We are parents and guardians of students in San Luis Coastal Unified School District, and we are asking the SLCUSD Board of Trustees and district leadership to adopt clear, age-appropriate guidelines for student screen time in classrooms.

We are not anti-technology. We believe technology can be a powerful educational tool when it is used with intention, for a specific purpose, and at the right time. We support students learning 3D design, building presentations, writing code, using educational software for structured practice, and developing technology skills that prepare them for the future.

But what we are seeing in many classrooms is often not purposeful technology use. Artificial Intelligence is entering our lives at an alarming rate and appears to be replacing actual learning. 

Too often, students have open access to Chromebooks or other devices for long stretches of the school day. Instead of being used for a specific lesson or project, the device becomes a constant distraction. Students can end up on YouTube, music videos, games, or other non-instructional content while a teacher is trying to teach a full classroom.

One teacher cannot cover a lesson, support individual students, manage behavior, and monitor 30 open browsers at the same time. This is not just a screen time issue. It is a learning issue. It is a classroom management issue. It is a teacher support issue. And it is a parent access issue.

When schoolwork lives mostly or entirely online (e.g. Google Classroom), many parents lose sight of what their child is learning, what assignments are missing, where their child may be struggling, and what feedback the teacher has provided. While access to and developing skills in technology are critical in a digital world, excessive screen time has been associated with increased anxiety and depression, addictive behaviors, reduced attention span, difficulty managing emotions, lower academic achievement, and weaker cognition. In foundational grades, children still need paper, handwriting, printed work, written corrections, math on paper, books in their hands, and opportunities to learn without constant digital distraction.

We also recognize that screen time is not only a school issue. Families have a major role to play, and we are committed to doing that work at home and in our parent communities. Last year, parent volunteers from our group helped host a free “Screen Sanity” event through Bishop’s Peak PTA, open to elementary school families, to help parents better understand the importance of limiting screen exposure and creating healthier digital habits.

We will continue educating and supporting families. But families cannot do this alone when children spend much of their school day on district-issued devices. Parents need schools to be partners in creating healthier boundaries.

Some of the parents organizing this petition have also attended SLCUSD Technology Task Force meetings. We appreciate that the district is discussing these issues, but we believe more is needed. Our students, especially elementary students, need stronger guardrails.

We are also encouraged by actions being taken elsewhere. The Los Angeles Unified School District recently voted to restrict classroom screen time, block non-instructional platforms, and return more learning to paper and pen. Beverly Hills Unified School District passed a resolution titled “Using Technology with Intention: Establishing Guidelines for Student Screen Time.” Bend-La Pine Schools in Oregon acted after parents organized and petitioned for change. Other states and districts are also beginning to recognize that unlimited classroom screen access is not serving students well.

We are asking the San Luis Coastal Unified School District Board of Trustees to adopt a districtwide policy or resolution that establishes clear guidelines for student screen time and instructional technology use.

Specifically, we ask SLCUSD to:

• Limit elementary school screen time during the school day, with a goal of no more than 1 hour per day or 5 hours per week.
• Require classroom technology use to be structured, scheduled, and tied to a clear academic purpose. Not open-ended or available all day.
• YouTube, social media, and gaming platforms (Roblox, Fortnite, etc.) blocked on all school devices.
• Bring back more pen-and-paper learning, especially in elementary school and foundational subjects such as writing, spelling, math, reading comprehension, and note-taking.
• Return major graded work with clear, visible teacher feedback, including printed or handwritten corrections when appropriate, so students and parents can easily see what needs improvement, rather than relying primarily on grades or comments that are only available through Google Classroom.
• Keep middle school devices at school whenever possible, while providing library, lab, or supervised access for students who need technology to complete schoolwork.
• Support high school students with reasonable in-class restrictions so devices are used for instruction, not distraction, during academic time.

A Note to Our Teachers
We see you. We know that managing a classroom where 30 students have open access to the entire internet is not teaching; it is crowd control. You deserve to teach. This petition is as much for you as it is for our children.

We also recognize that reducing screen time is only one piece of what teachers need. Meaningful change requires the district to step up as well.

We also call on SLCUSD to:

• Reduce the administrative burden on teachers, fewer mandatory reports and meetings, and more protected time to actually teach.
• Provide teacher aides and classroom helpers during this transition. Even one day per week per classroom gives teachers an extra set of hands for managing behavior and supporting individual students as new routines are established.
• Open classrooms to parent volunteers for simple, meaningful tasks: reading with a small group of students, practicing math with manipulatives, helping with hands-on projects.

We believe parent involvement is not just helpful, but it is essential. When parents step into a classroom, they see firsthand the behavioral challenges teachers navigate every single day. This is a collective challenge that calls for a collective response.

To every parent reading this petition: ask your child’s teacher how you can help. Show up. The classroom needs you.

Our children deserve technology that serves learning; not technology that replaces handwriting, weakens attention, hides academic struggles from parents, or creates unnecessary classroom distractions.

Please sign this petition to urge the San Luis Coastal Unified School District Board of Trustees to limit classroom screen time and adopt stronger guardrails for student technology use.

Started by SLCUSD parents and guardians
Jenn Smith - Elementary school substitute teacher and SLCUSD parent 
Vanessa Salas - Former PTA president at Bishop’s Peak and SLCUSD parent
Katie Pozzi - Family Nurse Practitioner and SLCUSD parent

After signing, SLCUSD parents and guardians are invited to complete this short optional form, so we can show the Board which schools and grade levels are represented on this petition: https://forms.gle/6WeT7f7eQ258N7B67