Numerous parents expressed frustration, saying they felt the district had not listened to them.
Brian Nealis, a parent of children finishing seventh and fourth grades in the district, said that when he tried to talk to his sons’ assistant principal about his concerns, “his response to me was, ‘The kids need to learn self-control.’ And my reaction was like, oh, should we just hand out nicotine packets in middle school? … That is the most asinine thing to hear from an educator.”
The board voted 7-2 to repeal the current technology policies, with members Sarah Thomas and Abigail Lerner Rubin voting no.
Rubin said she was uncomfortable with repealing existing policies before the district had adopted new ones, and asked fellow board members to “pause unless and until we can provide the evidence that people have asked for, that these devices are safe, effective, and legal.”
Shurak said the board needed to repeal the existing policies to allow administrators and teachers to move forward with planning for adoption of the proposed replacement policies for the coming school year.