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Former teacher and parent urges board to reassess student screen time in district classrooms
Summary
A former teacher and parent urged the board to review the district’s device use, arguing excessive screen time reduces attention and deep learning and asking the district to study device-use patterns and alternatives.
Adam Segal, who identified himself as a former teacher and parent, told the board that screens have become nearly constant companions in school — used for instruction, assignment work, library periods, substitute days and downtime — and that overuse can diminish student attention, questioning and deeper engagement.
Segal said he is not opposed to technology but urged balance: "Screens are not the enemy, but excessive screen use... absolutely can be, especially when screens are used as filler, during free time, in the library, or when a substitute is present." He cited third‑party research (American Academy of Pediatrics 2023, Harvard 2022, and Common Sense Media 2023) to support his argument that excessive screen time is associated with lower attention spans and diminished self‑regulation.
Board members asked administration whether the district can monitor device usage (by device or by grade) and the superintendent said staff would investigate internally and report back; administrators noted past classroom walkthrough sampling when the 1:1 program rolled out that estimated students used devices about 50% of the time.
The board agreed to pursue follow-up internally and to return with information about what device‑usage data can reasonably be collected and reported.
