Dear Members of the School Board,

I am writing as the parent of a soon to be first-grade student at Trailside K-8 and I'm concerned regarding the district’s practice of providing individual iPads or Chromebooks to students in the earliest grades known as a 1:1 technology policy. I appreciate the district’s efforts to prepare students for a technologically sophisticated world, and I recognize that digital tools can have a role in education. At the same time, I respectfully ask the board to reconsider whether personal device use in elementary classrooms is developmentally appropriate. Many families, including mine, would strongly prefer a traditional learning environment centered on books, handwriting, discussion, and teacher-led instruction especially during the early years of schooling.

A growing body of research suggests that the medium through which children read can influence comprehension. Large meta-analyses comparing print and digital reading consistently find a small but reliable advantage for printed text, particularly for longer or more complex material and for younger readers. Researchers also observe behavioral differences when reading on screens—students often skim more, reread less, and overestimate their understanding. For developing readers who are still building core literacy skills, these differences may affect how deeply information is processed and retained and have broader consequences on literary development.

Research on writing and learning raises similar questions about heavy reliance on devices in early grades. Studies of note-taking have found that writing by hand tends to promote conceptual processing, while typing more often leads to transcription of information without the same level of cognitive engagement. Developmental research also emphasizes that the elementary years are a critical period for building attention, executive functioning, fine motor coordination, and foundational literacy. Activities such as handwriting, drawing, manipulating physical materials, and reading printed books support these processes in ways that screen-based environments may not fully replicate.

Another consideration involves the growing use of gamified learning platforms in digital environments. Many educational apps incorporate features such as points, streaks, badges, animations, and rapid feedback to increase engagement. These tools can be effective for encouraging participation and, in some cases, improving short-term learning outcomes. At the same time, psychologists studying motivation note that highly reward-driven systems rely on the brain’s dopamine-based reinforcement mechanisms, which are the same behavioral principles used in many modern digital platforms. Some researchers have raised questions about whether repeated exposure to these immediate reward cycles may shape students’ expectations for constant stimulation. When learning activities are consistently paired with rapid feedback and external rewards, students may become less tolerant of slower, effortful forms of learning that require sustained attention without immediate reinforcement. For young children who are still developing focus, patience, and intrinsic motivation for learning, this raises important questions about how frequently such systems should be used in early classrooms.

Across the country, many parents are increasingly asking schools to personally opt out of technology use, to reconsider the expansion of classroom technology, and to preserve traditional learning models built around paper, pencil, books, and direct instruction all the way through high school. Much of the rapid adoption of one-to-one devices occurred during the pandemic to support remote learning. While that shift was necessary at the time, circumstances have changed. This is an appropriate moment to re-evaluate the role of technology in the classroom and the best model for young students.

Finally, while technology will undoubtedly play an important role in our children’s futures, the specific tools they will use are likely to look very different from those available today. History shows that technological platforms evolve quickly, while foundational skills such as strong reading comprehension, clear writing, sustained attention, and critical thinking remain constant. Children who develop these core abilities are typically able to adapt to new technologies with little difficulty when they encounter them later.

For these reasons, I respectfully ask the board to evaluate a transition away from personal device use in elementary classrooms and to work with parents and educators to develop a more developmentally aligned technology approach. Many families would welcome a model in which foundational academic skills are built through traditional tools in the early years, with technology introduced more gradually and intentionally in later grades.

Sincerely,
Julia Bailey 
and Families of Mapleton Public Schools