Concord Public Schools will launch two new committees in October to examine how classroom technology is selected and used across the district, Superintendent Laurie Hunter announced.

The move follows months of parent advocacy at School Committee meetings, where families questioned everything from video games used as rewards to online math programs like XtraMath, The Concord Bridge first reported.

One committee, the Instructional Technology Review Committee, will be made up of district educators. The second, the District Community Technology Committee, will include parents and students and provide feedback on the educators' work. Membership for the community committee was still being finalized as of Sept. 22.

Hunter said data gathering comes first. More than 150 educators responded to a district survey in June about their technology use and concerns, and that information will help shape the review.

"I'm going to stress the data gathering, because I think right now there's a baseline of information that needs to get created," Hunter said.

The committees grew out of concerns parents raised during the 2025–2026 school year, after the School Committee paused discussions about a new cellphone policy at Concord-Carlisle High School. As of February, the district enforced bell-to-bell phone restrictions for grades K–8, while the high school relied on handbook rules and classroom caddies, according to Joint School Committee records. State legislation discussed at the April 14 Joint School Committee meeting requires all public-school districts to adopt cell phone-free policies by the 2026–2027 school year.

Parent Nick Bullard told the School Committee on Sept. 9 that his concerns extend well beyond phones. He asked how the district decides which technology tools to adopt, what evidence shows they improve learning and how parents can find out what software their children use.

At the same Sept. 9 meeting, Concord resident Gale Hire said she was "embarrassed that Concord's not a leader on this issue," referring to phone use in schools.

The push for a formal advisory body dates to at least April. At the April 14 meeting, School Committee member Michael Williams suggested forming a technology advisory group that would include parents and industry experts. The next day, parents Brittany Horton, Beth Neitzel, Meryl Dolan and Ashley Healy all spoke in favor of the idea at a regular School Committee session.

By May 20, Emily Lines of Bruce Road, a parent of three Concord Public Schools students, introduced herself to the committee as organizer of the Intentional Technology Coalition. She described the group as more than 100 local parents and caregivers advocating for changes to how the district uses digital tools, according to School Committee minutes. Lines proposed a collaborative advisory committee to help the district vet technology decisions.

Hunter said the goal is not to eliminate devices. Students need computers for state assessments, and teachers rely on technology for lessons and assignments.

Williams echoed that point at the Sept. 22 meeting, saying the community does not want to remove devices but wants to "intentionally figure out how to use them."

Both committees are expected to begin meeting in October. Specific dates have not been announced.