We are parents of children in Oak Park District 97 – from kindergartners to middle-schoolers – and we share a growing concern: our children are spending too much time on screens at school and not enough time learning the way children learn best, backed by research from many sources, including the American Academy of Pediatrics and UNESCO.
That’s why we are part of Screen Sense Oak Park – screensenseoakpark.org – a community initiative calling on D97 to take a hard look at how and how much technology is used in our classrooms. In just 10 days, more than 700 local parents with children in the district have signed our petition. This concern is urgent and widespread, and it will not go away on its own.
We believe that our schools should be thoughtful and intentional about when, why, and how devices are used – and that parents deserve transparency and a meaningful voice in that process. Research consistently points to the importance of hands-on, relational learning in childhood, and we want our district to weigh that evidence seriously and make some changes. If you share our concerns, we urge you to take action:
1. Sign the petition at https://www.change.org/p/re-evaluate-screen-time-in-oak-park-district-97-schools. If both parents support the cause, both parents should sign.
2. Reach out to the district – screensenseoakpark.org includes links to submit emails to board members and administrators.
3. Talk to your principal – a conversation at the building level can be powerful.
4. Consider speaking at a school board meeting. The full schedule can be found at https://www.op97.org/boe/board-meetings
5. Share the petition and website with your network of D97 parents.
Change can happen when we speak up together. Our children are counting on us.
Lauren Johnson (Lincoln parent), Brendan Sage (Whittier parent), Kelsi Boyle Sciamanna (Lincoln parent), Yael Berenson White (Irving parent, Brooks teacher), Megan Dawson (Whittier parent), Lizz Kannenberg (Beye parent), Madeline Reto (Mann parent), Kelly Albinak Kribs (Longfellow parent), Hillary Spencer (Hatch parent), Sarah Brown (Lincoln parent), Jessica Henry (Holmes parent), Kelly Belmont (Beye, Julian, & OPRF parent, Brooks teacher), Lauren Robinzine (Beye & Julian parent, Brooks teacher), Katy Alejos (Lincoln & Brooks parent, Brooks teacher), Branden Joy (Lincoln & Brooks parent, Brooks teacher), Brenna Connor (Mann parent)
Oak Park