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Parents tell Edina board to curb device use in elementary classrooms
Summary
Two parents urged the Edina board to reduce classroom device use for K–5 students, citing research they said links screen time to attention and social‑skill concerns; the board accepted their comments and proceeded to the consent agenda.
Two parents told the school board on April 13 that they want the district to restrict classroom device use for youngest learners, citing academic, social and mental‑health concerns and urging research‑driven limits.
Brooke Moss, a Countryside parent and Edina Public Schools alum, said she is ‘‘alarmed by the use of screens and educational technology in our school district, particularly for the youngest learners in elementary school’’ and urged the district to ‘‘define excellence’’ by reducing or eliminating devices in elementary grades and regulating use in middle school.
Moss cited guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics and examples from other districts and states and argued that excessive media use can hinder attention and social skills: ‘‘Children need real time interaction with each other and the adults around them,’’ she told the board.
Erin Reinen, a parent who also identified herself as a social worker and elementary teacher, said she has seen one‑to‑one device deployments in multiple settings and believes the available data show limited learning gains from EdTech. ‘‘Tens of thousands of studies, billions of dollars spent, no measurable impact,’’ Reinen said, summarizing her interpretation of a body of research and urging the district to consider prohibiting tech in K–5 and keeping Chromebooks on carts.
Board members thanked both speakers and moved on; the public‑comment period does not require board response and no policy proposal was discussed that evening. The board then proceeded to its consent agenda and other agenda items.
