001Mhm. >> Good evening. I would like to welcome everyone to the board business meeting on Monday, March 23rd, 2026. Please rise for the pledge of allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. The board met in executive session prior to this meeting to discuss personnel, health care options, choose special education settlements, and a legal matter. The meeting lasted approximately 1 hour. And now, I would like to welcome all of our families and our students for some special recognitions. Dr. Christian. Thank you, Mrs. Petruno. Up first, I believe, to celebrate music in our schools month, we have the outstanding students of Ridge Park Elementary, who I could hear warming up. >> [applause]
002>> I believe Mrs. Carr is here, and Mrs. O is here to introduce our students, and Mrs. O'Connor is going to talk as our department chair about our great music program. So, thank you to the board for allowing us to have our presentation today. March is music in our schools month, and across Colonial, it has been filled with incredible performances, concerts, and musical moments representing every level of our district. From our youngest performers singing their hearts out in kindergarten concerts last week to our most advanced musicians preparing for their spring concerts. Yes, there are three this week, tomorrow, Wednesday, and Thursday. Shameless plug. Um these experiences don't happen by chance. They are the result of passion, dedication, and expertise of our incredible staff. Together, the music teachers of Colonial School District represent nearly 300 years
003of combined service spanning three decades, a truly remarkable legacy of commitment. And I'd like to take a moment to recognize and thank the individuals, my colleagues, who make all of this possible. Our elementary liaison, Kristy Langis, Tracy O'Shea, Cindy O, Joe Lally, Jr., Jen Walls, Eric Wilson, Jen Kaplan, David O'Neal, Elise Darowitz, Amy Venkus, Jeff Cooper, and Tanya Kaufman. Your impact is felt in every rehearsal, every performance, and in every student who finds a sense of belonging in your classroom. Thank you for all that you do. It is clear that we have much to be proud of in our music department here at Colonial, and one reason we can celebrate so many accomplishments is because our students are given the chance to develop their love for music early on in their school career. Tonight, we
004have some special musicians from Ridge Park here with teacher Cindy O to demonstrate their talents. Cindy, um you and your students are here, um and you may begin. Thank you. Thank you. Second grade represents music for you today. All over America schools celebrate music in our school in March. We are very happy to celebrate gift of music. Join us in celebrating music in our school with I want to know. Enjoy. >> [music] [music] [bell] [music] [bell] [music] [applause] >> What does music What does music spell? M stands for music. U unlocks. S stands for self-expression. I stands for intelligence. C stands for creativity. We are grateful that we have the freedom to express and enjoy music. We are very thankful to everyone who helped out to make this day special. Enjoy. We will end our
005performance with music in our school. Enjoy. >> [applause] [music] [applause and cheering] >> Wow, thank you so much. That was amazing. Hold on. There's still more music coming up. Here we go. That was so fabulous. Um there's a couple more people we'd like to recognize in addition to you fabulous musicians right here. Um the first is I'd like to call Ace Craton from Plymouth Whitemarsh High School up. Um he is our senior. So it is my pleasure to recognize Ace for his outstanding achievement in being selected to perform with the PMEA All-State Choir this April in Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania. This honor represents the highest level of music accomplishment within the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association and it is earned through a highly competitive audition process, advancing from district to region and ultimately to the All-State level.
