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Parents and teachers urge Oak Park D97 to limit device take‑home policies and rethink middle‑school staffing
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Summary
Multiple parents, pediatricians and district teachers told the Oak Park Elementary School District 97 board that school‑issued tablets and a proposed middle‑school staffing plan risk harming student learning and safety, urging an opt‑in take‑home policy and a delay to staffing changes.
At the April 14 Oak Park Elementary School District 97 school board meeting, a string of parents, pediatricians and teachers urged the board to limit home use of school‑issued devices and to reconsider proposed middle‑school staffing and schedule changes.
"The default should be that all 1‑to‑1 devices stay at school on evenings and weekends unless families opt in to having them sent home," said Lauren Johnson, a parent who said a ScreenCents Oak Park petition has gathered more than 1,100 signatures. She argued that devices lower the friction for looking things up and reduce children’s engagement with hands‑on learning and play.
Hillary Spencer, a pediatrician and parent, told the board she prefers that school iPads remain in school for her first‑grader. Citing American Academy of Pediatrics guidance and public‑health literature, Spencer said handheld tablets tend to be more addictive and solitary than larger screens and create additional boundaries for families trying to limit screen time.
Several teachers echoed those concerns and added warnings about planned middle‑school reconfiguration. Becky Ward, a language‑arts teacher at Julian Middle School and an OPTA member, said the district’s proposal would not reduce enrollment but would reduce the number of teachers, increasing some core teachers’ daily student loads "by as much as 45%" and cutting planning time. Ward said larger class sizes and requiring core teachers to take on a fifth class or an unfamiliar subject will reduce teachers’ ability to grade, give feedback and meet students’ needs.
"You cannot increase a teacher student load by 45%, remove the planning time, and expect the same educational outcomes," Ward said.
Stephanie Seward, co‑president of the Oak Park Teachers Association, asked the board to delay the restructuring, citing teacher shortages, burnout and turnover and urging clearer, transparent communication with families about consequences for instruction and retention.
Speakers described concrete classroom effects: a parent who recounted a teacher keeping iPads at home for several days said her child returned saying the class was quieter and learning was better; teachers described students pulling out Chromebooks at the end of class, off‑task browsing, and classroom management burdens that pull time away from instruction.
Board members asked speakers about evidence and implementation constraints; several requested more data and suggested follow‑up materials for the public. No policy vote was taken at the meeting; public comment concluded and board business continued with later agenda items.
The board will next consider related staffing and device policy items in subsequent committee meetings and at the May 12 meeting when several adoption and action items are scheduled for vote.
