After Cambridge kids ring in the first day of school on Tuesday, the School Committee will convene for its first regular meeting of the school year, where it will entertain motions on Smart Glasses use, discuss the future of the Spring Street building, and on immigration protections in schools.
The Smart Glasses motion would prohibit the use of Smart Glasses and other wearable technology in all Cambridge Public Schools facilities, with exceptions for those with medical or disability needs.
Committee Member Arjun Jaikumar said that although there is not much use of Smart Glasses at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School, the district’s main high school, the motion is “a stake in the ground” while the committee develops “related tech policies.”
Committee Members contacted by Cambridge Day seem to agree that technology use will be a topic of conversation this school year, with a report on district screen use released in May, and a resolution from last fall requesting a standardized policy on artificial intelligence use.
“It is likely at some point that we’re going to have some kind of a district-wide policy” on artificial intelligence, Jaikumar said, adding that the reason there is not currently a “one-size-fits-all policy,” is because “the technology is moving so quickly.”
Committee Member Luisa de Paula Santos said that a standardized policy could have the effect of hindering “teachers’ ability to actually do what’s best for students.”
While the Smart Glasses motion stems from conversations the committee is having surrounding AI, “there’s definitely still a lot to be done in terms of determining what our values are as a district,” Santos said.
There will be a presentation from Superintendent Dave Murphy and the district’s Chief Academic Officer, Heather Francis, on technology use in schools at Tuesday’s meeting.
158 Spring Street
Murphy will also “advise the committee” on the ongoing process of deciding what will be housed at the vacant 158 Spring Street building, according to the meeting agenda.
The presentation will likely not reflect a final decision about the vacancy, which is ultimately left up to the committee, Jaikumar said.
The School Committee is set to make its final decision on 158 Spring Street in early October, after the Superintendent has made a formal recommendation. The vote will round out several months of committee discussion on the matter, and various community engagement sessions between the superintendent and community members.
Relocation of the Amigos School, the district’s only K-8 school, has been the leading contender for the vacancy in recent months, with an email from Murphy announcing the possibility as “seriously considered” in late June.
Santos said she believes the decision will likely be to move the Amigos School to Spring Street, and that future conversations will surround the logistics of pursuing that option.
Anne Coburn, a parent to two children in the district and a former School Committee candidate, said she agrees that the Amigos School will be relocated, and hopes to see a more formal communication on the matter soon.
The other motion at Tuesday’s meeting echoes the Protect Act, which the state legislature passed early this month with various immigration protections. The motion protects students from being asked about their immigration status and requests a report from the superintendent about immigration protections and related training for CPS staff.
“This reflects an effort to try to implement what the Commonwealth policy is now and what school districts have been told to do,” Jaikumar said.
Tuesday’s meeting will be the first for the committee’s new student representatives, Imme Goode and Maia Shen, who will present a report at the meeting after their first day of senior year.
The School Committee will convene at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 1 in the Dr. Henrietta S. Attles Meeting Room, at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School, 459 Broadway. The meeting can also be screened virtually.
A stronger
Please consider making a financial contribution to maintain, expand and improve Cambridge Day.
We are now a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and all donations are tax deductible.
Please consider a recurring contribution.