While I support this item, I I do
Believe this matters for all students. Establishing responsible technology use starts at the primary level. BCPS needs to ensure that all students and teachers are not over relying on these resources. They should be secondary to the proven methods of effective education. I want to see students be thinkers first , let’s return to the basics. BCPS must acknowledge the research that clearly indicates that the screen use has had a negative impact on overall reading and math skills. Let’s be leaders when it comes to serving this community. Parents and guardians deserve to have clear knowledge and understanding of what is being done and accessed through technology during the school day. Thank you for bringing this item to have clear directive before the school year begins.

My name is Dr. Trudy Jermanovich.

I have been a proponent of using the RIGHT KIND of technology with students since the early 1980’s. The key is knowing what is the right kind of technology. Clearly, it is not the “drill and kill the love of learning” which explains the situation at this time. The overuse of programs for data collection purposes has gotten out of hand.

Here’s an excerpt from one article on the misuse of iReady.

“When my son was in first grade, he came home from school in tears saying that he hated math. My wife and I are both engineers, so this was the sort of all-hands-on-deck shock that demanded our immediate attention. Before this my son had loved math. He would demand that we challenge him with math problems to do in his head in the car and over dinner. He loved doing flashcards. He played math games on his tablet unsupervised for hours. Even now, years later in 4th grade, he has decided he wants to learn calculus, so he insisted I start explaining it to him as best I could in the car, and started working through pre-algebra in Khan Academy on his own. How is it possible that a kid like this had decided he hated math?
His misery was all due to i-Ready, the software product our district had purchased for math work and testing. During that period my kids’ happiness at the end of the school day was entirely determined by how much time their school had made them spend on i-Ready. If they hadn’t touched i-Ready, they were happy. If they were forced to do it, they were sad. If they had to spend an unusual amount of time on it, they were in tears.”

We need to go back to using technology to make students interested in school. I applaud Sarah Leonardi with Item B-1 and Rebecca Thompson with her Town Hall for moving this discussion forward.

The use of any software should be at the sole discretion of the teacher. They are the professional who should make the decision about what is appropriate for her or his classroom. The only requirement in state statute which is forced on teachers is the administration of state tests three times a year. Leave the rest up to the teacher, not district administrators.

All students deserve an education grounded in sound pedagogy, independent research, and proven efficacy. Not the latest commercial EdTech trends.

Medical experts, researchers, and the U.S. Surgeon General continue to warn us that excessive screen time in school harms children's physical and mental health without improving educational outcomes. While technology evolves, human biology does not. Digital platforms routinely displace vital human interaction with virtually no evidence of true learning gains, all while compromising student privacy.

Reframing screen-based software as "purposeful," "intentional," or having "screen value" is simply rebranding screen time or "screenwashing." Furthermore, dismissing screen reduction because "kids use screens at home anyway" is an unconscionable argument that abdicates our responsibility to provide equitable, high-quality public education. We must serve our children, not venture-backed edtech corporations.

While approving this agenda item is a critical first step, the district must fully correct course. The emergency conditions of COVID-era isolation are long gone; we must end the reliance on 1-to-1 device isolation in our classrooms. Our students deserve hands-on learning, physical books, collaborative projects, movement, and play. Following this vote, I urge the board to join neighboring Florida districts in establishing firm screen-time limits for grades 3–12.

Finally, we must equip our educators to deliver this instruction. It is unacceptable to ask teachers, who are already underpaid, to buy basic supplies out of pocket. The district must directly fund physical books, paper, and hands-on learning materials.

Let us reinvest in real human connection, proven learning methods, and the basic classroom tools our students and teachers need to thrive.

I strongly support Establishing Safe & Responsible Device Use for All Students. It's time to scale back classroom screens and bring back face-to-face education led by dedicated teachers. Children have shorter attention spans, lower reading comprehension and lower interpersonal skills when glued to a computer. Take a look at Iowa, Utah, Indiana and countries like Spain, Norway, and Sweeden who have noticed the decline in children and began scaling back the damaging screen times.

I strongly support Agenda Item B-1, Establishing Safe and Responsible Device Use for Students.

Young children learn best through responsive teachers, play, movement, conversation, books, handwriting, creative activities, and hands-on exploration. Devices may serve a limited purpose, but they should not displace the human relationships and developmentally appropriate experiences that form the foundation of early learning.

Agenda Item B-1 recognizes that Broward County Public Schools has a responsibility to establish clear boundaries rather than allowing educational technology and AI use to expand without adequate safeguards.

I urge the Board to approve this item and ensure that its protections are implemented consistently across every school. Broward’s youngest students deserve classrooms centered on childhood, human connection, and authentic learning. Thank you Mrs. Leonardi for listening and bringing this item.

Members of the board,

My name is Dr. Jeannine Gutierrez, and I am a pediatric optometrist with children starting school this August. I’m writing to urge the board to adopt a policy of zero screen time for children under eight years old in the classroom.

In my clinical practice, I’ve seen firsthand the harm that early screen exposure causes to visual development, including issues with focusing ability, eye strain, and disrupted development of healthy visual habits. The evidence on impacts to brain development in young children is equally concerning.

If my children are exposed to screen-based instruction before age eight, I will withdraw them from the district and share my concerns with other parents in our community.

Thank you for your consideration

Dr. Jeannine Gutierrez
954-937-8187