Parents and teachers urge rollback of FCPS 1-to-1 device model, call for tech advisory and opt-outs

Dozens of community members used the public-comment period at the April 23 Fairfax County School Board meeting to press the district on its use of classroom devices, AI tools and filtering systems.

Several teachers and parents said the 1-to-1 Chromebook model and related digital platforms had reduced instructional depth and increased classroom multitasking. "These devices are a major disruption to learning," said Liz Vasiliga, a teacher at Katherine Johnson Middle School, describing data the school pulled showing 34% of minor referrals linked to acceptable-use violations at her school.

Parents and advocates asked the board to allow opt-outs for students and to establish an independent technology advisory committee. Alana Jurgen (video testimony) accused EdTech vendors of treating students as "EdTech guinea pigs," and asked the board not to repeat past rollout mistakes. Alexis Monahan proposed creating an FCPS technology advisory committee of child development experts, educators and community representatives to review tools and safeguards.

Multiple commenters reported that inappropriate or noneducational content remained accessible on school-issued devices despite filtering: Odeta Del Sol said a teacher found TikTok and Instagram accessible on a school laptop; Michelle Durst said a parent flagged a game available on an FCPS-hosted site that was not blocked for weeks. Commenters called for stronger blocking, grade-by-grade screen-time guidelines, improved white-listing, opt-out options and a parent-teacher-technology advisory group.

Other public speakers raised related concerns: Leslie Borken Hagen, an IT support employee, urged restoring a prior hybrid telework policy to support staff productivity; Gela Baumgart warned of reductions in Title I social work support for 17 schools and urged the board to keep supplemental social-work staffing.

Board members did not respond during the public-comment period by policy but several committee chairs noted the governance committee is continuing work on an "Innovation Instructional Tech" policy and will return to the board in May for further consideration.