006Ace's selection is especially impressive as he was also chosen for the PMEA All-State Orchestra last year, so demonstrating remarkable versatility and dedication as a musician. As an aspiring future music educator, Ace exemplifies the very best of our program and we wish him continued success in his future. So here you go. Congratulations. >> [applause] [applause] >> All right, right there. One second. Great. And finally, I would like to call Colonial Middle School Choir teacher Amy Venkus forward. There she is. >> [applause] >> Ms. Venkus was recently presented with The Citadel Heart of Learning Award is given out annually to outstanding teachers who are nominated in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, Lancaster, Philadelphia counties. Those who nominated Ms. Venkus for the award noted her tireless dedication and how she inspires confidence and growth. For the past 11 years,
007Ms. Venkus has been at CMS where she has led many musicals, choir performances, and Clef Notes Select Choir shows. Prior to teaching at CMS, she was a general music teacher at Ridge Park Elementary School where you guys go for 18 years and before that she worked for 2 years with the Marching Colonials up at Plymouth Whitemarsh High School. Congratulations, Ms. Venkus, and thank you for your commitment to the music education of our students. >> Before anybody applauds, I'm going to add to Mrs. O'Connor's statement. Um Amy Vengas is a treasure in this district. She not only gets students to perform at her highest level, she's gotten this superintendent who has zero zero talent to sing, to dance, to participate, and to enjoy the arts more than any uh anytime in his life. And along with
008Mrs. O'Connor, they put on probably the past We have teacher induction every year, convocation, and they have put together eight or nine different convocations. I've done nothing. I've participated, and uh and it's just been a pleasure to see you interact with our kids. A pleasure to see you help them achieve beyond what they think they can achieve. And I'm not sure what else I can say that would top that. You know, you're all about the kids, and that's what matters in this profession. So, congratulations, and congrat- you know, we appreciate everything you've done. Here you go. Congratulations. >> [applause] [applause] >> All right. Thank you again to the board for recognizing music in our schools month. Thank you. >> [applause] >> I think we have something for our Ridge Park performers since they may have
009missed uh or had their dinner abruptly shortened. Mr. McDonald, do we have something back there for our Ridge Park students a little dessert or something? I ordered it. I hope we do. Oh, no. I believe I ordered it. If not, it'll be delivered to Ridge Park tomorrow. I ordered cookies for all of our students, so It's really bad if I don't have cookies for you tonight. I'll have them there tomorrow. Mrs. O, I'm sorry. You're welcome. No, I'll get them. I'll get them. I believe we have one more group of students to recognize. Is Beth Lynch here from the high school? Here comes Mrs. Lynch to recognize our National Merit Scholarship Program finalists. Good evening. In each annual National Merit Scholarship Program, about 50,000 academically talented high school students are honored, but only some 16,000
010of them are named semifinalists. Students who qualify as semifinalists based on their performance on the PSAT are the only program participants who have an opportunity to advance to the finalist level. The students we are honoring tonight have been named National Merit finalists. About 6,930 of the outstanding finalists across the country will be chosen as merit scholarship winners in this year's competition. Winners are chosen on the basis of their abilities, skills, and accomplishments. Scholarship recipients are the candidates judged to have the greatest potential for success in rigorous studies and beyond. This year, Plymouth Whitemarsh is proud to have three National Merit finalists. Please join me in celebrating PW seniors Zachary Halbert, Madison Lee, and Aiden Rabinowitz. >> [applause] >> That concludes all of our recognitions. I would like to add that Mr. Santiago, Thomas Santiago, board
011member, is participating by phone. So, he is in attendance virtually tonight. Thank you. All right. Now, we will move on to approval of minutes. This is a motion to approve the meeting minutes as presented in items 4B through 4G. May I have a second, please? Sharon? Any questions or comments? All in favor? Thank you. This is a motion to approve financial reports as presented in items 5B through 5M for February 2026. May I have a second, please? Chris? Any questions or comments? All in favor? Thank you. This is a motion to approve the February 2026 Treasurer's report. May I have a second, please? Rashida? Any questions or comments? All in favor? Thank you. And now we will um move on to public comment on any items that are on this evening's agenda. All right. Seeing
012none, we'll move on to the Superintendent's report. Dr. Christian? Thank you. Approval of the Superintendent's report. Motion to approve the personnel report and extracurricular contracts as outlined in items 8B and 8C. Board action is requested for the recommended personnel changes. Appointment for promotion, employment, or transfer are subject to the presentation of valid credential, employment verification documentation, and state mandated requirements. May I have a second, please? Gail? Any questions or comments? All in favor? Thank you. And now we'll turn it over to our student reps for your monthly reports. Hello, everyone. My name is Melissa Park. And I'm Max Tobin. We're so happy to be here as two of this year's four junior board representatives. Okay. Starting with Plymouth Whitemarsh High School, students from Colonial Middle School and the Plymouth Whitemarsh High School recently joined peers
