iPads For Kindergartners? Elmhurst Parents Say No

ELMHURST, IL – Residents in Elmhurst and elsewhere are pushing back on technology.

In recent months, Elmhurst residents have spoken out against police surveillance cameras. And they got a developer's promise not to bring in a data center.

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Meanwhile, Elmhurst parents have voiced their opposition for months to increased screentime for students.

That was the case at Tuesday's school board meeting. Seven parents spoke about what they see as overuse of technology in the classroom.

Resident Maddalena Loss told members it "blew my mind" when the schools issued her kindergarten daughter an iPad.

"This is not something I ever expected when I chose to buy a home in Elmhurst, with D205 school district in mind," she said.

She said teachers, as human beings, must have an active role in schools, particularly for younger children.

Loss urged a common-sense technology policy, with no screens for the youngest students and screentime limits for older ones.

"Five-year-olds should not be using iPads in school," she said.

Resident Laurel Schrementi, a former school board candidate, has been a leader in the local Schools Beyond Screens movement, which has collected 1,300 signatures on an online petition. She has spoken before to the board.

"I'm tired of continuing to come back to these meetings and feeling like we're not being heard or collaborated with," she said.

She said parents have provided tangible examples of technology's "adverse outcomes" for children. And she said they're told that the district is thoughtful about choosing technology, following a balanced approach.

"But our lived experiences aren't being validated, and it's making us wonder if you're not hearing us or you're choosing not to listen," Schrementi said. "We would love to give you an opportunity to listen."

As with previous board meetings, members did not respond to the comments. They point to a policy that prohibits such responses, saying they may contact commenters later.

At several meetings last summer, parents objected to elementary school class sizes that they said were too large. Board members stayed silent.