> Parents are typically asked to sign paperwork at enrollment granting consent for the schools to give their kids laptops. Nicki Petrossi said when she initially refused to sign it in 2024, the school district in Fullerton, California, told her that she was legally barred from doing so.

IANAL, but the legal status of a coerced signature seems problematic.

I know I personally retain things better if I write them out, on paper, than if I type or record them. It's a cognitive advantage every kid not only should be allowed, but at a crucial time of development when they NEED to exercise that muscle.

There are stories out there about how AI is the future for schools and how each kid will have their own learning path tailored for their interests and abilities. Now I know "special ed" back in the day was not much more than glorified daycare and only deepened the stigma the neurodiverse already experienced. but there's a place in the middle somewhere, where kids of different abilities and interests could meet and learn. for different reasons, each kid had to stretch a little- to test their limits, to find new commonalities with others, to learn AND grow together.

I can't help but think automated education tailored for individuals is going to massively backfire. There will be fundamental concepts skipped for the sake of individuality. There will be no sense of social belonging or commiseration/triumph. It's going to feel like- and be as edifying as- the tailored home page of a streaming service that really, honestly knows exactly what you are going to love, leaving you feeling passive and transparent and dumb, certainly not any smarter nor even taken care of, just probed.