LMSD's K-12 Technology Use Policy (TUP)

The Policy Passed.
It Isn't Finished.

On August 17, 2026 the Board passed the K-12 Technology Use Policy, 7 to 2, at a meeting moved to Zoom. We don't support the policy as passed. It sets real limits in the early grades and it still leaves the biggest gaps open, including any family opt-out. Read it below, see where it falls short, and contact the Board about the administrative regulation that is still being written.

Repealed

Policies 134 & 137 — the only active rules on ed-tech and the family opt-out — were repealed before any replacement was final.

August 3

Policy Committee advanced the revised draft on a split vote, after a meeting that had to move to Zoom when shouting shut down the in-person session.

Aug 17

Passed, 7 to 2. The meeting moved to Zoom, so no one gave in-person public comment. No family opt-out was restored.

Now

The administrative regulation. How the policy works day to day is still being written. That is the open window.

The Policy Passed, 7 to 2.

The Board adopted the K-12 Technology Use Policy on August 17. The meeting was moved to Zoom after threatening comments appeared on social media, so the parents who had prepared public comment did not get to deliver it. Two members, Sarah Thomas and Abby Lerner Rubin, voted no.

The adopted policy ends personal device assignments for kindergarten through second grade, keeps computers from going home with third and fourth graders, and limits fifth and sixth grade use at lunch and between classes. It came out of the August 3 committee version, which had already pulled the "Safety, Monitoring and Privacy" section into a separate proposed policy (Policy 142).

What it does not do is restore a family opt-out. Policies 134 and 137 were repealed in June and nothing has replaced them, so devices are still assigned by default with no route for a family to decline.

Words are not protections. The policy uses language we support: purposeful, supervised, developmentally appropriate, human-centered. But without clear limits, enforceable standards, transparent oversight, and meaningful parent consent, that language is not binding. A policy has to protect children in practice, not just on paper, and that is settled in the regulation behind it.

Below: read the policy, see what it says grade by grade, compare it to the five protections we asked for, and contact the Board about the administrative regulation, which is the part still being written and the last place these gaps can be closed.

The Policy

This is the August 3 committee version that went to the Board on August 17, written by LMSD, not by Pencils Over Pixels. We don't support it as passed. The "Safety, Monitoring & Privacy" section sits in a separate proposed policy (Policy 142). LMSD has not yet published the final adopted text; when it does we will post it here in place of this version.

LMSD K-12 Technology Use Policy August 3, 2026 committee version · Passed by the Board 7-2 on August 17
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What It Says: Devices by Grade

How the policy assigns District-issued devices across grade bands (unchanged from June 15):

GradesIndividual device?What the policy allows
K–2NoneNo individual devices. No technology for routine instruction — only rare, teacher-directed whole-class use or state/diagnostic testing.
3–4NoneNo individual devices. Supervised, teacher-directed classroom use only, tied to standards. Devices stay at school.
5–6AssignedAssigned an individual device for supervised classroom use. Parents choose whether it goes home; students aren't required to use a computer at home.
7–8AssignedAssigned an individual device for instructional use, taken to and from school.
9–12AssignedAssigned an individual device carried throughout the day and to and from school.

What It Says: Personal Phones & Devices

Rules for students' own phones, watches, and devices (unchanged from June 15):

GradesDuring schoolDetail
K–8Not allowedNo use in school buildings during school hours. Must be off and in a backpack or locker all day.
9–12Stored in classMust be off and kept in a teacher-designated area during class periods. The Superintendent may impose a full ban, including during Lunch & Learn.

The policy commits to continued assistive technology for students with IEPs and 504 plans, annual communication with families, and professional development for staff. Safety, monitoring, and filtering requirements are now in a separate proposed Policy 142.

June 15 First Reading

The original draft approved on first reading, kept here for comparison.

LMSD K-12 Technology Use Policy Original Draft · First Reading · June 15, 2026
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Five Protections We're Asking For

These are our guiding principles, developed with parents, educators, and national leaders. For each, here is where the policy the Board passed still falls short.

01 Transparency & ongoing oversight

Create a standing committee of administrators, Board members, parents, and educators, where educators can speak honestly and without fear.

The gapThe policy promises annual review by the Superintendent and Curriculum Committee, but creates no standing community body and no protected channel for teachers to speak freely.