013in the tristate area for the 2026 Student Leadership Institute sponsored by the University of Pennsylvania's Graduate School of Education. The attendees were selected through their volunteer leadership roles in student government and a variety of affinity organizations, including the Anti-Defamation League peer trainers, Black Cultural Awareness Club, Muslim Student Association, Asian Student Association, the Gay-Straight Alliance, and No Place for Hate. Plymouth Whitemarsh High School junior Mackenzie Ruepprecht, who won honorable mention in the 2026 Shifting Spaces Student Art Contest. Spring sports are officially underway. Congrats to all of our winter sports teams for a great end to their seasons, and good luck to our spring sports for just getting started. For Colonial Middle School, the seventh and eighth grade musical, Mean Girls, and the Odyssey of the Mind team both had excellent performances. Mean Girls in front of
014a sold-out audience, and the Odyssey of the Mind team placed fourth. Several trips are also hosted, including one to Lockheed Martin during Engineering Week, and the sixth grade class went to the Ambler Theater to see The Giver. For Colonial Elementary School, CES has started the before school program with 135 students attending for ELA and or math support. On February 26th, students engaged in teacher-guided activities for the district Unity Walk. The week of March 2nd, the students celebrated Read Across America. The theme for this year was celebrating diverse readers champ- championing kindness. For Plymouth Elementary, on Friday, February 20th, the PTO hosted the Plymouth Elementary Annual Family Bingo Night at CMS. Special guest teachers appeared throughout the night to be bingo callers and help out. On February 26th, Plymouth Elementary launched the fifth year of its
015one book, one Plymouth event with a family night unveiling Bigfoot and Littlefoot by Ellen Potter. The evening, led by reading specialist Jen Rams- Jen Ramsden, sorry, featured engaging literacy activities throughout the school. Each family received a copy of the book and students have been excited to participate in discussions and weekly trivia as they read. In March, students also celebrated Read Across America week centered around the theme Read Your World celebrating a district of diverse readers. The students also celebrated Women's History Month in March learning about important women in history and engaging in activities recognizing women's accomplishments and honoring inspiring women in our lives. And also in March, the kindergarten concert Let's Sing About Our Spring took place under the the direction of Miss O'Shea. Miss O'Shea and the kindergarten students did a wonderful job showcasing
016their talents and songs to help everyone get ready. All right, for Conshohocken Elementary, CE celebrated Read Across America the first week in March under the theme Celebrating a Nation of Diverse Readers. Thank you to Mrs. Protowski for leading the RAA committee to plan this year's RAA. On March the On March 13th, CE students enjoyed the Box of Light Burble Riz Kaboom assembly, which was an introduction to chemistry and states of matter. CE students rocked their socks by wearing bright, mismatched, and fun socks to spark conversations about inclusion and raise awareness of World Down Syndrome Day. Kindergarten will have its first concert on March 19th. And third grade will go on a field trip to Philadelphia Water Works on Thursday, March 26th. On Friday, March 27th, we will have a pack party and complete our third
017No Place for Hate project. For Ridge Park Elementary, family bingo night was a huge success. And on February 12th, families enjoyed a night full of fun prizes, snacks, and raffles. Second grade teachers also hosted the special persons night on February 17th. Learners were able to show off their classroom and make a craft with their special person. During the month February, Ridge Park also celebrated Black History Month. Their goal was to introduce and celebrate African-Americans and their achievements and to expose students to people that they may have not been familiar with and to continue to teach their students acceptance, kindness, and respect. They did morning meetings, student activities, buddy class activities, and daily morning announcements highlighting the accomplishments and contributions of African-Americans. And led by Miss O, the kindergarteners performed for their families on Wednesday, February
01811th. And they thank CES for allowing use of their auditorium and allowing all family members to attend. And finally, on February 19th, first grade was led by the dragon dancers as they paraded the halls of Ridge Park to honor and celebrate the Lunar New Year. Students in kindergarten, second, and third grade observed and cheered them on. All right, lastly for White Marsh Elementary, thanks to the generosity of White Marsh's students and families, the school raised over $15,000 for Ronald McDonald House Charities. In recognition of this achievement, the school also read or earned a reader's water ice reward for students. On Monday, March 9th, White Marsh Elementary held a special assembly with Queen Nur, a an award-winning, nationally renowned storyteller, teaching artist, and folklorist. She shared a lively mix of stories from the African and African-American
