Priority 02
Critical Thinking First, Then AI
Teach children how to reason before asking technology to reason for them. No hype, no panic — a parent's clear-eyed look at AI in the classroom.
The question I had
“How do we teach kids to think for themselves when AI can give them an answer in seconds?”
Why I started looking
AI tools arrived in everyday family life faster than any guidance did. I started asking what that means for a fourth grader learning to write and a kindergartner learning to read — and what schools are doing about it.
Why it matters
Technology should help children think harder, not give them a reason to stop thinking. Families deserve to know what the district's approach to AI is, what guardrails exist, and how critical-thinking skills stay at the center.
What the evidence says
One headline statistic, one clear chart, a few findings — each with sources. Until they're verified, this section stays honestly empty.
Headline statistic
—
Statistic will appear here once verified against a primary source.
Findings will be published here — 2 to 4 at a time, each one sourced — as research is completed.
Critical Thinking & AI: the key chart
One chart, one idea — published when the underlying data is verified.
Data being assembled
Verified sources will appear here as the analysis is completed.
What we know
Research in progress
Evidence-supported findings will be listed here, each with its sources.
What we still don't know
Open questions, stated plainly.
- What is the district's current policy on student and teacher AI use?
- How are media literacy and source evaluation taught at each grade level?
- What guidance do parents get about AI tools at home?
What I would do
Action steps in development
Concrete actions will be published here as they're shaped with parents, educators, and community input.
How we would know it's working
Measurable indicators in development
Future indicators will be named here so progress can be checked, not just promised.
What could change?
No page on this site promises outcomes that depend on future funding, district staff, collective board decisions, or circumstances that cannot yet be known. Here is what would remain undecided — and who would decide it.
Decisions that remain with the board
- Whether to adopt or expand any technology initiative, and with what guardrails
Delegated to district administration
- Device, platform, and vendor decisions are administrative procurement
Depends on teachers & school staff
- Any AI approach succeeds or fails in classrooms — teacher input and training are decisive
Funding assumptions
- New technology initiatives carry implementation and ongoing costs that compete with other priorities
Enrollment assumptions
Not yet assessed
State & federal dependencies
- State and federal rules and guidance on student data privacy are still evolving
Known risks
- Unclear instructional goals, weak privacy protections, and underestimated implementation costs are the known failure points
Questions still unanswered
- What is the district's current policy on student and teacher AI use?
This is the campaign's language standard in practice: "will" is reserved for what Geetha can personally and directly control — asking for data, explaining trade-offs, making her reasoning public. Everything else is described as what she would advocate for, prioritize, or evaluate — never as a guarantee.
Explore the data
Critical Thinking First
A parent's guide to AI in the classroom.