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Parents, teachers urge Ann Arbor schools to limit phones, protect world‑language classes and curb large elementary classes
Summary
At a July 30 board meeting, parents and teachers urged a districtwide ban on in-class cell-phone use, urged preservation of world‑language offerings and pressed the board to address rising elementary class sizes; Superintendent Parks said the district is not eliminating world language and will review staffing and enrollment.
Sharon Sorkin, a founding member of Focus on Education and a parent, opened public commentary at the July 30 Ann Arbor Public Schools board meeting by urging trustees to adopt a districtwide policy limiting students’ cell‑phone use during instructional time, saying other districts have moved first and “The time to act is now.” She cited recent national polling and local district examples and urged the board to adopt a policy before the school year begins.
Multiple parents followed, asking the board to preserve the district’s world‑language offerings and to address growing class sizes at neighborhood schools. Catherine Carlson and other…
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