Our Mission
We are a community of Rutherford parents working to promote balanced, age-appropriate technology use in our schools. We advocate for reduced unnecessary screen time, strong student privacy protections, and meaningful opportunities for hands-on learning. Our overarching goal is to foster a sustainable and healthy balance between technology and education that supports children’s academic, social, and developmental well-being while ensuring that technology enhances learning without replacing the experiences that are essential to childhood.
Our Goals
We are asking the Rutherford School District to:
01
Reduce individual device screen time district-wide
02
Strengthen web filtering, access controls, and family-friendly Chromebook management safety tools
03
Create a pathway for families to opt-out of devices coming home
04
Phase out 1:1 Chromebook curriculum for 6th grade and under
A growing body of research, parent experience, and classroom concern points to the importance of human connection, teacher-led instruction, tactile learning, sustained focus, and developmentally appropriate limits on screen use, “turning pages not just tabs”.
Learn More & Get Involved
Explore research and resources around technology, edtech, and screen time in schools or contact us to share a testimonial or learn more about events and ways to volunteer.
Why It Matters
Rutherford Unplugged is not anti-technology, we support thoughtful, age-appropriate technology use as well as computer science instruction. Our concern is excessive or passive screen use replacing teacher-led instruction, handwriting, reading, hands-on work, and face-to-face interaction.
$30B
Spent on educational technology in 2024, despite limited evidence of major learning gains.
7-8
Hours per day many school-age children spend on screens across school and home life.
94%
U.S. teachers reporting YouTube use in the classroom.
Sources and context are available on the Resources page.
Take Action: Sign The Pledge
Sign the pledge to tell the School Board and Administration: our children’s health, development, and future come first. Learn more and sign today.