Las Virgenes parents press school board

Dozens of parents in Las Virgenes Unified School District used a May 12 board meeting to press for tighter limits on student screen use, bringing a local fight over classroom technology into a wider debate now unfolding in California and nationally. The parents, many wearing white, addressed the district’s Board of Trustees as a district subcommittee updated officials on its review of technology use during the school day. The push came as neighboring Los Angeles Unified School District moves toward broader restrictions on student screen use and one day after national coverage highlighted a new U.S. Surgeon General advisory on children and screens. ### Why did parents show up at the May 12 meeting? The Acorn reported that dozens of Las Virgenes parents attended the May 12 meeting because they were concerned about the use of digital tools in their children’s education. The paper said the group took inspiration from a tech-limiting movement that had already gained traction in Los Angeles Unified. (theacorn.com) Parent Stephen Wegman was among those who spoke at the meeting, according to The Acorn’s account and photo caption. Parent organizer Mallory Rees told the paper that a petition had gathered signatures representing more than 500 Las Virgenes families. ### What did district officials say about current device use? Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services Mark Anderson told the board that California does not set explicit statewide standards for school technology use, but instead outlines general goals for computer proficiency at different grade levels, according to The Acorn. (theacorn.com) He said Las Virgenes bought iPads for kindergarten through second grade on a one-device-for-every-three-students basis, while grades three through five have one laptop per student in class. No third-graders take laptops home, The Acorn reported, while fourth-grade take-home decisions are left to school sites and about half of those students bring devices home. Fifth graders and older students take laptops home, and about 65% of high school students use their own devices, the report said. ### Which program drew the sharpest criticism? (theacorn.com) The district has one core curriculum tool that requires technology, the i-Ready reading and math program used mainly in kindergarten through eighth grade, The Acorn reported. Anderson told the board that digital time was “limited,” “intentional” and tied to a “clear academic purpose.” Mallory Rees told The Acorn that parents were especially critical of i-Ready. (theacorn.com) She said the evidence for the program’s effectiveness was weaker than its marketing suggested and said the available evidence came “almost entirely from the company itself.” ### How does this connect to the broader screen-time debate? Los Angeles Unified voted last month to limit screen time across grade levels, with a particular focus on eliminating it entirely for elementary-age students, according to NPR. (theacorn.com) The Acorn said Las Virgenes parents drew directly from that campaign as they urged their own district to revisit device-heavy classroom practices. On May 21, EdSurge reported that a U.S. Surgeon General advisory warned about the harms of extended screen use for children and urged schools to consider steps including bell-to-bell cellphone bans and screen-time limits, while allowing exceptions for students who need assistive devices. EdSurge also reported that researchers and education experts have linked excessive device use with weaker mental health and academic outcomes, while some experts cautioned that the evidence remains correlational rather than strictly causal. (theacorn.com) ### What happens next in Las Virgenes? The Las Virgenes screen time and tech subcommittee told the board on May 12 that it was reviewing technology use throughout the school day and would eventually produce guidelines for board consideration, according to The Acorn. The subcommittee includes administrators, teachers and parents who sit on the curriculum council. (edsurge.com) Las Virgenes says its Board of Trustees typically meets on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month at the district office at 4111 Las Virgenes Road in Calabasas. The district’s board calendar lists its next scheduled meetings as June 9 and June 23, and the district’s meeting-minutes page says agendas and minutes are posted through BoardDocs. (lvusd.org) (theacorn.com)