May 28th: BISD board meeting. Plus two more asks.
Hi folks,
We had a great meetup at The Marketplace on Thursday. Thank you to everyone who came out. Stay tuned, as we will be doing more of these.
A quick update, and three things we are asking of you this week.
Last week, the U.S. Surgeon General released a formal Advisory on the harms of screen use that includes direct guidance to schools. Recommendations include limiting routine classroom screen use, investing in physical textbooks, prioritizing pen-and-paper curricula, and reserving devices for students who need them through an IEP or Section 504 plan.
We sent the Advisory to the school board and to Superintendent Thompson. Board President Evan Saint Clair acknowledged it and redirected our concerns to the new Technology Advisory Council the district is standing up. He indicated that board-level engagement with this guidance, ahead of the council's longer process, would be short-circuiting the work of including all stakeholders.
We pushed back. The board has its own role, separate from the council's and Federal public health guidance is exactly the kind of evidence a board engages with directly. Asking the board to do that now is not bypassing any established process. It is asking the board to do its job.
The board needs to hear that from you, not just from us.
Ask 1: Show up Thursday, May 28
The next regular board meeting is this Thursday at 5:45 PM at the BISD District Office. After Evan's response, the board needs to see that the community is still here and still expects engagement. Bring a friend if you can. Sign up for public comment if you are willing to speak. Even just being in the room matters.
Ask 2: Email your district board member
If you have not yet contacted your district representative, this is the moment. If you reached out earlier, do it again. The board's position now is to defer this work to a council that has not yet met. Your representative needs to hear from constituents that complete deferral is not acceptable. The board has its own responsibility to engage, and that responsibility does not wait on the council. A few sentences in your own words is enough.
- District 1, Vice President: Kelly Cancialosi, kcancialosi@bisd303.org
- District 2: Rob Drury, rdrury@bisd303.org
- District 3: Sanjay Pal, spal@bisd303.org
- District 4, President: Evan Saint Clair, esaintclair@bisd303.org
- District 5: Jill Anderson, janderson@bisd303.org
Not sure which district you live in? View the board director district map
Ask 3: Apply to the Technology Advisory Council
The Technology Advisory Council is the body BISD is standing up to advise on instructional technology. Applications are open through Friday, June 5. The council is advisory and will not make final decisions, but it will shape recommendations the district considers, and the community needs to be represented.
The composition of this council matters. The council will benefit from members who bring substantive expertise, healthy skepticism, and a commitment to evidence-based decisions. If that describes you, please consider applying.
Apply here: Technology Advisory Council application
These three asks are not the same. Thursday night is the visibility. Constituent emails are the durable pressure. The council needs strong community voices inside it.
Thank you for being part of this. We will keep you posted.
Jordan and The Intentional Tech Team
Past Emails: