St Tammany Parish: Unplug Our Classrooms

The Issue

Every day, thousands of St. Tammany Parish students spend hours on Chromebooks and other classroom devices instead of books, paper, and hands-on instruction. The research on what this is doing to our kids is no longer ambiguous — and it's time for our School Board to act.

We're asking Superintendent Frank Jabbia and the St. Tammany Parish School Board to:

Reduce student technology exposure in PK-8 classrooms, except where required for mandated assessments.
Stop sending devices home with K-8 students.
Significantly restrict and minimize screen use in high school, reserving devices for applications with real, evidence-based instructional value
Reduce reliance on YouTube and movies screened in classrooms during rest times and for "brain breaks."
Set specific, enforceable screen time limits by grade level. Establish clear daily and weekly maximums for student screen use on district devices, with less screen time for younger students. Screen time should be prioritized only when it provides educational value that cannot be replicated offline. (added 8/29/26)
Reduce 1:1 device programs in elementary school. Transition to shared laptop carts and computer labs for grades 2-5. Permanent 1:1 device assignment for young children is not supported by research and contributes to excessive cumulative screen exposure. (added 8/29/26)
Block non-educational platforms on district devices. Prohibit student access to YouTube, social media, and non-instructional gaming platforms like Roblox during the school day. (added 8/29/26)
Ban device use during unstructured time. Prohibit device use during passing periods, lunch, and recess for elementary and middle school students. (8/29/26)
Provide parents with transparency and meaningful opt-out rights. Share weekly reports on children's screen activity on district devices and Smartboards. Allow families to opt out of specific EdTech programs -- not just blanket consent forms -- and ensure alternative learning methods are always available. (added 8/29/26)
Encourage paper, physical textbooks, and off-screen homework. Policies should actively encourage analog alternatives, especially for homework at the elementary and middle school level. (added 8/29/26)
Evaluate all EdTech contracts for educational value and student data privacy. Require independent review of EdTech products. Do not rely solely on vendor-supplied research. Ensure student data is protected and that contracts include accountability mechanisms. (added 8/29/26)

Here's what the research shows:

📖 Reading suffers. A 2024 meta-analysis of 49 studies found students consistently comprehend less when reading on screens instead of paper.

✍️ Writing by hand builds better learning. A 2024 meta-analysis of 24 studies found handwritten notes significantly outperform typed notes for retention.

📉 Academic performance is declining. NAEP reported 2024 12th-grade reading and math scores at historic lows — despite (or because of) widespread classroom technology adoption.

🧠 Mental health is suffering. Research links device hours directly to declining social-emotional intelligence in students, alongside a well-documented rise in youth anxiety and depression since 2010.

⚠️ Behavior problems are increasing. Multiple studies link early and heavy screen exposure to attention problems and higher rates of ADHD-criteria diagnoses. Devices in the classroom drive off-task, disruptive behavior — and research shows one student's off-task device use even harms the classmates seated near them.

👩‍🏫 Our teachers are burning out because of it. A 2023 RAND report found two-thirds of teachers say student misbehavior has worsened since the pandemic. Disruptive behavior is the single strongest predictor of teacher burnout and attrition. If classroom technology is fueling that disruption, this policy is actively working against our ability to keep the wonderful teachers we already have.

This isn't a radical idea — other districts have already done it, with real results:

Burke County, NC made pen-and-paper the default in 2025. Result: better reading comprehension and a 26.2% drop in tech-related behavior incidents.
McPherson Middle School, KS returned all 480 Chromebooks in 2025. The principal put it simply: "This technology can be a tool. It is not the answer to education."
Galesburg District 205, IL removed devices for grades 2-8.
Wake County, NC, the state's largest district, announced in 2025 it must move away from one-to-one devices.

Our children deserve an education grounded in what the evidence actually supports. Please sign this petition and join us in asking the St. Tammany Parish School Board to remove classroom technology from K-8 schools and meaningfully reduce it in high school.

Megan HamiltonPetition Starter

Media inquiries

623

Let’s get to 1000 signatures!

Petitions with 1,000+ supporters are 5x more likely to win!