019oral traditions that brought joy, laughter, and meaningful lessons to students. The interactive performance encouraged students to participate, celebrate, and jubilate as folktales, fables, and fairy tales highlighted important values. The storytelling was accompanied by African drumming from percussionist Dwight James. All right, thank you. Thank you. Thanks, Melissa and Max. And now we'll move on to new business. Jeremy? Motion to approve the continuation of the school property tax rent rebate program at 75% of the PA program's base rebate for the 2026-2027 school year. The Colonial School District recently ended the 2024 property tax rebate program for senior citizens. It was the sixth year of the program. 242 citizens participated in the program, which provides an additional rebate in addition to the state's program. The district processed rebates totaling $93,012.45, an average of $386 per participant. This program
020benefits eligible Pennsylvanians over the age of 65. May I have a second, please? Rashida? Any questions or comments? All in favor? Thank you. Jeremy. Motion to approve the continuation of Act 91 tax credit program within Colonial School District for the 2026- 2027 school year subject to the criteria and regulations as outlined below. May I have a second, please? Sharon. Any questions or comments? All in favor? Thank you. Uh this is a motion to acknowledge that the Education Department of Fox Rothschild LLP, uh the appointed solicitor, will become the Education Group of McNees Wallace & Nurick LLC effective April 1st, 2026. No changes are being made to the terms of the representation, current rate structure, or personnel. The superintendent and or business manager are authorized to sign documents necessary to recognize the change. May I have
021a second, please? Gail. Any questions or comments? All in favor? Thank you. This is a motion to approve the renewal of the legal services consultation agreement with Sweet, Stevens, Katz & Williams LLP for the 2026-2027 school year in the amount of $8,400. May I have a second, please? Chris. Any questions or comments? All in favor? Thank you. Gail. This is a motion to approve administration's recommendations to continue the appointment of Ms. Colleen Techman, director of human resources, as Colonial School District's management trustee on a Bucks and Montgomery County Schools Healthcare Consortium effective July 1st, 2026 through June 30th, 2028. May I have a second, please? Rick. Any questions or comments? All in favor? Thank you. Sharon. This is a motion to approve two confidential settlement and release agreements due to student confidentiality. These agreements were
022discussed in executive session. May I have a second, please? Rick. Any questions or comments? All in favor? Thank you. Motion to approve the conference requests as outlined below uh for CMS library media specialist Brooke Carpenter to attend the PA School Librarians Association conference in Altoona from April 16th to 18th. And for CES math teacher uh Jared Kubanoff to attend Building Thinking Classrooms in New Haven, Connecticut from June 29th and 30th. May I have a second, please? Sharon. Any questions or comments? All in favor? Thank you. This is a motion to approve the Plymouth Whitmarsh High School Computer Science Club's participation in a programming competition at Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey on May 1st. May I have a second, please? Jeremy. Any questions or comments? All in favor? Thank you. This is a motion to
023approve the board policy revisions as presented on a first read basis for policy number 907, School Visitors. May I have a second, please? Chris. Any questions or comments? This The only change major change to this uh policy is to clarify the paperwork that's required for college students and high school students who are completing practicums to get hours towards graduating uh moving in their teacher education programs. Great, thank you. Uh all in favor? Thank you. Uh Rashida. Angus Sheep Tract Modifications. This is a motion to approve the negotiation, finalization, and execution of amendments to one, the declaration of conservation and open space covenants, restrictions, and easements for the Angus Tract along Flourtown Road in Whitmarsh Township. To the same for the Sheep Tract located along Flourtown Road in Whitmarsh Township. And three, the deed of easement
024for the Sheep Tract as requested by the Whitmarsh Foundation to reflect agreed-upon modifications to the public trail system in forms acceptable to the school district administration and solicitor. May I have a second, please? Gail. Any questions or comments? This only impacts the trail system to improve uh opportunities for our community. Uh all in favor? Thank you. Uh solicitor's report this evening? I would like to thank the board for approving our transition. I did want to mention that um effective April 1st, our office is moving about a mile and a half away into a wonderful school district known as the Colonial School District. Uh we're going to be at 401 Plymouth Road and uh we look forward to be a resident of the district under this new arrangement. Great, thank you. Uh committee reports. Sharon. No
025report. Uh Chris, anything for curriculum? Yes. Sorry. At the March 9th curriculum meeting, the curriculum team discussed the elementary math resource pilot, proposed scheduling revisions at the middle school, and technology initiatives. Highlights included the recommendation to adopt Illustrative Math for kids grades K to 3, um the Colonial Middle School schedule changes for 2026-2027, the integration of technology and instruction at the elementary and secondary levels, and two conference requests for approval. Thank you. Rashida, anything for your transportation and facilities? Um earlier this month uh facilities management met with principals to see what the outlook looks like for the next year, and there's been discussion about the 5-year improvement plan recently. We also want to give a shout-out to all the facility staff who have made it safe for us to walk and our run or whatever
