Barrington parents ask District 220 to reduce students’ screen time

More than 1,200 parents, educators and community members have signed a petition calling on Barrington Area Unit School District 220 to reduce students’ screen time and access to technological devices.

“Technology can absolutely be a valuable educational tool,” Jenna Bennett, one of the parents involved in the effort, said in a statement. “But a tool should be used purposefully — not become the default.”

The parents are asking the district to demonstrate how and why technology is being used, establish appropriate guardrails, and ensure educators’ decisions are supported by research and data.

District 220 Superintendent Craig Winkelman said educators already are addressing some of the concerns, including with a policy change this year that keeps kindergarten and first-grade students from taking school-issued iPads home, unless teachers require it for an assignment.

“We used to have a stance that all of our devices went home as the standard, and we have changed that,” Winkelman said.

Petition signers say they want to district to go further, by keeping all elementary students’ devices at school whenever possible and creating screen-free lunch environments in middle schools.

They also are calling for monitoring of student screen time and establishing clear, developmentally appropriate daily guidelines for technology use.

“We appreciate that the District has acknowledged the need to examine its technology practices and has taken some initial steps,” Jordan Linville, another petition advocate, said in a statement. “However, many parents are still asking fundamental questions.”

Winkelman said further changes are being planned. Some will be implemented during this school year, while others might not appear until 2027-28.

“We’re setting up meetings and conversations with our teachers at grades 2-3 and 4-5 about how we’re intentionally using technology, reviewing our practices and identifying if we want to make any further changes,” he said.

“Technology is certainly not our default,” Winkelman added. “It’s one of the tools we use.”

Parents will be included in discussions about further steps, he said.

“Our plan is to continue to engage our parents in those conversations while simultaneously working with our educators,” Winkleman said.

szalusky@dailyherald.com