02 Bell-to-bell phone & personal-device ban

Keep personal devices, including phones, away during the full school day, K-12.

The gapK-8 is close, but high school only requires phones "stored during class periods," not a true bell-to-bell ban. A full ban is left to the Superintendent's discretion rather than guaranteed.

03 Zero tolerance for inappropriate content & distractions

No unauthorized internet use, YouTube, games, social media, dangerous content, or non-educational activity.

The gapThe policy relies on filtering "to the greatest extent reasonably possible" and the same vetting that let questionable apps in. It sets the goal without enforceable, transparent standards for what's actually blocked.

04 Return to teacher-led, human-centered instruction

Use computers to teach about technology, typing, and digital literacy, not to deliver the core curriculum.

The gapThe policy says tech should "support and not replace" human instruction, yet still assigns 1:1 devices for daily core work from Grade 5 up, with no limit on how much of the school day runs through a screen.

05 Parent consent for school-issued 1:1 devices

Shift from opt-out to informed opt-in, so students use school-issued 1:1 devices only with parent approval.

The gapWith Policies 134 & 137 repealed, there is no opt-out at all. The policy assigns devices by default and only lets 5-6 parents choose home use, far short of real opt-in consent.

Read Our Full Recommendations

The one-page proposal we developed with parents, educators, and national leaders, and the basis for the five protections above. Share it with your Board members.

Pencils Over Pixels: Recommendations to LMSD Our five-point proposal for a human-centered, lower-screen policy
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Contact the Board

The vote is done. The administrative regulation is not, and that is where the remaining gaps get closed or locked in. Personal notes in your own words carry the most weight. Here is the easiest way to start.

✉️ Email All 9 Board Members

Opens your email app with everyone's address and a subject line filled in. Add your own words — or paste the suggested message below.

The Board of School Directors

Dr. Sautner and Mrs. Shurak led the policy work, and the whole Board voted. Click any name to email that member directly.

Leading the policy work Dr. Kerry Sautner sautnek@lmsd.org
Leading the policy work Anna Shurak shuraka@lmsd.org
Todd Ridky ridkyt@lmsd.org
Sarah Thomas thomassa@lmsd.org
Juanita Kerber kerberj@lmsd.org
Abby Lerner Rubin rubina@lmsd.org
Jennifer Rivera riveraj@lmsd.org
Shayna Kalish kalishs@lmsd.org
Jason Herman hermanj@lmsd.org
Want it on the public record? You can also write the Board's general inbox: communitycomments@lmsd.org

A Suggested Message

Use this as a starting point. A few personal sentences about your own child or classroom matter more than anything. Edit the bracketed parts.

Subject: The administrative regulation for the new Technology Use Policy
Dear Members of the Lower Merion Board of School Directors, I am a [parent / educator / community member] in LMSD. I am writing about the K-12 Technology Use Policy the Board passed on August 17. The policy takes real steps in the early grades, and I want to acknowledge that. It also leaves three things unresolved, and the administrative regulation is where they can still be addressed. I ask the Board to: 1. Require informed parent opt-in consent before any student is issued a 1:1 device. Policies 134 and 137 were repealed in June and nothing has replaced them, so families currently have no way to decline. 2. Create a standing oversight committee of administrators, Board members, parents and educators, where educators can speak honestly without fear. 3. Publish the administrative regulation in draft, with a public comment window, before it takes effect. [Add 2-3 sentences here in your own words: who you are, your child's grade or school, and what you have seen.] A policy is only a protection if the regulation behind it says the same thing. Thank you, [Your name] [Your neighborhood / your child's school]

More Ways to Help

This work is powered entirely by parents and community members volunteering their time. Four quick ways to keep it growing:

Sign the Petition

Add your name and a comment about your concerns — it's the public record of how many families want change.

Sign & share →

Request a Lawn Sign

Especially if you're in a visible spot. Every sign spreads "Screens Down. Pencils Up." across the district.

Get a sign →

Join the WhatsApp Group

Where parents share updates, coordinate next steps, and keep working together between meetings.

Join the group →

Support the Movement

Donations cover signs, materials, and outreach. This is a volunteer, parent-led effort — every bit helps.

Donate →

This is not over. This is the next phase. The next 30 days decide whether LMSD stays tied to a screen-heavy model — or leads the country toward a more human, teacher-led, lower-screen future.