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Buttons worn by audience members.<\/p>\nBeth Ann Rosica\u2019s writings are a blend of news, opinion, and analysis.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Over 100 parents, students, and community members showed up on Monday evening at the Lower Merion School District policy committee meeting to make public comments about a proposed technology policy. The standing-room-only meeting lasted over three hours due to the volume of speakers who spoke out against the controversial policy.<\/p>\n
Buttons worn by audience members.<\/p>\n
The district made headlines<\/a> last month when hundreds of parents signed a petition<\/a> urging the district to prioritize children\u2019s health and development by limiting access to technology in school.<\/p>\n The petition was created and disseminated by a local, grassroots movement, Pencils Over Pixels<\/a> that cites recent research on the harmful effects of prolonged technology exposure. The group includes parents, students, and teachers, and states they are not anti-technology, but rather are focused on significantly minimizing time on devices and eliminating it in the early grades.<\/p>\n One of the key goals of the group is to maintain the option for parents to \u201copt-out\u201d of district-issued devices, like a Chromebook or iPad. Other immediate priorities include fixing content filtering, reducing gamified and persuasive apps, and setting and enforcing consistent screen time limits by grade.<\/p>\n The policy committee is proposing to repeal two existing technology policies and replace them with a new one. Currently, Policy 134-1<\/a> includes a form that parents can use to decline access to district provided technology resources. However, the new proposed policy<\/a>, K-12 Technology Use, does not have a similar process.<\/p>\n This proposed change resulted in a packed meeting, and the district had to set up a live stream of the meeting in an adjacent room.<\/p>\n Policy Committee co-chair Anna Shurak opened the meeting and asked participants to \u201clower the temperature on the technology discussion.\u201d She stressed the importance of listening to each other in a respectful manner and noted that Superintendent Dr. Frank Ranelli had already begun to address many of the issues raised by parents and students.<\/p>\n Shurak also explained the two step process to approve the new policy. Last night was the first reading, and next month will be the second reading where the committee can vote to advance it to the full Board for an approval vote.<\/p>\n Students spoke first during public comment with children as young as second graders to high schoolers making statements. The majority asked the committee to support the approach espoused by Pencils Over Pixels. They recounted stories about students accessing inappropriate websites during class time and the lack of learning opportunities due to the volume of inadequate applications.<\/p>\n Two high school students voiced a different perspective stating that the filters are too strong and sensitive, resulting in a blockage of sites necessary for research.<\/p>\n Many parents and community members spoke passionately about the need for an opt-out\u00a0 process for district-issued devices. A parent of a special needs student detailed that her daughter spent most of her high school career in class wearing airpods and watching TikTok and Netflix.<\/p>\n Shurak responded to some comments throughout the meeting and invited speakers to sit at the table, rather than stand at the podium, noting she wanted to have a conversation on the issues.\u00a0<\/p>\n Audience members reacted strongly when Shurak stated, on more than one occasion, that there would be no \u201copt-out\u201d of district devices in the new policy. She said, \u201cit\u2019s really not applicable.\u201d<\/p>\n Early in the meeting, she clarified that the existing administrative regulation, Policy 134-1<\/a>, has been misinterpreted. Shurak said the form to decline access to district provided technology resources was initially created to address a lawsuit against the district in 2009. The policy has not been updated since 2020.<\/p>\n This is not the first controversy regarding technology in the Lower Merion School District. The district was subject to a lawsuit and a federal investigation after it was determined that district devices were recording students when they were at home. The lawsuit was settled, and despite the FBI finding that over 56,000 images were taken of students, it decided not to pursue charges against the district.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-7-771x1024.jpeg\"){kind=spacer}
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Alexandra Parfitt before the meeting.<\/p>\n