Parents and teachers urge San Marcos Unified to reassess classroom technology and AI tools

A coalition of parents and several educators used the board’s public-comment period to call for an immediate reevaluation of classroom technology and limits on one-to-one devices and AI tools.

"Last week, we presented a petition signed by 554 parents and community members calling on the district to take a more cautious, evidence based approach to technology in our classrooms," said Jody Carreon, founder of San Marcos Parents for Intentional Tech.

Dr. Heather Wicks, who identified herself as speaking to technology use in the district, told the board she was alarmed by research she said shows cognitive harms from overreliance on large language models and other AI tools and urged a return to "analog-first" instruction.

Kelly Reese, a 7th-grade world history teacher with 20 years in classrooms, described declines in foundational writing and handwriting skills since widespread one-to-one Chromebook use and said unmonitored access had allowed students to reach unblocked games in class. Josh Huntley, a parent and member of the same coalition, said district-adopted programs such as i-Ready and Reflex can restrict pacing and fail to provide corrective instruction, and he said his daughter’s work improved after being opted out of those platforms.

Speakers pointed to recent policy moves by neighboring districts — including LAUSD and San Diego Unified — as models and urged San Marcos Unified to commit to audits, cost analyses, clearer family options and transparency about any AI pilots.

District staff did not announce immediate policy changes during the meeting. Commenters asked the board to act quickly rather than wait a year for a research timeline, saying classroom learning is being affected now.