026we're doing outside uh despite the precipitation that continuously falls. Thank you. Um Jeremy, finance. Finance Committee met on Monday, March 9th. Several grants um were reviewed for submission that were eventually approved. Um On March 15th, the public school facility improvement grant for five roofing projects, the PA Commission on Crime and and Delinquency School Mental Health Grant um for up to $100,000 to support behavioral health services, and Project Aware Grant um for partnership um through Devereux. We also reviewed the fiscal 2027 budget update. The full budget documents are available online and are currently projecting a 3.50% real estate tax increase, and we also reviewed the fiscal year 2026 results to date. Great, thank you. Gail, HR. The HR Committee met on Monday, March 2nd, and we discussed the exit interview process for um employees that are
027leaving the district through retirement or otherwise, and we also discussed policy number 907 um first read, which was just approved um previously. Great, thank you. Uh Chris, Central Montco Technical High School. >> no report, thank you. Thank you. Um Thomas is not here this morning or this evening. Uh legislative, Sharon. Um just a friendly reminder that the legislative breakfast for our board members um it's at the IU this Friday. So, if anyone's able to join, that'd be great. And um PSBA Day on the Hill is on May the 4th. Um just keeping in mind that the governor's shared his proposed budget, $20 billion ish for um education in particular, and so keeping an eye on a lot of the bigger uh items that are um being discussed up in the up in uh Harrisburg. Thank
028you. Um any community reports this evening? Whitemarsh Township Day is coming up uh Saturday, April 25th, 1 month from today. We'll have another board meeting before then, but for those planning ahead, uh that'll be the April 25th. Thank you. Anyone else? Uh Foundation, Jeremy. I'll correct myself. Those grants were approved March 16th. I can't add nine and seven um on the fly. Um for tomorrow, March 24th is the deadline to register for the 5K um to guarantee a race shirt. There on um April 12th, it's a 5K run, a 1.5-mile walk, and a quarter run kids dash. Um also all um proceeds to the foundation, and one just to highlight one recent grant that the foundation made to CES, there's a new rock wall um on campus here that uh you should be sure to
029check out. So, please sign up um to help support foundation. We definitely want to thank the foundation for their uh generous donation of the rock wall here at CES. The students are very excited about it, as is Dr. Rock and the rest and uh uh Ms. Carbo and Mr. Brown. Great, thank you. Um attached to this evening's agenda for your information are the activities accounts for CMS and PW, the athletic accounts for CMS and PW, building reports, curriculum reports, and technology reports. And now, is there any public comment this evening? Please come up and state your name and um township, please. Hello again. As a reminder, my name is Allison Russell, and this is Elise LaChapelle. We are parents of Whitemarsh Elementary School children living in Lafayette Hill, and as previously mentioned at the March
0309th curriculum meeting, we are the co-founders of the Colonial School District chapter of Wait Until Eighth, as well as community members of PA Unplugged. In our time since the last meeting, we've continued to have meaningful conversations and interactions with parents throughout the district. The following are comments from a few of those parents who cannot attend tonight, but wanted to express their thoughts regarding educational technology use in CSD as we continue this discussion with you. They are sharing both their concerns and their personal stories as we ask the board to consider as part of the as we ask the board to consider as part of the ongoing conversation around technology and its use in the district. Amy Worth, Lafayette Hill. Kids attend Whitemarsh Elementary second and third grade statement. I am concerned about the use of
031Chromebooks in school. For example, at snack recess and sometimes lunch recess indoors, my kids are given the option between playing a game with friends or playing on their Chromebook. They have chosen their Chromebook. A break should be just that, offline and not on a computer. Further, I've noticed both of my kids agitated at home in the evening on days they were plugged in during their breaks. I don't want my kids to be taught by a computer. Chromebooks should be limited in the classroom for hands-on instructional use only with no use during snack or lunch breaks. Thank you. Dawn Wynn, Conshohocken, daughter is in fifth grade at Colonial Elementary. Her statement. I would completely support a move away from screens for my fifth grader. In addition to not seeing any academic benefit of using this technology,
