Act

Student Level
Student Level
School Level
District Level
State & National

Individual Student-Facing Technology

How to Start

  1. Talk to your child’s teacher first. A casual conversation at pickup, dropoff, or curriculum night (usually late September/early October) works well. Mention you’re looking at opting out and ask what would help your child and the classroom lean less on screens.

  2. Send an opt-out email. Keep it collaborative. Include a bulleted list of what you’re opting out of (see below), and optional reasoning about why this matters to your family.

  3. Send to: Your child’s teacher, your school’s principal, and cybersecurity@seattleschools.org.

  • What: Opt out of student-assigned iPads or laptops.

    Note: May require alternatives for specific projects or testing.

  • What: Opt out of student-facing generative AI, which includes ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Adobe Firefly, and any other chatbot or AI tool that is used to generate text, images, code, or other forms of data.

    Note: This is opposed to non-generative AI that focuses on pattern recognition, classification, & predictive tasks, used in things like adapting math problems for differentiated learning.

  • What: Request paper tests (available per IEP/504 precedent) or opt out of specific testing.

    Note: See SPS Assessment Calendar for dates and tests.

  • What: Add student a Restricted Internet Group. One blocks access to YouTube, while the other is supposed to block access to everything except 1. library resources, 2. online adopted curriculum, 3. online assessments, and 4. internal district resources.

    Note: The extensively restricted group may limit some educational uses like image searches for research projects, or even some curriculum sites. Talk to your teacher about workarounds (printing images, downloading in advance, etc), and ask whether your student is having issues accessing necessary sites.

  • What: If declining the Network Use Agreement, note that you are not signing it as a point in your email for clarity.

    Note: This document focuses on student responsibility for device use and damage, not on the school's responsibility for protecting student data. Signing does not constitute informed consent to the data practices of the EdTech products your child uses.

Resources

Build Support at Your School

  • Fill out our Family Connections Survey to be connected with other families at your school.

    • If you’re interested in being a school lead, check the appropriate box in the form.

    Create a communications hub (Google Group or WhatsApp) where families can:

    • Share resources and what they're learning

    • Connect with other families exploring opt-outs

    • Coordinate school-level actions

    • Collect classroom tech usage overviews from teachers

  • Organize in-person meetups for each grade band (K-2, 3-5, 6-8) to:

    • Hear directly from families about tech in their classrooms

    • Share what teachers are communicating around tech usage in their classrooms

    • Discuss opt-out approaches and support

    • Build community around this work

  • Teachers often lack funding for books and physical materials. Consider:

    • Creating a PTA/PTO supply fund or request system

    • Proposing a Building Leadership Team tech committee (teacher + parent collaboration)

    • Talking with teachers to learn what books or supplies could help them use less tech with students

Advocate at the District Level

Contact the School Board

Introduce yourself as a member of their district and include your child's grade and a specific incident or concern. You can ask for “quick wins” like an AI pause or an end to device use as a reward or during choice time.

Lookup your school board district to find your Director, and CC Superintendent Shuldiner (boshuldiner@seattleschools.org).

District 1: Liza Rankin (liza.rankin@seattleschools.org)

District 2: Kathleen Smith (kesmith2@seattleschools.org)

District 3: Evan Briggs (eybriggs@seattleschools.org)

District 4: Joe Mizrahi (jemizrahi@seattleschools.org)

District 5: Vivian Song (vsmaritz@seattleschools.org)

District 6: Gina Topp (gktopp@seattleschools.org)

District 7: Jen LaVallee (jllavallee@seattleschools.org)

Testify at a School Board Meeting

Each monthly school board meeting allows for 25 people to give 2-minute to speak to the board. Keep it short, specific, and personal.

Your name and topic will be public even if waitlisted, so keep your topic summary short and clear as a visible record.

SPS Public Testimony
SPS Board Meetings

Washington State

To advocate for state-level change through Distraction-Free Schools WA, read their Model Legislation and sign their letter to our state legislators.

National Advocacy

To see what’s happening around the country, join the Schools Beyond Screens EdTech & AI Working Group calls.

We know this takes time and resources that not everyone has available. We aim to provide a range of ways to share your voice, from school to district-level action, so all students benefit from safe, secure, and intentional technology use in their education.