With the recent announcement of a rollout of computers to students in grades 5 through 12 within the Springboro school district, there have been numerous concerns regarding the transparency of the deployment, the quality of the devices, and the overall impact on student learning. It's crucial to ensure that the technology being provided to Springboro students enriches their education, while also providing equal opportunities.

In essence, the Springboro School Board approved a proposal for the 2026-2027 school year in which students in all grades are mandated to exclusively use school-issued computers. Grades K-2 are required for every computer in each class to be shared by two students. For grades 3 & 4, students will have their own computer; however, it will remain in class. As for grades 5-12, students will be issued a computer that they will be required to use and bring home each day. It should also be noted that the district will be implementing increases of up to 100 dollars per year for each high school student's fees in order to cover the cost of these computers. 

The overall goal of the rollout is to ensure the learning equality of all students. However, it has also become clear that the rollout has been implemented to gain further access into students' digital learning. It has been mentioned that there will be modifications to the district's network, yet it is still unclear whether or not school accounts will be unable to be accessed outside of school issued devices. There have also been concerns in regard to the accessibility of tech in general, as it has been reported in neighboring districts that these rollouts sometimes impede access to online CCP courses, academic websites, and even the Common App that seniors use to apply to colleges. 

Furthermore, the rollout has risen several substantial financial concerns. First and foremost the district plans to purchase new computers for 5th grade and 9th every year to eventually cycle through all of the grades until seniors in high school retain the computer after graduation. The computers relieved from rising 9th graders will be given to the lower grades, and the 9th graders will be given a computer to use from then on. This will be an immense financial burden on the district that seems to be resolved by increased student fees. Ultimately, the fees that each family will have to pay for this program's implementation will in many cases exceed the cost it could require to purchase a computer independently. Not to mention the amount of computers that will have to be replaced in the first few years of the program's implementation in order to satisfy the district's standards for technology. Additionally, the district has failed to take into account the amount of students that already have purchased computers to use for school. 

We urge the Springboro School Board to put a temporary halt to the current rollout strategy and to reassess and revise the plan. This pause will allow for a thorough review of the devices' quality, the support systems in place, and the instructional integration of these technologies.

Myself and several other Springboro High School students intend to bring this petition to the Springboro School Board to propose alternative programs that may be preferred by students and parents in the district. We have two primary proposals; however, we may discuss other plans at the board meeting on the 22nd of April in order to maximize successful possibilities. We understand that the district has already approved more than 700,000 dollars to be allocated to this rollout; however, our proposals hope to utilize the already ordered computers.

Proposal #1: Utilize the already-purchased computers to replace all of the damaged or dated computers provided by the district in classrooms. Additionally, we propose that excess computers be given to students in need of equal financial opportunities.

Proposal #2: Allow the program to be implemented, but slower than what is currently being proposed in order to ensure that Springboro families will be able to use their own purchased computers that they were encouraged to acquire with the district's BYOT (Bring Your Own Technology) policy. More specifically, begin the program to the school year of 2026-2027's kindergarten class, and essentially continue it from there. Additionally, it should be made abundantly clear that families can opt out of the program, as several other districts do, in order to promote individualism among students.

Please join us in requesting the Springboro School Board to pause and re-evaluate their student computer rollout strategy. Sign this petition to demand a more thoughtful and effective approach to integrating technology in our schools.

Additionally, If you have any questions you may have for the Springboro School Board, join us on April 22nd to consult the board. Alternatively, you can email me at: allen.mason@springboro.org for suggestions for us to discuss with the board.