The Issue

We're asking Superintendent Frank Jabbia and the St. Tammany Parish School Board to:

Reduce student technology exposure in PK-8 classrooms, except where required for mandated assessments.
Stop sending devices home with K-8 students.
Significantly restrict and minimize screen use in high school, reserving devices for applications with real, evidence-based instructional value
Reduce reliance on YouTube and movies screened in classrooms during rest times and for "brain breaks."
Set specific, enforceable screen time limits by grade level. Establish clear daily and weekly maximums for student screen use on district devices, with less screen time for younger students. Screen time should be prioritized only when it provides educational value that cannot be replicated offline. (added 8/29/26)
Reduce 1:1 device programs in elementary school. Transition to shared laptop carts and computer labs for grades 2-5. Permanent 1:1 device assignment for young children is not supported by research and contributes to excessive cumulative screen exposure. (added 8/29/26)
Block non-educational platforms on district devices. Prohibit student access to YouTube, social media, and non-instructional gaming platforms like Roblox during the school day. (added 8/29/26)
Ban device use during unstructured time. Prohibit device use during passing periods, lunch, and recess for elementary and middle school students. (8/29/26)
Provide parents with transparency and meaningful opt-out rights. Share weekly reports on children's screen activity on district devices and Smartboards. Allow families to opt out of specific EdTech programs -- not just blanket consent forms -- and ensure alternative learning methods are always available. (added 8/29/26)
Encourage paper, physical textbooks, and off-screen homework. Policies should actively encourage analog alternatives, especially for homework at the elementary and middle school level. (added 8/29/26)
Evaluate all EdTech contracts for educational value and student data privacy. Require independent review of EdTech products. Do not rely solely on vendor-supplied research. Ensure student data is protected and that contracts include accountability mechanisms. (added 8/29/26)

Here's what the research shows:

📖 Reading suffers. A 2024 meta-analysis of 49 studies found students consistently comprehend less when reading on screens instead of paper.

✍️ Writing by hand builds better learning. A 2024 meta-analysis of 24 studies found handwritten notes significantly outperform typed notes for retention.

📉 Academic performance is declining. NAEP reported 2024 12th-grade reading and math scores at historic lows — despite (or because of) widespread classroom technology adoption.

This isn't a radical idea — other districts have already done it, with real results:

Burke County, NC made pen-and-paper the default in 2025. Result: better reading comprehension and a 26.2% drop in tech-related behavior incidents.
McPherson Middle School, KS returned all 480 Chromebooks in 2025. The principal put it simply: "This technology can be a tool. It is not the answer to education."
Galesburg District 205, IL removed devices for grades 2-8.
Wake County, NC, the state's largest district, announced in 2025 it must move away from one-to-one devices.

Megan HamiltonPetition Starter

Media inquiries

Support now

623

Let’s get to 1000 signatures!

Petitions with 1,000+ supporters are 5x more likely to win!

The Decision Makers

St. Tammany Parish School Board,

15 Members

1 Responded

Louisiana

Michelle Hirstius

St. Tammany Parish School Board - District 12

“Dear Parent and/or Community Member, Thank you for signing the petition calling for a more thoughtful approach to screen use in our schools. I want you to know that I signed it too. As a School Board member, I have been very vocal about my concerns over how much time our students are spending on Chromebooks and other devices. I have brought this up with Central Office administration, with some of my fellow Board members, and during School Board meetings. I also recently shared my thoughts publicly on my School Board Facebook page. I really do believe we have gone too far in making technology the default in education, especially with our youngest students. Personally, I would like to see Chromebooks eliminated from Pre-K and Kindergarten altogether. If that isn't possible, I would at least like to see them shared, perhaps one device for every four students, and used only when there is a real instructional reason for it. In the lower grades, I think devices should be something students use when they are needed, not something they automatically use every day. Middle school students should have reasonable limits, and even in high school, screen time should be limited to what is actually necessary for learning. I also think we need to get back to some of the basics. Paper. Pencils. Books. Handwriting. Hands-on learning. Conversation. Face-to-face interaction. There is nothing wrong with a little "old school" mixed in with technology. And this isn't just my opinion. There is legitimate research behind these concerns. Research has found that handwriting plays an important role in early literacy and learning, and there is evidence that young children can benefit from handwriting in ways that typing does not provide. The American Academy of Pediatrics also emphasizes that children need time to read, play, move, interact with others and participate in hands-on activities, and that technology should be used purposefully rather than simply filling time. This is NOT about being anti-technology. Our kids absolutely need to know how to use technology. They are growing up in a digital world, and those skills matter. But technology should be a tool we use to educate our children. It should not become the education itself. I intend to keep pushing this issue and working toward a more balanced approach. With the upcoming election, I honestly don't know where I will be sitting on the School Board after January. But regardless of what happens, I intend to do everything I can between now and December to move this conversation forward. This issue was already on my list. Seeing so many parents and community members speak up about it only reinforces for me how important it is that we address it. Thank you for signing the petition, but more importantly, thank you for caring enough to speak up for our children. I will continue to listen, continue to research, and continue to push for what I believe is a better balance for our students. Sincerely, Michelle Hirstius St. Tammany Parish School Board District 12”