Hi there,

Thank you for your support! It is clear this is an important issue in our community.

This has been a word-of-mouth effort so far, and people are joining from all over our community. That momentum matters.

Quick note

This first email is also a lot longer than most will be. There is context to share, a national moment worth noting, and a few specific ways to help in the weeks ahead. We promised to only email when there is something meaningful to share, we think all of this qualifies. Future emails will be shorter and more focused.

What happened this week in Los Angeles

This week, the Los Angeles Unified School District voted 6-0 to restrict classroom use of laptops and tablets, audit the district's education technology contracts, and require regular reporting of student screen time to parents. It is the first major school district in the country to do so. A parent coalition called Schools Beyond Screens led that work through months of measured, evidence-based engagement with their board.

We are asking the Bainbridge Island School District to take up the same questions here, before the Strategic Plan vote in May.

Three ways to help in the next three weeks.

Get the word out. Forward this email, text the website link, or talk to one person who would want to know. Use already established networks. (e.g ask your PTO to share this message.) Our first milestone is to pass 327 signups, the number of Bainbridge residents who responded to the district's fall community survey. Let's show the board this isn't a vocal minority.

Contact the board. A short email to all five BISD board members is drafted and linked at intentionaltechbi.org, along with five specific commitments we are asking the board to make before the vote. Send it in your own voice or send it as written. Ask a board member to meet with you to discuss these issues more personally.

Help with board meeting turnout. Brooke Wellman and Jessica Sherrow have stepped up to lead coordination around board meetings. They will be reaching out to supporters directly, but if you already know you want to attend or help lead the effort, reach out to them now at Brooke.wellman@yahoo.com and jsherrow@gmail.com. This is the single biggest thing we can do before the vote.

Farmers Market

We're trying to get a last minute booth at the Farmer's Market for this Saturday, 4/25. We'll send a quick update if that gets confirmed. We could use some support getting that set up. (Materials to hand out, craft / coloring activity for kiddos) - and if you can't help we'd just love to see you there!

If someone forwarded this to you, you can add your name at intentionaltechbi.org.

Thank you for being here. More soon.

Jordan and Annie Cumming,
Odyssey parents and Intentional Tech supporters.

P.S. We are building this plane while it is already in the air. A small group of us have been texting back and forth to get this off the ground, and we haven't run a campaign like this before. If you have ideas, input, or want to be part of a loose steering group helping shape what comes next, reach out intentionaltechbi@gmail.com. We would rather hear from you early than try to get it perfectly right on our own.

A separate note is coming soon with a specific ask for brief, named statements from medical and mental health professionals, educators, and families whose school enrollment decisions are shaped by these issues. If that is you and you want to get ahead of the ask, reply anytime. (Some of you have already shared perfect examples in your signup comments but we didn't ask for permission to use those. 1. Whoops. 2. Take that as an example of why we might need help.)