Beaverton School District Adopts Controversial, Lawsuit-Plagued i-Ready for New K-5 Math Curriculum
If you have kids in the BSD - please read! Action items below:
Last night, the Beaverton School Board officially voted to adopt a new K-5 math curriculum that includes i-Ready, a program currently facing a lawsuit over student data privacy concerns. During the meeting, the curriculum selection committee was unable to answer basic questions including:
- How much screen time are elementary students currently getting during the school day?
- What is considered developmentally appropriate screen time for a Kindergartner?
This is about far more than one program. The adoption of yet another tech-heavy learning platform reflects a much larger problem inside our schools: excessive screen use, lack of transparency for families, and wildly inconsistent technology practices from school to school.
Teachers are being asked to manage constant device use while also trying to teach in overcrowded, underfunded classrooms. Parents are left in the dark about how these programs are actually being used day-to-day. Meanwhile, students are spending more and more of their learning time staring at screens instead of engaging directly with teachers, peers, books, discussion, creativity, and hands-on learning.
We are not anti-technology. Thoughtful, intentional tech instruction absolutely has a place in education. But what is happening in classrooms right now is not balanced, transparent, or developmentally appropriate.
The Beaverton Safe Tech Coalition is made up of parents, teachers, pediatricians, and community members advocating for healthier, more intentional learning environments where human connection, curiosity, creativity, and meaningful instruction come first.
Please consider signing and sharing our petition calling for safer, more balanced technology use in Beaverton schools: Make Beaverton School District Devices Safe for Students
We are approaching 1,000 signatures and plan to formally present this petition along with demands for meaningful change. If you would like to learn more about who we are and what we stand for, please visit our facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/838737755865385
Please also reach out to your school board rep and send them an email. They can be easily found here: https://www.beaverton.k12.or.us/school-board/board-members
Our kids deserve better.