Say NO to Summit at KM!

We, the parents, students and taxpayers of the Kettle Moraine School District (KMSD) have come together to protest the implementation of the Summit Personalized Learning Platform at the KM Middle School. By signing this petition, we request that KM Middle School reinstate the traditional learning program and offer the Summit Learning Platform only for those families/students who wish to opt into it.

Background:
The Summit Learning platform was developed and implemented with the support of Facebook and the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. This technology-infused curriculum features individualized learning time on electronic devices. The Summit curriculum is based on Common Core standards.

After attending a Summit conference in July 2017, the KM Middle School administrators chose to implement this experimental online curriculum in the 6th grade in August 2017, without the input from its families and students. Incoming 6th grade families were under the impression that their children would be learning in a more traditional format but were told after the start of the school year that there was no traditional option and that all students in the legacy houses (non-Create students) would be using the Summit Platform. The KM Middle School is the only non-charter public school in the State of Wisconsin currently using the Summit curriculum.

Our request is based on the following concerns:

SUMMIT CONTENT IS INAPPROPRIATE: Many parents are upset with the inappropriateness of the content in the program's many resources and assessments. For examples of this inappropriate curriculum, visit our FAQ page.

THE TEACHER-STUDENT BOND IS DISAPPEARING: Many parents who support the removal of the Summit Learning Platform feel that this curriculum is removing the human element from teaching by having students teach themselves via computer. We believe that a love for learning can only be passed on through a human teacher, not by spending hours in front of a screen. Children need more interaction with teachers and peers in a learning environment that is fun, inspiring, and creative - all things that a computer can't provide.

THERE ARE NO "DO-OVERS" IN LIFE: Parents are concerned that nature of the Summit Platform "assessments" or tests, which, which requires children to reassess and take a test again and again until they pass, is not, in many people's opinion, reality and leaves children unprepared for college and their adult lives.

PRIVACY IS QUESTIONABLE: There are parent concerns surrounding the privacy of student data. Kettle Moraine School District says it "does not provide the Summit Learning Platform with any information beyond student name, email address and ID number," which is classified as directory data and available to the public according to the State of Wisconsin public records law. Regardless, the fact that this program is being funded by Mark Zuckerburg/Facebook's foundation is troublesome. Given the recent revelations about Facebook's unauthorized sharing of its users' private information during the 2016 Presidential Campaign, what assurances do we have that Summit wants to do the right thing with the information they are gleaning from our children?

COMPUTER-BASED LEARNING IS A HEALTH HAZARD: According to the American Optometric Association (AOA), sitting for hours in front of a computer screen stresses a child's eyes because the computer forces the child's vision system to focus and strain a lot more than any other task. This can put children at an even greater risk than adults for developing symptoms of computer vision syndrome, which causes eyestrain, headaches, blurred vision, and dry eyes. In addition, there is concern that excessive computer use during childhood may have adverse effects on a child's physical development, including musculoskeletal disorders associated with repetitive strain on muscle such as carpal tunnel syndrome, neck pain ("text neck"), shoulder pain, and fibromyalgia. Research is also suggesting that hours in front of digital screens each day may be putting children at risk of damage to their retinas later in life.