PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Seven families say the student technology policy in Lower Merion is an unconstitutional "digital free-for-all."
They have filed a federal lawsuit against the school district in Montgomery County, claiming its tech rules expose kids to "real harms and risks of harm."
The suit says students have been able to access pornography, violent videos, and gambling sites; they "chat with strangers and bully each other;” and artificial intelligence helps them "cheat on their assignments."
Lower Merion has denied the allegations.
The lawsuit is calling for Lower Merion to allow parents to opt kids out of using computers or have the district pay for private schooling.
In August, the board passed a new rule scaling back devices. That didn't go far enough for the hundreds of parents who signed a petition seeking the ability to decline iPads and laptops altogether.