032I've heard stories about children this age engaging with Grok on school technology having bypassed the safeguards, and a friend confided that her son's classmate wrote a very unflattering story of him using AI. The disadvantages in relation to our children's social development is very concerning to me as a parent. Susan Hill, Conshohocken, daughter is in Conshohocken is in kindergarten at Conshohocken Elementary. Children are not up wired for the usage of these items. Their brains are still wiring, and the introduction of screen screens changes their brain chemistry. The dopamine hits and instant gratification are detrimental to young users. They have a hard time putting it down. Emotional regulation is harder for them to process. They best learn through sensory experiences, sight, smell, taste, hearing, and touch. Traditional teaching traditional teaching techniques exposes them to this, not tapping
033and staring at a screen in which many adults wear glasses to cut down the eye strain of staring at that same exact screen. My daughter does not have an iPad. She does watch TV, and I'm careful how much. Some days we go over on time, and there are some meltdowns. She's five. She has a wonderful imagination and loves to play with her toys, play outside, and play with parents and friends. I think it's more important to raise a good human who can speak with adults and other children, which she does. And often she's met with a world that doesn't seem to want to connect with her. That world is over connected to devices. I know she needs to learn it to survive our increasingly tech world, but she's smart. She'll pick it up and understand
034later. Let her learn and become a solid, well-adjusted person now, and save that for when her mind is ready to process it. Now is not the time. Vicki Hanson Landis, Plymouth Meeting, child will attend Colonial Middle School next year. Her statement. My concerns about Chromebooks are twofold. First, I question their educational value. The apps and websites assigned are often ineffective, faulty, or just busy work. Children aren't learning technology if they are scrolling, watching videos, or racing through meaningless work. Secondly, I am concerned about security and safety. I'm uncomfortable with safety concerns on school-issued devices when used at home. Children can easily bypass filters and access inappropriate content even in early elementary school. Other countries are recognizing the damage that social media and other online programming is having on children and teens. Safety, mental health is
035top of mind. I'm going to continue to read some statements from parents who could not be here with us tonight. Bridget Blue Marble, >> Excuse me, real quick. Could you just state your name and township? Thank you. Uh Elise LaChapelle, I live in Lafayette Hill. I have two children who both attend Whitemarsh Elementary. Um Bridget Blue Marble, Conshohocken, uh her child attends Plymouth Elementary. I am concerned about the presence and usage of Chromebooks and other smart devices at the elementary level. Research shows that these devices do not help improve education and may be detrimental to it. I am also concerned that I do not have access to my child's device as it's kept at school and don't have full knowledge of the apps they are accessing and how much screen time they are using during
036the school day. Katie Ellinger, Plymouth Meeting, children attend Ridge Park Elementary and Colonial Elementary. I am concerned about the use of Chromebooks in our schools. Information retention is shown to be higher when done from books rather than a screen. Elizabeth Cheever, Plymouth Meeting, son is in first grade at Ridge Park. My son has an IEP for behavior. He's told me he had issues at school even as of last week because one day he wanted to get on Lexia, and the other day he wanted to get on DreamBox, and he didn't want to do the activity he was supposed to be doing because of that. It's really hard with ADHD to begin with, managing his emotions and ability to complete non-preferred activities. I wish they didn't have the option to use technology unless it's in technology
037class. Of course, the 6-year-old with ADHD is going to want to play on the tablet instead of the task at hand. They didn't actually give in and let him, but they've used it in school before, so he knows it's there. Maureen McLaughlin, Conshohocken, two kids who attend Ridge Park Elementary. I have two sons in the district ages eight and six. The overwhelming evidence and research that we are currently seeing indicates that screen use is not helping young people. Old-fashioned pen and paper have a better impact on the brain and learning long-term. Screens have their place such as in technology class, but should not be used as a substitute for hands-on learning. Natalie Bizzarro, Lafayette Hill, with twins who attend Whitemarsh Elementary. I appreciate the steps that the district has already taken regarding cell phone usage
038and access in schools. I would encourage the board and the administration to tackle the reliance on Chromebooks next. Does the district have concrete plans to limit Chromebook usage in K through 8 schools or to alter their one-to-one device agreement with Google? Is the school board and administration willing to research the negative impacts of too much screen time on children's brain development? In conclusion, we'd like to reiterate some of our asks from the March 9th meeting which are reflected in the statements we've shared. We are asking for greater transparency around device use in the curriculum, particularly around how much time is spent on devices each day, what apps are used, if parents can have access to that data, and whether there is concrete evidence that these apps are better suited for educating our children than traditional
