Summary

We are asking District 200 to be a leader in the roll back of 1:1 device use in school.  Numerous school districts in the state and country have begun removing device usage for students and enacting strict policies on when and how devices are being used in the classroom.  Learning through 1:1 devices has been proven to be less effective than teacher interaction,  physical books, pencil, and paper.  Along with having a negative effect on learning, device usage can negatively impact development, behavior, and the child's relationship with both teachers and parents. 

Our children’s minds are too important to experiment with, especially an experiment that has already shown very negative results.  Until it is proven these products are safe, effective and superior to a human teacher they should have no place in our children’s classrooms.

We urge District 200 to adopt a comprehensive screen time policy that includes the following:

1. Eliminate 1:1 devices in elementary schools. Transition to shared laptop carts and/or computer labs for tasks such as assessment readiness and testing and typing skills. Children at this stage of development need hands-on, in-person learning experiences above all else.  Permanent 1:1 device assignment for young children is not supported by research and contributes to excessive cumulative screen exposure.

2. Set published policies of specific, enforceable screen time limits by grade level. Screen time should be prioritized only when it provides educational value that cannot be replicated offline. Eliminate "downtime" or "reward" screen time in classrooms.

3. Encourage paper, physical textbooks, and off-screen homework.  Research consistently shows better comprehension and retention with print materials. Policies should actively encourage analog alternatives, especially for homework.

4. Block non-educational platforms on student devices. Prohibit student access to YouTube, social media (including Pinterest), and pseudo-educational gaming apps like Gimkit on district devices. Teachers may retain the ability to use appropriate video content for instruction, but unsupervised student access has no place in the classroom.

5. Enact an immediate 5 year moratorium on all student-facing generative AI.  Long-term evidence of the educational value needs to be proven before  widespread use in the classroom. 

6. Provide parents with transparency and meaningful opt-out rights through high school. Allow families to opt out of specific EdTech programs -- not just blanket consent forms -- and ensure alternative learning methods are always available.  Allow parents to opt out of bringing instructional technology home for middle school and high school.  Allow for text book alternatives to online curricula at all grade levels. 

7.  Ensure communications for sports, clubs, and field trips go through approved channels or email.  Disallow communications that include students through social media channels (e.g. Snapchat, Instagram, What's App, etc.).

8. Make available to community: 1) list of all EdTech contracts; 2) vetting process and results for acceptance; 3) link to independent reviews/studies around specific EdTech showing improved outcome over analog methods; 4) provide detailed information on how student data is collected for each tool.

9. Create bell-to-bell prohibition of student's personal cell phone at school.  Prohibit device use during passing periods, lunch, and recess for elementary and middle school students. These moments of unstructured time are critical for social development and should not be dominated by screens.