More than 100 parents, educators and advocates testified Friday, Oct. 9, before the D.C. Council's Committee of the Whole on how schools use technology and artificial intelligence.
The hearing at the John A. Wilson Building drew parents demanding binding screen-time limits and a written ban on AI chatbots, while at least one charter school leader pushed back against citywide restrictions. It was the first major public airing of concerns that have been building since a parent-led group, Schools Beyond Screens DC, began organizing earlier this year.
Council Chair Phil Mendelson told The Washington Informer before the hearing that he suspected "there needs to be more management of technology."
Parents from Payne Elementary School laid out a detailed list of demands, WUSA9 reported. They called for binding grade-level screen-time limits that count homework, a designated person at each school to track total screen time across classes, public annual reporting by school and grade, an auditing mechanism with consequences for noncompliance, device-free before- and aftercare, and a written ban on AI chatbots on student devices.
Simon Rodberg, executive director of Lee Montessori PCS, argued in his testimony that individual schools should decide how to use computers. He said citywide restrictions would limit schools' ability to do what they think is best for their students, including limited use of i-Ready and other technology.
The divide echoed a tension that has shaped the debate for months. Schools Beyond Screens DC has collected more than 1,500 petition signatures and grown its WhatsApp community to more than 700 people, according to The Washington Informer. The group pushed for the hearing after Councilmember Christina Henderson (I-At Large) withdrew a resolution over the summer that would have blocked a DC Public Schools (DCPS) contract with Curriculum Associates for the i-Ready diagnostic platform.
Henderson pulled the resolution after colleagues said rejecting the contract shortly before school started would leave DCPS without time to find an alternative. She told MidCity DC News in August, during the i-Ready contract debate, that she wanted technology to enhance rather than replace core instruction.
DCPS has used i-Ready for math diagnostics since 2014 and expanded it to reading and personalized instruction in 2021. The district recommends 30 to 45 minutes per subject each week, but Henderson cited data showing 17 schools exceeded that guidance.
Not everyone focused on limiting screens. John Mootz, senior policy and research manager at the Children and Screens Institute of Digital Media and Child Development, told the council that evidence-based teaching methods do not require screens but can be augmented by them when used with intention.
In an interview with The Washington Informer before the hearing, Ward 8 State Board of Education Representative Dr. LaJoy Johnson-Law raised equity concerns. She said restrictions could widen the digital divide for students east of the Anacostia River. In her ward's schools, she said, working devices, one-to-one device access, safety, grade-level reading and math, and parent engagement rank above screen time as concerns.
The hearing came one day after the Frederick County Public Schools Board in Maryland voted 6-1 on Thursday, Oct. 8, to ban student AI use across all grade levels, with exceptions for AI literacy lessons and disability accommodations.
DCPS has already taken some steps. A July 10 letter from district officials to Schools Beyond Screens DC promised thresholds for platform overuse, limits on movies and YouTube, ad-free online content and a route for families to escalate concerns. At a Parent University meeting at the start of the school year, DCPS Deputy Chancellor Dr. Drewana Bey said books, writing, discussion and hands-on activities remain the primary focus during instruction.
No council vote or formal action resulted from the Oct. 9 hearing.
