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Members of the Blue-Ribbon Task Force on Student Screen Time have met four times to date, reviewing research and discussing the issues that will form the basis for a recommended policy regarding the non-academic use of cell phones and other technology by Pre-K-12 Kansas students.
The 36-member task force, appointed by the Kansas State Board of Education in July, is focusing on the following areas:
Members of the task force include students, classroom teachers, administrators, two legislators, and two members of the state board.
Melanie Haas, state board chair and member of the task force, said the size of the task force allows for break-out discussion groups of about six members each so issues and topics can be discussed more in-depth.
“It’s really a fast-paced process,” she said. “However, I’m confident we’re going to be able to get a lot of good information out of the task force.”
Haas said she’s hoping the state board will eventually be able offer a robust set of recommendations for how school districts can address non-academic screen time, pointing to the input from the students on the task force that is especially important.
“Hearing the perspectives of so many different stakeholders with unique backgrounds and experiences has helped spark a wide variety of discussions about potential solutions,” said Payton Lynn, a public service executive in KSDE’s Division of Learning Serivces.
Lynn said she has been particularly impressed with the student members of the task force.
“They have been great advocates for their fellow students, who will potentially be the most affected by the decisions the task force may make,” she said.
The task force’s work, Haas emphasized, will not lead to a mandate from the Kansas State Board of Education as to how local school boards should create or enforce their own screen time policies for their students.
“I have no intention of trying to impose any kind of statewide restriction on schools,” she said. “That is 100 percent up to their local boards.”
Task force and state board member Danny Zeck said at this point in the process, he’s focusing on listening to the information the task force members are sharing about what they know about the impact of screen time on children.
“I have some strong opinions but I’d rather listen to everyone who’s in the field and deals with that every day,” he said. “I think every school district is different and how they handle it is different.”
Zeck reiterated Haas’ sentiment the state board of education is not trying to mandate a policy for local boards.
“We have spent the past several weeks hearing the perspectives of education professionals to get a better understanding of how these issues are truly impacting students and classrooms, which has produced several very lively Q&A sessions and productive breakout room discussions,” Lynn said. “Soon we will be transitioning to drafting recommendations to the state board.”
The task force will continue to meet on Thursdays from 4-5:30 p.m. via Zoom, until the end of October. Board members will receive a formal report and a set of recommendations for a non-binding policy during their November meeting with possible action on those recommendations in December.
Click here to access the task force’s agendas and livestream information.
Brian Houghton, principal at Fredonia Junior-Senior High School, Fredonia USD 484, and Ava Gustin, a student at Mission Valley High School, Mission Valley USD 330, co-chair the task force that includes the following members:
Superintendents
Principals
Teachers
Students
Parents
Local board of education members
IT experts
Legislators
State Board Members
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