WORCESTER—A petition seeking to remove internet-connected devices from Worcester’s youngest classrooms will undergo further review after parents challenged the school district’s response and school committee members debated how to balance technology use with traditional instruction.
The school committee voted Thursday, Nov. 12, to refer the petition and the administration’s response to its Standing Committee on Teaching, Learning and Student Success for further discussion. The decision followed hours of discussion about classroom technology, including Chromebook use, screen time and the role of digital learning tools in elementary education.
The petition, filed in June, calls for revising the district’s one-to-one device program to remove individually assigned, internet-connected devices from preschool through second-grade classrooms…