We are Sleepy Hollow and Tarrytown community members who want our children to use and create technology with intention and skill. We are also alarmed by a substantial and growing body of research showing that students learn, comprehend, and retain less when academic work is done on screens rather than on paper. We work to advocate for more intentional use of technology (including reduced screen time).

Many other school districts have recently re-evaluated their own EdTech policies, dramatically reducing their use of 1:1 devices and reliance on screens based on this research.* TUFSD schools can also proactively reduce overall screen use while still meeting NYS Digital Standards and preparing our children for the state test.
We are asking the district administration for the following:
Audit and disclose all digital curricular tools. Conduct a comprehensive review of digital programs currently in use across the district — including in specials, core classes, and recess -- and publish the findings, along with the research basis for each tool's use, so families can see the full scale of academic and recreational screen time their children receive.
Why? Parents have no idea what programs or tools their kids currently use.
Set district-wide daily screen-time limits by grade. Establish clear, measurable caps on total daily screen use, with the strictest limits in the earliest grades, and publish them so families and teachers know what to expect.
Why? Parents have no idea how often or how long their children use screens.
Re-evaluate the one-to-one device program. Reconsider whether issuing a personal device to every student is the right model, and weigh alternatives such as shared laptop carts and computer labs that allow for intentional, supervised use of technology when it adds academic value.
Why? One-to-one devices encourage increased use and availability, including increased use of security/ parental controls circumvention.
Restore pen-and-paper instruction in core subjects. Prioritize analog tools in reading, writing, and math, in line with the controlled research showing better learning and long-term retention when core academic work is done on paper.
Why? Some parents prefer paper-based academic work and would like clarity on how to request that option.
We recognize and deeply respect the district's commitment to innovation and academic excellence. We are not asking TUFSD to retreat from rigor — we are asking it to lead on a question the highest performing schools in the country are reconsidering. We are not anti-tech. We want our children to use technology and create technology.
At present, decisions about screen use are made at the level of individual principals and teachers, producing wide and undocumented variation in how much of the school day each child spends on a device. A district of TUFSD’s caliber should not leave a question of this consequence to chance. We are asking the Board of Education to set a clear, research-informed policy, and to begin that work before the start of the 2026–27 school year.

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