SLO County parents petition to limit screen time in schools. Here’s how
San Luis Obispo County parents want to limit screen time in local schools — and they’ve started a petition to try to help accomplish that goal.
San Luis Coastal Unified School District parents Jenn Smith, Vanessa Salas and Katie Pozzi launched a Change.org petition on June 16, urging school district administrators to place stricter limits on screen time.
They argued that while classroom technology can be used as an educational tool for building presentations, learning graphic design, writing code and more — the ubiquity of laptops and other devices in schools has created more opportunity for distraction.
“Too often, students have open access to Chromebooks or other devices for long stretches of the school day,” they wrote in the petition. “Instead of being used for a specific lesson or project, the device becomes a constant distraction. Students can end up on YouTube, music videos, games, or other non-instructional content while a teacher is trying to teach a full classroom.”
The parents also highlighted issues technology can present for parents trying to monitor online schoolwork, teachers trying to manage classroom behaviors and possible mental health impacts of screen-centered learning for students, before presenting suggestions for policy changes in the district.
“We are asking the SLCUSD Board of Trustees and district leadership to adopt clear, age-appropriate guidelines for student screen time in classrooms,” the petition said.
The petition for San Luis Coastal comes after school districts across California and the nation have developed policies around phone use and technology use in the classroom.
California’s largest school district, Los Angeles Unified, recently passed a policy to reduce screen time. Under the new rule, screens were banned in the classroom for students below second grade, and weekly limits were established for higher grades, with some exceptions for classes requiring more tech use, EdSource reported.
Parents say technology use poses risks to learning, classroom management
The local parents who started the petition said they’re not against technology — they just want to ensure it can be used in a way that enhances education rather than eroding it.
“We believe technology can be a powerful educational tool when it is used with intention, for a specific purpose, and at the right time,” they wrote. “We support students learning 3D design, building presentations, writing code, using educational software for structured practice, and developing technology skills that prepare them for the future.
“But what we are seeing in many classrooms is often not purposeful technology use,” they continued, also calling out the rise of artificial intelligence, which they said “appears to be replacing actual learning.”
Specifically, the petition commented on the risks technology can pose to learning when students are distracted — and how that can force teachers to monitor technology use rather than actually giving their lessons.
“One teacher cannot cover a lesson, support individual students, manage behavior, and monitor 30 open browsers at the same time,” they said. “This is not just a screen time issue. It is a learning issue. It is a classroom management issue. It is a teacher support issue. And it is a parent access issue.”
Additionally, the parents expressed concerns about how, when schoolwork is housed online, they can lose sight of what their own kids are learning, if they are struggling academically and whether or not they’re getting their work done.
“In foundational grades, children still need paper, handwriting, printed work, written corrections, math on paper, books in their hands, and opportunities to learn without constant digital distraction,” the petition said.
Parents ask school district for screen time limits, more teacher support
Accompanying the petition were a list of seven asks of San Luis Coastal administrators to restrict screen time, and another three demands to further support for teachers.
The petition demanded the school district limit screen use for elementary schoolers to no more than one hour per day, or five hours per week. Middle school technology should remain at school, the parents suggested, with supervision over technology access among students who need it to complete their work.
At the high school level, the parents asked for “reasonable in-class restrictions so devices are used for instruction, not distraction, during academic time.”
They also demanded that technology use in all classrooms be required to be “structured, scheduled and tied to a clear academic purpose.” Meanwhile, YouTube, social media, and gaming platforms like Roblox or Fortnite should be blocked on all school devices, the petition said.
The petition, which was titled “Limit Classroom Screen Time in SLCUSD: Bring Back More Pen, Paper, and Purposeful Learning,” also demanded more visible learning and physical copies of homework over online lessons.
“Bring back more pen-and-paper learning, especially in elementary school and foundational subjects such as writing, spelling, math, reading comprehension and note-taking,” the bullet-point list in the petition demanded. “Return major graded work with clear, visible teacher feedback, including printed or handwritten corrections when appropriate, so students and parents can easily see what needs improvement, rather than relying primarily on grades or comments that are only available through Google Classroom.”
Additionally, the parents requested more support for their district teachers to reduce strain and improve classroom management.
They asked that teachers be granted more protected time for teaching by reducing the “administrative burden” of meetings and reports outside the classroom. They also requested classroom aides or helpers to be placed in classrooms to help manage behaviors if any technology limits were enacted.
Additionally, they argued that parents should have more volunteer opportunities in the classroom.
“We believe parent involvement is not just helpful, but it is essential,” the petition said. “When parents step into a classroom, they see firsthand the behavioral challenges teachers navigate every single day. This is a collective challenge that calls for a collective response.”
The petition also acknowledged that screen use is something that starts at home, and urged parents to take their own actions to help students disconnect from technology.
“We will continue educating and supporting families,” they said. “But families cannot do this alone when children spend much of their school day on district-issued devices. Parents need schools to be partners in creating healthier boundaries.”
As of Monday, the petition had 239 signatures.
The school district currently has a taskforce dedicated to deciding how technology should be used and creating rules around screen usage, assistant superintendent of educational services Lisa Yamashita told The Tribune Tuesday morning. The taskforce is made up of teachers, parents, students and principals.
Yamashita added that the district’s current policy is that cellphones are off and away for students in transitional kindergarten through 8th grades — and phones aren’t allowed in learning areas, locker rooms or bathrooms for high schoolers, she said.
“We are continuing to help support our teachers to use technology when it augments or modifies the learning opportunities that wouldn’t otherwise be had,” Yamashita wrote in an email. “We are not supporting any free time/rewards, social media, or gaming on the devices. We will continue to collaborate with our community to ensure our students experience the best learning environments that are engaging, healthy, and fun.”
The Tribune reached out to Change.org’s media team to connect with the petitioners but did not immediately receive a response.
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