Croton-Harmon Board of Education Candidates Face Packed House in Heated Technology Forum

April 25, 2026 - 19:32

A standing-room-only crowd packed the Parish Hall of St. Augustine’s Episcopal Church in Croton last Thursday evening for a candidate forum featuring the five contenders vying for three open seats on the Croton-Harmon Board of Education in the upcoming May 19 election.

The event, hosted by the Croton Community Collective (CCC)—a group of approximately 320 parents and teachers founded in June 2025 by local educator Jill Anderson—focused squarely on the role of technology in the district’s schools. The CCC’s emphasis on the potential harms of cell phones and other screen devices for children has sparked debate and, at times, defensiveness among district officials and teachers. Nonetheless, all five candidates accepted the invitation and participated in what observers described as an intense, lively, and intellectually rigorous discussion.

Rather than summarize the candidates’ responses to the six questions posed, organizers directed interested community members to an online video of the full forum. However, the questions themselves offered a revealing window into the concerns driving the conversation.

Candidates were asked about their perceptions of educational technology proliferation in the schools, including its benefits and drawbacks. They addressed how much of students’ reading and writing should be analog versus digital across the K-12 experience, and whether the district’s current practices align with their vision. The forum also explored whether candidates support age-based screen limits in classrooms, noting that districts in Los Angeles and Baltimore have removed one-to-one devices from early elementary grades, while states like Alabama and Utah have established screen time restrictions.

A question on the statewide cell phone ban—a bipartisan issue supported by the New York State Union of Teachers and the Governor—asked how candidates would hold the superintendent, board, and administrators accountable for full implementation and enforcement at Croton-Harmon High School. Candidates also shared their views on artificial intelligence in schools, particularly its impact on student learning and academic integrity.

In a final question, each candidate was invited to emphasize the most important aspect of their vision for technology in the schools and outline concrete steps they would take to implement it, including collaboration with administrators and fellow board members.

The next and final candidate forum is scheduled for May 12 at Croton-Harmon High School.