Dear fellow Scarsdale residents,

I hope you are all doing well.  I'm sending you updates in two separate emails. I had attended and spoke to the Scarsdale Board of Education about the petition for learning options at their May 22, 2023 meeting during the public comments segment where each resident is allotted 4 minutes to speak. A written transcript of what I said is included below.

You might also like to read about this double-standard as to how top tech executives regard usage, or lack of technology for their own children and their schooling.

6 tech executives who raise their kids tech-free or seriously limit their screen time
https://www.businessinsider.com/tech-execs-screen-time-children-bill-gates-steve-jobs-2019-9

Also, this is a recent CNN article published on 5/23/23.
Opinion: Parents, get your kids off social media
https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/23/opinions/social-media-kids-surgeon-general-report-filipovic/index.html
"But there is a real question as to whether those benefits outweigh the tremendous harms. And it says something that many of the people designing this technology keep their children off of it, and send their own kids to screen-free schools. There is an emerging divide on screens, with the wealthy and educated pulling screens from schools, while poorer teens spend, on average,  more than eight hours a day using screens for entertainment – two hours more than their more affluent peers."

Best regards to all,

Ray

Ray Dotoratos
Scarsdale resident and school parent

[Public comments by Scarsdale resident Ray Dotoratos to the Scarsdale Board of Education during the May 22, 2023 BOE meeting]

Good evening, I’m Ray Dotoratos, a resident since 1965, Scarsdale Schools graduate, a teacher for over 40 years with two children enrolled in our schools.
Thank you all for serving on our BOE. Dr. Patrick, congratulations, I wish you well as our new Superintendent.

I started the online petition titled: Petition To Choose Learning Options In Scarsdale Public Schools at Change.org that 704 people have signed calling for transparency and the need of learning options in all our schools.

When I attended Scarsdale Schools in the 1960’s & 70’s our national ranking was No. 1 and now it’s 578 according US News & World Report that’s seen by many readers nationally and internationally.

Teachers and parents back then were resolute that students not do their schoolwork in front of distracting TV screens in order to fully focus. But today, tech companies have persuaded school districts to incorporate educational curriculum into distracting and highly addictive computer and tablet screens placed right between students and their teachers.

At the beginning of last school year when school tablets came home, my son was in first grade. He would greet us at the door saying “Can I have the tablet, can I have the tablet.” When we refused he would go into a rage.

Last school year my Middle School son was barely passing his subjects due to the distraction and addiction e-learning device usage was causing him.  Eventually his school tablet was returned and his very fine teachers printed out on paper the very same academic material the e-students used. The very next marking period his grades were on the higher level and cut his homework time in half.  E-learning was the biggest obstruction to his academic achievement.

Some of the opinions and observations our very fine Scarsdale School teachers have shared with our family during parent meetings and private side conversations, from my note taking (I’ve kept the teacher’s names confidential):

A Scarsdale Middle School teacher said to our son: “You are doing so much better with your school work now that you are not using the tablet anymore."

Another Middle School teacher said to us when discussing our objections to our son using e-learning during class: “I don’t like using the stupid computer either. I’m also fine if he would like to turn in his assignments handwritten because his handwriting is very good. I usually request assignments typed because many of the student's handwriting is illegible.”

Another Middle School teacher said: “Using computers while learning only causes students to be more isolated.”

An elementary school teacher said: "I can fully understand why you would not want your son using school electronics.”

Numerous parents are frustrated thinking e-learning is the only option. At the beginning of each school year they are only notified that their child will receive and use a school tablet.

Children today are consumed by electronic devices, tablets, smart phones which are designed to be addictive. It’s what guarantees tech companies big profits. For my children due to distraction and addiction, there is no balance of usage.  

Today, we now have recommendations by the US Surgeon General, expert academic literature and health studies by the Journal of the American Medical Association Pediatrics and the CDC regarding adverse effects from electronic device usage.

My family is already receiving and benefiting from a paper-based learning option in school. I started this petition for other families but especially for the students so they can be afforded the same consideration my children are receiving options for educational achievement.

Scarsdale parents and students need transparency for notification at the start of each school year and have the right to choose from Paper-based learning or e-learning or Hybrid of both to best academically achieve.

I thank you all for your time this evening.