PETITION: Balancing Tech within NHSD Schools

A campaign from Pencils over Pixels NHSD Community

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Why This Matters

Our children are spending more time on screens, at younger ages, than any generation before. A significant amount of screen exposure is being introduced through school-issued devices rather than choices made at home. Research consistently shows that more screen time doesn’t mean better learning. The FCC has now opened a federal review of school internet funding over exactly this concern.

Districts across the country and around the world are already moving towards more intentional tech use.

This isn’t about rejecting technology; it’s about using it only where it truly helps. That’s what this petition asks for. Clear boundaries, protected choice, responsible use of AI, and real accountability from the systems shaping our kids’ education.

 
Dear NHSD Board,
We are writing to urge NHSD to take bold action on the growing crisis of excessive screen time in our schools.
The American Academy of Pediatrics has linked excessive screen time to vision problems, anxiety, depression, addictive behavior, reduced attention span, and lower academic achievement. This is not a future risk. It is happening to our children now.
 We are asking NHSD to take steps now to mitigate these risks. 

Our Requests
We urge the New-Hope Solebury school district to adopt a comprehensive technology policy that includes the following:

1. Establish Clear Boundaries Around Student Screen Use
 • End 1:1 device distribution for K–5; use shared or cart-based models instead.
 • Require paper-and-pencil homework K–8 to preserve home-school boundaries.
 • Prohibit recreational screen use (YouTube, Minecraft, downloaded extensions) during lunch, recess, transitions, and downtime — including educational games that rely on streaks, rewards, badges, or other engagement-loop mechanics.
 • Limit classroom screen use — including Smart Boards and video-based instruction — to cases where the educational benefit cannot reasonably be achieved through non-digital methods, with enforceable grade-based time limits.
2. Protect Family Choice and Support Low-Tech Learning
 • Guarantee meaningful opt-out from specific technologies or school-issued devices, without academic penalty.
 • Provide teachers resources, planning support, PD, and classroom materials for low-tech instruction — and actively recognize and incentivize practices like read-aloud, hands-on learning, and play-based learning. 
3. Limit Generative AI While Teaching Technology Literacy
 • Keep generative AI out of ordinary K–8 academic work.
 • Teach AI, coding, data privacy, and digital citizenship only within dedicated, teacher-led programs — literacy, not routine use.
4. Strengthen Accountability, Privacy, and Transparency in EdTech
 • Review all EdTech vendors for educational effectiveness, independent evidence of benefit, cost, and student data privacy impact.
 • Require parental consent for each application that collects student data.
 • Provide parents regular activity reports — sites accessed, apps used, device time — to verify compliance with district policy.
———-
The science is clear. The public consensus is growing. 
We respectfully urge NHSD to act now to protect the health, 
development, and academic success of our children.

Sincerely, 
The undersigned

Recent Supporters

  • Parent

    Signed in Doylestown, PA

    2 days ago

  • Parent

    Signed in Doylestown, PA

    2 days ago

  • Parent

    Signed in Doylestown, PA

    2 days ago
162 supporters have signed this campaign

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