Dear Milford Public Schools Staff and Parents/Guardians,
I hope this letter finds you doing well and enjoying mid-summer days with your children. While most of our staff are also enjoying summer break, many are getting our schools ready for your child’s return. Needless to say, we are really looking forward to the first day of school!
More recently there has been a lot of talk about screen time in our schools. This issue is emerging as a significant topic of discussion in school communities throughout the country. The purpose of this letter is to provide you with information regarding our work on analyzing and developing guidelines for technology use in Milford Public Schools.
We intend to partner with our teachers and administrators in the 2026-2027 school year with a goal to develop guidelines for each level - elementary, middle and high - to ensure the most effective and appropriate use of technology to enhance our curriculum. In other words, we want to be clear about how students and teachers use technology and how much time our students are on screens across our classrooms and within our curriculum. While we can make assumptions about this, we want data to inform our decisions. One of our goals is to provide our community a transparent look at how digital tools are utilized in our classrooms.
As we move forward with our analysis, we will focus on various aspects of the use of technology such as:
Productivity tools (Google Docs, Slides, Canva, etc)
Curriculum platforms (Illustrative Math, No Red Ink, etc)
Teacher managed tools to help target instruction (Lexia, YouTube, etc)
Distraction tools (non-educational games)
Beyond tracking screen time, classroom technology requires a thoughtful, intentional approach focused on meaningful learning experiences and robust digital safety. We are committed to high quality instructional practices that center on relationships which are best achieved through face-to-face and personalized interactions. We recognize that the appropriate use of technology can be extremely beneficial in differentiating instruction and accessing information and conducting research. Purposeful use of technology will help us achieve Milford Public Schools’ Vision of the Learner which prioritizes Scholarship, Personal Development, Citizenship, and Innovation/Creativity, ensuring our students leave our schools prepared for the world they will continue to learn in and eventually find employment. Lastly, we want to make sure that all students have equitable access to learning resources that are not dependent on whether they have the means at home.
Last fall, we surveyed parents/guardians and teachers about future goals of our school district. It was clear that parents were worried about an over reliance on technology with fears that students are losing creativity and the ability to problem-solve. Teachers were equally concerned about the impact of cell phones and Artificial Intelligence. Moving forward, I believe we have an opportunity to partner with families. While we will create these guidelines for our classrooms, we are asking parents/guardians for your help. We hope you will join us in developing boundaries at home about your child’s personal technology use. In the coming weeks, I’ll be sending more information on an initiative we’re launching, Log Off and Lock In!
Please be on the look out for updates on our progress and more information about Log Off and Lock In!
Sincerely,
Anna M. Cutaia, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools