ByEmma McNamee
Today at 5:33 AM
Last school year, conversations around <a href="https://todaytrendnews7.com/dna-technology-helps-identify-new-brunswick-woman-decades-after-death-new-brunswick/” title=”DNA technology helps identify New Brunswick woman decades after death – New Brunswick”>technology use in Duluth Public Schools dominated much of the community discussion brought before the Duluth School Board, mirroring a nationwide pushback against classroom technology
Now, the district is looking to further that conversation through the creation of a new “task force” that will guide future tech use for students and teachers
“We intend to follow an evidence-based, inclusive and methodical process,” said Director of Technology Greg Krueger during the district’s most recent committee of the whole meeting on Aug. 6. “We’re going to make sure that any final recommendations we make are fiscally sustainable, pedagogically sound and support student safety and achievement.”
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The task force will include community partners and staff, along with district leaders. Over the next year, the group will work to create guidelines and recommendations for the district’s technology use, while also taking stock of where the district stands in areas like device safety, curriculum and instruction, and digital preparedness
“There’s a huge sense of urgency that we hear from our public, and we want to make sure that we’re addressing that,” said Superintendent John Magas. “I would say let’s keep the burners turned up on this one to make sure that we’re bringing it forward as thoughtfully as we can, but as quickly as we can do, responsibly.”
The formation of the task force comes after months of feedback from students, parents and community members
In February, the district received public pushback regarding a plan to integrate artificial intelligence onto student Chromebooks. Despite the AI rollout being put on indefinite pause, classroom technology has remained a consistent topic during public comment sessions before the School Board, and within the board itself
“I think it’s absolutely fantastic news for the children and the parents in ISD 709 that they’re taking this step to focus on the well-being and the intellectual growth of their students,” said Aaron Boyson, a communication professor at the University of Minnesota Duluth. “It’s amazing, in a way, that they have slowed down their progress around AI, and have pivoted to this point. They should get a lot of recognition for doing that.”
Boyson has appeared before the board multiple times over the last several months to highlight the growing amount of scientific research on the negative impacts over-reliance on classroom technology can have on students’ cognitive and social development
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While initially focused on the effects of AI on learning, Boyson and other community members have gone before the board regarding concerns around excessive screen use and unrestricted access on take-home devices
“The research is already there that screen use, as it has existed, is a problem,” Boyson said. “I’m sure it’s harder than I know to make significant technological change in the school district. I just hope that the district and people on the School Board take to heart the parents’ concerns, the needs of their children and the emerging global trend to reduce screen use.”
It’s a hard line to walk, balancing technology concerns with preparing students for the future, said Brenda Spartz, director of elementary education for the district
Additionally, Spartz said, the district has to consider access to learning tools currently used to provide instruction in line with state standards. With portions of the district’s curriculum now rooted in digital learning instead of physical textbooks, there are instructional challenges the task force will need to consider, along with fiscal concerns
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“The district has extremely limited fiscal reKrueger said. “Even if it were the communities in the district’s goal to drive forward a program with the absolute most devices possible, the funds are not there to do so.”
A considerable number of the devices in the district’s one-to-one program were purchased through COVID funding that no longer exists. The Duluth school district faces an uncertain financial outlook for the next several years, making considerations around technology maintenance and sustainability a significant part of the task force’s work
“There’s a lot of things that we need to do that we just haven’t gotten there yet,” Spartz said. “I’m kind of excited for this process. I think we could even be cutting-edge in Minnesota by getting a good product in place for ourselves, and it will be balancing the things that we’re talking about.”
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Emma McNamee
Emma McNamee joined the Duluth News Tribune in February 2025 as a reporter covering K-12 schools and higher education in the Duluth area.
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