Tech F.A.S.T. for Schools
One evening a week, your whole school community unplugs together.
From after school Tuesday until Wednesday morning, families put optional screens away and make room for each other. Paired with Analog Hour in the school day, Tech F.A.S.T. gives students, staff and families one simple rhythm and one shared skills language.
Schools changed the school day. Evenings are next.
Phone policies stop at the school door. Tech F.A.S.T. carries the same message home, with something positive to do instead, for kids and grown-ups alike.
6–9 hrs
a day of entertainment media for tweens and teens, outside school and homework (Common Sense Media)
46%
of teens say a parent is at least sometimes distracted by their phone when they try to talk (Pew Research Center, 2024)
23 states
passed new limits on phones in schools in 2025, but evenings at home are untouched (MultiState, 2026)
How it works in your school
Simple to launch. Easy to keep going.
- 1
Pick your launch Tuesday
Choose a start date and share the purpose with staff: connection, not punishment.
- 2
Invite families
Send home the launch letter and flyer so every family hears the same message.
- 3
Keep Tuesday nights clear
No homework that needs a screen on Tuesday evenings.
- 4
Use Analog Hour in the day
A few minutes in morning meeting or advisory: exhale, breathe, set an intention, go analog.
- 5
Talk about it on Wednesday
A quick share: What did you do? What skill did you use or notice?
- 6
Gather once a month
Host a tech-free family evening at school, with food, so every family can take part.
Inside the school day
Analog Hour
Tech F.A.S.T. happens at home. Analog Hour brings the same practice into classrooms, advisory and even staff meetings, in four steps:
Exhale
Let the day go.
Breathe
A few slow breaths.
Set an intention
"Today I'll try something new."
Go analog
Then name the skills it took.
Every activity has skills inside it
Naming them is what turns screen-free time into growth.
At home on Tuesday night
Each family sets its own exceptions for safety, medical needs, homework, work or essential communication. The goal is to put away optional screens, not to pass an all-or-nothing test. Grown-ups' phones go in the basket too.
What colleagues say about US Project founder Rae Donovan
“Rae also organized monthly technology-free evenings, ensuring accessibility by offering food, as well as garden work parties that brought everyone together for hands-on collaboration.”
Trish Van Vliet, Kindergarten Teacher, Ferrisburgh Central School
What your school gets
Everything ready to use, nothing new to build.
Family launch kit
A launch letter, flyer and Tuesday idea cards to send home.
Analog Hour cards
Short prompts for morning meeting, advisory and the end of the day.
Wednesday check-ins
Quick reflection prompts so students share what they did and what skill they used.
Family evening plan
A simple plan for a monthly tech-free night at school.
The skills language
The 3 C's, connected to Vermont's Transferable Skills.
Launch support from Rae
Help planning your launch, a staff overview and check-ins along the way.
The skills underneath
Powered by The Universal Skills Project
The skills connect to Vermont's Transferable Skills and fit the systems you already run, from PBIS and MTSS to advisory and PLPs, so what a family names on Tuesday night matches what students learn at school.
Character
I Reflect and I Grow. On Tuesdays: noticing where my time and attention go, and making a plan for my evening.
Connection
I Consider and I Connect. On Tuesdays: making room for conversation and noticing what's going well.
Contribution
I Engage and I Contribute. On Tuesdays: consuming less, creating more.
Proven in Vermont
Three districts. Ten years.
Tech F.A.S.T. has run in three Vermont districts over ten years. At Ferrisburgh Central School it sat alongside monthly tech-free family evenings and Community Mornings, all in one shared skills language.
"Tech-Free Tuesday, in particular, underscores the importance of disconnecting from screens to foster mindfulness, enhance mental well-being, and promote creativity."
Asia Kruse, ANWSD Director of Afterschool and Summer Programs
Questions schools ask
Do families have to take part?
No. Tech F.A.S.T. is an invitation, not a rule. Each family sets its own exceptions for safety, medical needs, work or essential communication.
What about homework?
Keep Tuesday evenings free of homework that needs a screen. Many schools make Tuesday a light homework night overall.
How much staff time does it take?
Very little: a launch letter, a few minutes of Analog Hour and a quick Wednesday check-in. The monthly family evening is optional.
Does it fit what we already do?
Yes. Analog Hour fits morning meeting and advisory, and the skills language connects to Vermont's Transferable Skills, PBIS, MTSS and PLPs.
What does it cost?
$2,500 per school, per year. Districts with more than one school receive a discount, depending on how family nights are set up: each school hosting its own, or shared district-wide nights.
Bring Tech F.A.S.T. to your school
Talk with Rae Donovan, M.Ed., J.D., former principal of Ferrisburgh Central School and SEL Coordinator at MAUSD.