We, the undersigned parents, guardians, and residents of East Lyme, Connecticut, call upon the East Lyme Board of Education and the Superintendent of Schools to take immediate action to address concerns about the increasing reliance on school-issued Chromebooks and screen-based learning, particularly for students in grades 5–8.

While technology can be a valuable educational tool, reports from both teachers and parents point to growing concerns about screen dependency among students. Teachers have reached out to multiple families about students being distracted by their school-issued devices and using them at inappropriate times during the school day. Parents report that children sneak Chromebooks into their bedrooms after bedtime, creating ongoing conflicts over device use at home. Together, these reports raise serious concerns about the impact of excessive screen use on students' sleep, emotional well-being, classroom attention, and family relationships.

School districts across the country are already rethinking their reliance on educational technology and taking steps to reduce students' screen time and bring printed learning materials back into the classroom. The Connecticut State Board of Education has also recognized the need for a more thoughtful approach to technology in schools. In August 2026, it adopted updated guidance encouraging school districts to evaluate their use of educational technology and promote purposeful, evidence-informed screen time. 

We want East Lyme Public Schools to be among the pioneers of this movement, rather than among the last to act. Sooner or later, more districts will recognize the need to find a better balance between technology and traditional learning. We cannot afford to wait years to reach this conclusion while our children continue to spend so much of their time immersed in screens. We have an opportunity to act now, based on the concerns teachers and parents are raising and the evidence already available, rather than wait for others to lead the way.

We therefore petition East Lyme Public Schools to take the following two actions:

1. Make Taking School-Issued Chromebooks Home a Family Choice
Establish a formal policy allowing parents to choose whether their children bring school-issued Chromebooks home. Families who need their children to have Chromebooks at home should be able to opt in, while families who choose not to take devices home should have the option to leave them in secure storage at school.

Families already navigate the challenges of adolescence, hormonal changes, growing independence, and increasing parent-child conflict. School-issued devices should not become an additional source of unnecessary conflict in the home, forcing parents to fight battles over late-night screen use, sleep, and access to Chromebooks. 

2. Monitor and Publicly Report Student Screen Time at School
Track the average amount of time students spend actively using screens during the school day and make aggregate usage data available to parents and the public each academic term.

If the data reveal excessive screen use, the district should review its practices and take appropriate action to ensure that technology is being used purposefully and does not unnecessarily replace or interfere with effective traditional learning methods.

Our goal is not to eliminate educational technology. It is to ensure that technology serves our children's education rather than becoming a distraction from learning, contributing to unhealthy screen habits, or creating unnecessary conflict for families. Parents deserve transparency, meaningful choices, and the ability to establish reasonable boundaries around school-issued devices outside school hours.

We urge the East Lyme Board of Education and the Superintendent of Schools to take these concerns seriously, engage with parents, and establish a clear plan and timeline for implementing these changes.

Our children should not have to wait for the education system to catch up. East Lyme has an opportunity to lead the way toward a healthier, more balanced approach to learning, and we are asking the district to do so.