Park Hill, Mo. – The Park Hill School Board met on September 10 to hear a robust public comment period focused on technology use in classrooms. Parents affiliated with the national coalition Schools Beyond Screens raised concerns about screen overuse, academic outcomes, social skill development, and the financial burden of maintaining a district‑wide one‑to‑one device program.

Parental concerns about screen time and learning

Several parents cited studies linking increased technology use to lower academic performance, reduced social interaction, and attention challenges. “If the data shows that fourth graders, eighth graders and 15‑year‑olds should have very limited digital learning time, why is it our default to give our youngest learners a one‑to‑one device?” said Taylor Rees, a Park Hill mother.

Andrew Potter, whose child is in kindergarten, asked for greater transparency on how much time students spend on school‑issued devices and which applications are accessible. Potter referenced a survey conducted by the Park Hill chapter of Schools Beyond Screens, noting that 91% of the 255 respondents wanted a daily report detailing their child’s screen usage.

Other parents expressed that the district’s technology practices were influencing school‑choice decisions. Tori Winter, mother of twins entering kindergarten, described how iPad rewards for completed work prompted some students to rush assignments, raising concerns about learning quality.

Financial implications of the one‑to‑one program

Parent Brennan Coulter highlighted the recurring costs associated with the device initiative. “One‑to‑one devices were not a one‑time purchase,” Coulter said. “They create a permanent, recurring obligation—device replacement, software licensing, insurance, breakage, filtering, help‑desk support, and staff to manage it all. Those costs return every year and can grow over time.”

District budget reports project more than $2.6 million in technology hardware and software expenditures for the 2026‑2027 school year, a roughly 63% increase from the prior year’s $1.6 million spend. The board noted that it is not yet clear how much of that increase is tied directly to student devices.

Board and task‑force response

During the meeting, the board heard from the instructional technology task force, formed to develop district recommendations for digital learning practices. Administrators explained that the task force was partly a response to recent Missouri legislative proposals aimed at limiting screen time, which ultimately did not pass.

Keelie Stucker, executive director of secondary education and task‑force member, said the group’s goal is to ensure technology use is developmentally appropriate, healthy, and educationally sound. The task force outlined two strategic approaches: first, to integrate technology in a way that supports core instruction rather than treating it as a separate element; second, to remove barriers to access so that technology can meet diverse learning needs.

Elementary Education Director Melissa Hensley emphasized the importance of stakeholder input. “We know that our stakeholders, as we see tonight, are passionate about this topic,” Hensley said. “We cannot do this alone. This is together work, and we have to hear from people and know the experiences that happen every day with technology for our students, staff, and families.”

Board Vice President Daryl Terwilleger described the upcoming work as “unbuilding” the rapid expansion of online learning that was necessary during the COVID‑19 pandemic. The task force will continue its research, conduct feedback surveys, and review usage data, with recommendations slated for presentation in January 2027. The next task‑force meeting is scheduled for September 22, and the school board will reconvene on September 24.

Parents seek stronger research standards

Despite the board’s willingness to engage, some parents remain skeptical of the research informing the task force’s decisions. Rees noted that much of the material she reviewed came from the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN), a nonprofit that promotes education‑technology leadership and works with industry partners. “A task force is only as strong as the research it considers, and that research must challenge our current practices,” she said. “I don’t want to risk my child’s brain health on information provided by companies that will profit from putting the technology in her hands.”

The board acknowledged these concerns and pledged to incorporate peer‑reviewed studies and independent data as the task force refines its recommendations.

Original reporting: The Beacon (Kansas City) — read the source article.