact.

Unfettered access to YouTube (because it’s for “learning”) has led to us having to go against our household restrictions in the name of schoolwork. My 12 year old no longer reads books at all without being forced, which has subsequently led to having a very noticeable regression in her ability to read, spell at the appropriate level, or comprehend information. She is 💯 addicted to electronics and I blame the fact that her entire public school education is happening on a screen.

My son has never used YouTube in his life because it has not been allowed in our household and since his homework is on the Chromebook he is constantly on YouTube. I believe that he spends more time on the internet than doing his homework and because his work is on the computer I cannot take it away from him. I have also seen alcohol adds on his Chromebook while he is doing schoolwork. I would love for there to be less homework on the Chromebook’s going forward.

I am the parent of a child with ADHD, and also a pediatric speech-language pathologist for a major medical center. The research is staunchly against use of technology, both educational and recreational, at the level that we are currently seeing. The impact on a child’s academic development, sensory regulation, and all aspects of attention and executive functioning are being negatively impacted as technology use increases.

Tech use is out of control in our 1st grade classroom. Certain kids know how to get onto inappropriate websites, and spend their centers time messing around online and sharing what they find with other classmates. The teacher can’t do much because she is working with small groups during centers time. She doesn’t have the ability to lock the computers down so that students can only use a designated app or website. First grade is too young to have individual access to the internet, and the parental controls the district uses are not sufficient.

I want my kids to be less dependent on technology and computers for homework during the school day because learning happens best when they are actively thinking, not just interacting with a screen. Pencil-and-paper work engages the brain differently and more deeply. Writing by hand strengthens memory, improves comprehension, and helps students process information instead of simply selecting, copying, or auto-correcting answers. When children rely heavily on devices, they are more likely to focus on speed and convenience rather than understanding. Technology often enables shortcuts—spell check, calculators, copy-and-paste—that reduce the need to problem-solve, reason through mistakes, or slow down and reflect. Pencil and paper require effort, which is exactly what builds stronger cognitive skills like attention, critical thinking, and retention. Using traditional methods also reduces distractions and encourages perseverance. Without pop-ups, tabs, or instant answers, students learn how to work through challenges, organize their thoughts, and develop confidence in their own abilities. The goal is not to eliminate technology, but to ensure it supports learning rather than replaces it. By emphasizing pencil and paper during the school day, I want my kids to truly learn the material—how to think, write, calculate, and reason—so technology becomes a tool they can use wisely, not a crutch they depend on.

I'm deeply worried about AI, chromebook usage, overuse of smart screens in the classroom. We have all seen the data on poor educational and mental health outcomes from screen and device use. As a mental health therapist and parent I want to see technology limited in elementary schools. I want personal devices banned from classrooms through high school. I want to know AI use will be limited and highly monitored. I want technology to be a tool not a crutch or focus in the classroom. Our children deserve the best and technology overuse harms them and the educational environment.

Smart screen usage is up, comprehension is down. My kindergartener feels overwhelmed and often frustrated by use of videos and technology in the classroom. Oversight is needed. I am fearful that my 1st grader will be given a chromebook in the classroom and real learning and love of education will suffer. All the research shows that technology learning has so many negative and minimal advantages, why are we not learning from past mistakes. Please prevent this harm now.

My son has never used YouTube in his life because it has not been allowed in our household and since his homework is on the Chromebook he is constantly on YouTube. I believe that he spends more time on the internet than doing his homework and because his work is on the computer I cannot take it away from him. I have also seen alcohol adds on his Chromebook while he is doing schoolwork. I would love for there to be less homework on the Chromebook’s going forward.

My child was given a comp to take home over the summer and I had to refuse it more than once. Why would that be given? Also my child came home telling me she asked to put a sticker over the camera on her computer at school because she knew we don’t want people watching our kids at home and we don’t allow cameras access. Teachers should know better and before giving devices, teach about device safety and request consent from parents. THANK YOU!

I am the parent of a child with ADHD, and also a pediatric speech-language pathologist for a major medical center. The research is staunchly against use of technology, both educational and recreational, at the level that we are currently seeing. The impact on a child’s academic development, sensory regulation, and all aspects of attention and executive functioning are being negatively impacted as technology use increases.

It is a constant struggle to keep my daughter from watching TikTok videos via YouTube while doing homework on her school-issued Chromebook. Even though we, her parents, haven’t given her a phone, tablet, or laptop, she has access to YouTube and TikTok content all afternoon and evening until the homework is done which takes forever because of the constant distraction. I wish she didn’t have this Chromebook at home.

Our kids have both experienced frustrations with their devices, especially when they were younger. They’ve both mentioned students playing games or cheating on tests with these devices during class time. Aside from their own complaints, we as parents have yet another device to monitor at home, one that still allows access to content I don’t allow, even if it passes the cvusd filter.

My kid feels isolated when her friends have cellphones and she does not, it would be nice to not have to compete with this ethics issue at school. I don’t agree with having a cellphone at her age and wish all the kids weren’t allowed to use them during school hours at all to help keep them more focused on their socialization face to face skills versus tik tok trends

I believe that both of my children are so addicted to the screen. It is also very hard to monitor whether their activity is really about school work or just them being online. I really wish that we return back to pen/pencil and paper for K-12. Studies have proven that writing is better than typing regarding studying and retention of learned materials.

I am touring schools to put my child into TK, and all the schools had so much screen time happening. Not all of it was educational and not all of it was guided by an adult, including the TK rooms. Our young children should not be on screens that much and it truly makes me want to reconsider putting my child in this district.

