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Gary Community Schools board votes to join multi-district lawsuit against social media companies
Summary
The Gary Community School Corporation board unanimously approved a resolution to join a multi-district lawsuit alleging harms from social media to students; presenters said there is no cost to the district and any settlement funds would be directed to student supports.
The Gary Community School Corporation Board of Trustees voted unanimously to join a multi-district litigation effort against social media companies, approving a resolution presented by Chelsea Willington, chief of public and community relations.
Willington told the board the litigation was created by several school districts in Indiana and that Gary has been invited to participate alongside other districts. She said there is no upfront cost to the district to join and that any settlement money would be used to support students affected by bullying, mental-health harms and other adverse effects attributed to social-media use.
"We are not saying these platforms are not valuable — they are — but we must look at what those impacts are when it comes to our children in and outside of the classroom," Willington said during her presentation.
Board members asked what joining the suit would mean in practice. Willington and Superintendent Dr. Stokes said the district expects the litigation to fund programs for students, family and community education about safe social-media use and other supports. Dr. Stokes described the goal as arming parents and guardians with information about risks and safer practices for young people who often use platforms more fluently than adults.
The motion to join the litigation was moved and seconded during the action-items portion of the meeting and passed 4-0.
The resolution packet included background on the multi-district effort and a list of other Indiana districts that had already signed on, which Willington read to the board. She named Griffith, Merrillville (referred to as "Maryville" in the packet), Whiting, and Hammond among those that had already joined.
The board did not identify any legal or financial obligations that would directly require district funding at the time of the vote; Willington emphasized that settlements, if any, would be used to support programs for students and families.
The vote came after a short public-question exchange about what "holding social media companies accountable" would look like; the presenters described educational programs, mental-health supports and community outreach as likely uses of any recovered funds.
The board recorded the vote as unanimous (4-0).
