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The Intentional
Tech Coalition CONCORD
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A Two-Part Request on Generative AI in Concord Schools

A thoughtful pause while the evidence is reviewed, and an ongoing opt-out for our students.

— Concord families have signed
Starting August 10, 2026: Google has begun expanding Gemini in Google Classroom to students of all ages by default — including on devices issued to Ellen Garrison Building at Concord Middle School students. We're asking the district to pause and review before this moves further.
What we're asking

Two requests, one goal: intentional sequencing

We believe in effective, well-vetted tools that meaningfully support learning. These two requests give the district time and a clear path to weigh the evidence with care.

Request 1

A temporary pause and a Technology Advisory Committee

Pause new contracts and current use of student-facing generative AI while a Technology Advisory Committee reviews the evidence and brings recommendations to the School Committee within 9–12 months. As an immediate step: remove Google Gemini from Ellen Garrison Building at Concord Middle School devices while this review is underway.

Request 2

An ongoing opt-out for every family

Once AI use resumes after the committee's review, maintain a simple, well-publicized opt-out so every family can choose an AI-free path for their student — no penalty to the student, and a comparable alternative to complete their work.

Open the full request as a PDF ↗
Why a pause makes sense

What the research shows, and what other districts are doing

A pause isn't a verdict on AI. It's a chance to look at the evidence before it reaches our students, and right now the evidence is thin.

No proof it helps
0

high-quality studies of student AI use in U.S. K-12 classrooms. Stanford reviewed more than 800 papers on AI in schools and found only 20 rigorous studies anywhere. Students often do better while using AI; once it's removed, results are mixed.

Stanford SCALE Initiative, March 2026
It can get in the way
17%

lower exam scores for high schoolers who had practiced math with unrestricted ChatGPT-style help, once it was taken away, even though their practice scores rose 48% while they used it. A version built with learning guardrails largely avoided the harm.

Bastani et al., PNAS, 2025
Others are pausing too
NYC

The country's largest school district paused student use of generative AI for 2026-27, from its youngest students through 8th grade. It removed software with student-facing AI, banned companion chatbots, and will spend the year studying the effects.

New York City Public Schools, September 2026
"Shouldn't school prepare kids for AI?"

We think the best preparation is the foundation AI can't supply: reading closely, writing clearly, doing math without help, and noticing when an answer doesn't add up. AI amplifies the skills a student already has, and those skills grow best with AI out of the loop, especially in the K-8 years.

Want to go deeper? Tech-Wise Arlington's AI Parent's Playbook covers AI at home, at school, and beyond.

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