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Parents, teachers urge Omaha Public Schools to limit classroom screen time and launch a tech audit
Summary
Multiple parents and educators told the Omaha Public Schools board Aug. 17 that one-to-one devices and instructional platforms are harming attention and learning, and urged a district-wide technology audit and family survey to guide policy changes.
Several parents and teachers used the public-comment period at the Omaha Public Schools Board of Education meeting on Aug. 17 to call for immediate changes to the district’s use of classroom technology.
Emily Tice of Schools Beyond Screens Omaha said devices have moved beyond being tools and are "reshaping attention spans, mental health, relationships and connection," and asked the board to "move back to using technology only with intentionality, and eliminate 1 to 1 devices for all students." Tice gave her name and address as required under board rules.
Other speakers echoed that concern. Leah Baker asked the board for an "immediate tech audit and a technology use task force to look at the data in large discrepancies of tech use from school to school and grade to grade." Marie Newman, a parent and social scientist, said the district has not collected data on how families and teachers actually use devices and recommended a district-wide survey before making further policy changes.
Board members did not respond during public comment, per board policy; the district’s public-comment rules require speakers to state their name and address unless a waiver is granted for security reasons. The public commenters framed their requests as data-driven: they urged the board to gather evidence on time on device, which programs are used and what outcomes those uses produce, then reassess one-to-one deployment based on that information.
What happens next: The board did not take formal action during the public-comment period. Speakers asked for a tech audit, a task force and a family-and-teacher survey; those requests are now on the record and could be taken up by staff or by a committee at a later meeting.
