09/21/2026
When Croton-on-Hudson’s youngest students returned to school earlier this month, a familiar — and increasingly controversial — classroom tool was missing from their desks: iPads.
A new districtwide policy prohibits the devices in kindergarten through second grade with few exceptions. Instead, teachers are emphasizing traditional, hands-on learning through activities like games, puzzles, and pen-and-paper assignments.
The screen-free classrooms arrived after a grassroots effort from local parents in Croton-on-Hudson, an affluent, highly educated suburban village on the Hudson River, 40 miles north of Manhattan.
Formed in July 2025, the Croton Community Collective has amassed more than 400 local members, built a network of parents who’ve tried to give their children a screen-free childhood, reshaped the school board, and secured several changes limiting the use of educational technology in instruction.
It’s part of a larger push by the community, where many parents have pledged to delay giving their children smart phones.
“We want Croton to be famous for being a town that brought back childhood, at home and at school,” said local parent Jill Anderson, who founded the coalition.
The Croton-Harmon school district is scaling back ed tech in response to a community movement.
