ARDMORE, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — Parents in the Lower Merion School District are protesting what they call “rampant” use of technology in classrooms. They want to be able to opt their kids out of using Chromebooks and laptops in school.
During a policy meeting last week, the Lower Merion School Board voted to repeal that option. Parents protested the board meeting Monday night to voice their concerns.
A group of parents and community members started a petition and a grassroots campaign called Pencils over Pixels, opposing excessive screen time in school. Michael Balkin, one of their organizers, said they aren’t anti-technology; they just want to see it limited in schools.
“There are students that have already opted out of one-to-one device use,” he said. “So in a district like this with the vast resources at its disposal, they can absolutely come up with a plan in ... whatever the timeline is to have an opt-out curriculum.”
“They need some guardrails,” said parent Deena Pack. “They need some more protections for their brain than what is being provided right now.”
Student Aliyah Pack agrees that stronger restrictions are needed.
“Coming from a high school senior at Lower Merion High School, I can almost guarantee you the students do not associate the laptops with schoolwork, almost 100%,” she said.
However, the school district said it wouldn’t be ideal for students to opt out of technology that supports most of their curriculum.
“We know that they have access to harmful content, harmful apps, and they’re on it for many hours of the day, and that’s how their curriculum is partially delivered,” added Balkin. “So we wish the board would take a step back, pause, and actually create a policy that reduces tech overall.”
The school board will have a second meeting on the new policy in June, and it aims to finalize its new policies by next fall. Along with the inability to opt out, the proposal includes stronger web filters and an app that will allow parents to monitor their child’s school-issued device. The board said it will also review AI policies.
Parents want to be able to opt their kids out of using laptops in the classroom
Parents want to be able to opt their kids out of using laptops in the classroom