039methods such as pencil and paper. We also ask for the option to opt out of device use for our children and guidance around what it would look like for our students and teachers if that choice is made. As this conversation continues, we'd also like to offer to assist with forming technology focus groups that would give parents a voice in the district's decisions. Once again, thank you for your time and attention. My name is Rachel Edelman. I live in Plymouth Meeting. I have a 6-year-old daughter in first grade at Plymouth Elementary. And I'm here tonight in support of Allison and Allison all of the elementary school parents who are concerned about the effects of an increasingly screen-based childhood on our kids. I support their calls for more transparency around Chromebook usage in the school, including primary
040classrooms and the seek classroom. Thank you. Hi, my name is Kaylee Zucker. I reside in Flower Town. I have a first-grader at Whitemarsh. While this is all new to me, um the whole technology world is not. I'm a pediatric SLP. I specialize in child play. I've been doing that for about 10 years. So, before I became a parent, I started to see the effects of technology on social, language, and just, you know, emotional regulation throughout the pediatric population well before I had concerned about it being in school. Um so, after learning about this recently, I really feel it is important to parents that we have this transparency of technology in the classrooms. Um when my daughter did come home last year saying that she was playing iPads during recess, I wanted to cry because that
041is the prime year, kindergarten, to develop peer relationships, problem-solving skills, and there's just a a laundry list of things that that kids are learning through play. And um I felt that it would be an appropriate time to talk about a study that Dr. Karen Purvis did that you may have seen so, you know, circulating online, but it basically says that scientists have recently determined that it takes approx- approximately 400 repetitions to create a new synapse in the brain. Unless it's done with play, in which in which case it takes about 10 to 20 repetitions. So, I'd be very curious to see what this electronic movement is, you know, causing, you know, that the synapses on the brain. So, that's all I didn't have much prepared, but I felt like it was important for me to
042speak as I learn, you know, how much is really happening in each part of, you know, the schooling as my child goes through. So, thank you. Hi, my name is Jen Goldman. I have a first-grader at Ridge Park and a rising kindergartner next year. Um I'm also a pediatric speech language um pathologist and I'm actually contracted in Colonial Middle School as well. And I just want to piggyback on Kaylee saying how important play is on our children. I have seen I've been practicing for 15 years and I've seen such a shift in the types of difficulties that the kids that I see are facing um a lot due to the technology. I'm seeing a lot of it's easy, just give them an iPad. It's fine. They'll They're quiet. Well, we don't want kids to be
043quiet. We want them to explore. We want them to problem-solve. We need them to struggle a little bit and know how to be flexible, how to take turns, how to be part of their world and not just be quiet. So, definitely being a parent and a speech therapist having all different heads and being inside the school of Colonial, I just really support this movement and want to learn more and be part of this change moving forward. Hi, my name is Jennifer Swope. I'm from Lafayette Hill. I have a third-grader and a first-grader at Whitemarsh Elementary and I also have a rising kindergartner starting in the fall. Um I too share the concerns of the other parents here that dependence on technology, especially starting in kindergarten and elementary school, is is too much and um you
044know, it's concerning. There's not a lot of transparency. I have no idea unless my kids come home and tell me um how much time they're spending on their devices in school. Um if they're spending time on their devices in school, um it it's not really transparent. Um so, yeah, I do share the concerns of the other parents. Thank you. Thank you for all your comments. I know I've met with a a few of our parent representatives here tonight and look forward to continuing the dialogue. I would ask our public to look at our curriculum meeting from last week that's posted online. Uh K through 3 students have about 40 minutes of exposure to devices during the day with as little as 20 minutes. Um and then we don't send the Chromebooks home because we don't
045want additional screen time at home and feel that's a parent decision. Uh I think there was a comment about seeing what's on the Chromebooks at night, but we don't want to send them home because we don't want more screen time. So, um certainly appreciate the comments and continuing the dialogue. And can I just add I also wanted to say thank you everyone for coming in and sharing your stories around this. Someone who works in education, I can relate quite a bit to what you're saying. Um as also someone who has family members who are struggling um in this regard as well with education and the impact but not with education, with technology and the impact that it's having on their mental health. Um What I heard you say is you're looking for greater transparency around
046device use, time on devices, what apps are used, what data evidence do we have that it's better, what are the options for opting out if we choose to, and how can we as parents and community members be a part of conversations and part of a group to um to help continue to drive this conversation. So, I just want to acknowledge what you're saying and say thank you for bringing it forward. Any other board comments this evening? Any other public comment? All right, seeing none, this meeting is adjourned. Thank you.