MATES has been a great school but my daughter has been exposed to a lot of computer time. I don’t think it’s necessary to do everything on the computer. I’ve heard a lot from other parents with kids in middle school and b don’t think I will send my daughter to a public middle school. This being one of the reasons.

Kids get aggressive when tech is taken away, they have a hard time transitioning, attention span is so low, they immediately grab tech as the only thing to do, they feel lost with out tech. It’s addictive, they find things even when blocked, exposed to rude language and behavior that’s inappropriate for their age.

I am disappointed that AI is on the school Chromebooks and is not able to be deactivated. I feel that the research part of finding information is obsolete because of this. They can just type in a question and get the answer immediately. I want my children to learn how to find things on their own.

My concern is with the recreational use of computers in the classroom. Hearing from My child he is playing Minecraft and watching YouTube that we don’t allow at home. I also think that children should be learning to read with books and not logging into apps for required homework reading.

I see my boys rely so much on technology, that they are losing problem solving skills, and the capability of editing and revising their essays without the help of online tools. I feel there is a place in education for technology, but it shouldn’t be taking over completely.

I hate to see licensed teachers toss an IPad to a child and call it teaching. How do you regulate what’s being shown & how’s its taught? You can’t. I’ve seen this happen a few times now. We specifically request that our child doesn’t get an IPad.

Our children are becoming addicted to screens at an alarming rate. Their attention spans are reduced and their need for screen time is insane. They have a reduction in learning and we need to rid our young children from this harm

I noticed a drastic negative change in my son’s academic performance once laptops were introduced in the classrooms, and after researching the issue, I’m deeply concerned about the reliance of laptops and screens in classrooms.

With all the data out there I do not possible understand how you think it is a good idea to have these kids on devices. I also can not possibly understand the districts rationale on allowing you tube on the districts devices.

excessive use of electronic is causing attention deficit with lack of social skills. kids are bored because nothing real is fast enough like scrolling. school need to partner with parents. no electronics until high school.

My son will spend all day on YouTube at school because it is not blocked. I don’t mind him using the Chromebook for school work but having access to YouTube is ruining his ability to learn and pay attention at school.

The school’s Chromebook has created havoc in our household. We have strict screen time policies at home and the demand that my children do homework on the computer has led to fighting and disagreements at home.

Rather than reading books to the children in kindergarten, the teacher would only play videos on YouTube of other people reading. This made the kids incapable of listening to a person read a book to the class.

My son says he and his friends play computer games at recess everyday instead of socializing or playing sports. I do not agree with this and feel it is detrimental to their development.

Extreme difficulty transitioning from using the laptop at home. Oldest will state he is doing homework but in reality playing games and using the internet for unmonitored YouTube.

YouTube is inappropriate for elementary and middle school aged kids!!! Why do you allow access to the internet for our young students, let’s do homework on pen and paper.

My son tells me he plays video games at school. My daughter watches YouTube. This is not acceptable! Please return to hands on creative opportunities for learning.

Middle school - kids aren’t socializing at lunch … they’re on their Chromebooks. My 6th grader even said how sad it is that his friends don’t talk at lunch.

We have had to request no Chromebook in IEP. And many classes are dependent on screens. My child ends up watching you tube instead of doing school work

I am a teacher and have seen the detrimental effects of technology in the classroom. We all know it and now need to be the adult in the room.

We left Westlake Hills Elementary for a charter school partly because the kids spent way too much time on computers at school and at home

Making education into a game and giving CHILDREN access to tech is a horrendous idea. You are poisoning young children. Change this now.

They come home everyday and immediately try to watch YouTube shorts. I have to physically take away/ hide computer they are so addicted.

My son has had classmates watching YouTube during class, and they have taken and uploaded photos to AI programs.

My son is having headaches from being on the computer and cries every night about having to type his work.

My child played Minecraft while supposedly being unattended in 3rd grade WITH chat feature ENABLED

My son has witnessed his friends using Numerous chat AI sites YouTube use, gaming during class.

Screen time is a daily battle. Please give our kids a safe haven at school and with homework.

Free access to games on computer, a lot of assignments done on computer, little pen to paper

Constant headache, addiction to watching TV, lack of concentration, lack of sleep etc

Daughters class was exposed to explicit material online when screens brought In

I do not want my kids coming home with Chromebooks without safeguards. Period.

Too much screen time and exposure to uncontrolled media for the kids

Too many hours of homework from the computer, and note taking.

We really need to limit 1:1 screens for education in schools

A lot of tv and screen time wish more time playing outside

Weathersfield did an awesome job balancing tech. Students had access to computers or chrome books, but only used them for specific activities or learning opportunities. They were not on them nor did they have them on their desks at all times. Also, they did not use computers for homework. Los Cerritos was a different experience. My son did a great job at the beginning of 6th grade using his chrome book for assignments and homework. The moment he learned that he could access you tube and games on his device, he started missing assignments, doing poorly on tests, and his learning and grades dropped. He often stated, "I just can't help it when it's right there." He is now in 8th grade and it is still a problem. As a family we struggle with the chrome book because my husband and I are not able to set up safeguards as we do not have admin access. If I were to change one thing about my son's middle school experience, it would be getting the chrome books out of the classrooms! I recommend them going to the same model as elementary schools. They are used as a tool when needed.

Exposure to unwanted social media platforms

Screen time turns my kid into a monster

Screens should not be allowed at all.

It causes anxiety

It’s toxic