Parents concerned about classroom screen time
Some parents of Methow Valley School District students are concerned about the digital platforms their children are using in schools and the amount of screen time they get in the classroom.
They voiced their concerns Thursday (Sept. 10) at a school board meeting, just as the board was preparing to form a new Digital Technology Working Group that could start meeting as early as November.
The working group would address these parents’ concerns, among other tech-related issues, Superintendent Grant Storey said.
Parents at last week’s school board meeting asked for more transparency about the digital tools their students are using, along with limits on screen time according to age, and the ability to opt their students out of using certain tools.
The parents said teachers are giving their students tablets to take assessment tests as early as kindergarten, and elementary-age students are using Google and YouTube.
“My son’s in fourth grade, and I’ve just noticed this progressive, increased adoption of little things, but it all adds up,” parent Anaka Mines said.
Melissa Brumer, another parent who spoke at the meeting, noted that the tech industry is moving faster than ever with the emergence of artificial intelligence.
“So our ability to make informed decisions as parents, and consent to our kids using these for-profit products, is more important than ever,” she said. ‘
Parents already get information from teachers and principals about the technology their students are using, Storey said, and he told the school board the district screens digital tools for their “effectiveness, safety and security.” But he acknowledged the district could do more to keep parents informed.
“We do have those policies in place, and we do have a pretty thorough administrative review process of all of the technology that is deployed in our schools,” he said. “We’re working on providing that information where it’s more easily accessible to the community.”
Tech committee
The technology working group will be asked to develop policy recommendations that would go to the school board for final approval. The board is expected to set specific goals for the committee and give it a deadline by late October.
Storey said the group’s mission will be broad and include cybersecurity, screen time, AI, and the latest industry-standard digital tools available to various educational programs such as automotive tech, graphic design and music.
The committee will be comprised of staff, students, parents, technology professionals and community experts, Storey said in a memo updating parents on the school’s technology policies, sent Wednesday (Sept. 9).
Some parents at last week’s meeting encouraged the school board to adopt a policy similar to the one followed by the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD).
Earlier this year, the nation’s second-largest school district established strict limits on instructional screen time. Students below second grade get no access to digital devices at all. Middle schoolers, to give another example, are limited to 400 minutes of screen time per week — roughly one fifth of their in-school time.
Earlier this month, LAUSD further announced that students would not be allowed to access generative AI such as chatbots on school-owned devices.
AI concerns
It’s too early to say what the district’s new working group will propose regarding AI use at Methow Valley schools, but state officials have indicated that an outright ban isn’t likely.
Education officials at a Methow Valley School Board study session on technology in April said AI, when used responsibly, was a useful tool for problem-solving and should be taught at the high-school level because employers expect new hires to know how to use it.
Pete Phillips, executive director of technology at the North Central Educational Service District, dismissed the idea of an AI ban during the study session.
“AI is already in the classroom,” Phillips told board members on April 30. “The more we block it, the more [students are] using it on their phones and at home. … We’re not stopping the kids from doing anything.”
In a press conference on Thursday (Sept. 10), state Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal said he didn’t think a full AI ban in schools was feasible.
“I don’t know that there’s going to be anywhere that bans AI. It would be very, very difficult,” Reykdal said.
But he acknowledged the need for caution, noting that AI, like social media, can be harmful to students’ mental health.
“We should have enormous hesitation to fully adopt, given what we failed to do in social media 20 years ago,” Reykdal said.
Recent research indicates AI use in classrooms brings more potential risks than benefits to students.
AI can short-circuit the connection between students and teachers, diminishing students’ capacity to learn, a Brookings Institution study said. The technology can also adversely impact student well-being, safety and privacy, according to the report.
Another study, reported in March by the publication Education Week, said about 20% of student use of AI on school-provided technology involved “problematic behaviors” including self-harm, bullying and cheating.
Reykdal was unsure whether the state Legislature would consider regulations on AI use in schools in its upcoming session, which starts in January 2027.
“I don’t know that our Legislature will adopt something, but I think there’s a lot of energy around trying to put some regulation around it, and my sense is it will be on protection of privacy,” he said.
Storey and the district’s three principals were clear on their broader aims in last week’s memo to parents.
“We want students to have access to technology when it provides meaningful educational value while protecting the things we know matter deeply in schools: strong relationships with teachers and peers, direct instruction, reading and writing, discussion, creativity, critical thinking, physical activity, collaboration and hands-on learning,” the memo said.
