A “letter of concern” signed by 135 people is scheduled to be presented to the school board on Tuesday night.
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Representatives of the medical community representing 135 local pediatricians, child psychiatrists, child psychologists, therapists, social workers, counselors and behavioral health providers will submit a letter of concern about the use of technology (iPads and cell phones) in Bend La Pine schools to the Bend La Pine School Board Tuesday night.
The letter, signed by 135 providers, includes recommended technology policy reforms and an offer to work with school districts in setting best practice technology policies for students’ mental and physical health, as well as academic success.
The letter will be presented through public comment at the BLP School Committee meeting at 5:30 p.m. at the BLP Education Center, 520 NW Wall St. in Bend. Well connected The company said in a news release Friday, read in full below.
Local pediatrician Dr. Kate Broadman has rallied the support of 135 (and growing) health care workers who have voiced concerns about iPad and cell phone use in Bend La Pine schools, including how addictive technology is affecting children’s behavior, mood, attention, academic performance, and mental and physical health — all things they see in their practice.
They also say technology policy changes in Bend La Pine schools are urgently needed, joining a growing call for action in the community.The letter comes on the heels of work done on the issue by local health tech advocacy group Well Wired, which has included a parent survey with nearly 1,000 respondents, a presentation to the BLP’s school district superintendent and public comment at the School Committee meeting in May.
Well Wired is a health technology advocacy group and family community in Central Oregon. The group was formed in Fall 2023 by two local parents, Ami Formica and Brooke Mues, with backgrounds and careers in education, counseling, psychology, marketing, and business.
Well Wired will also be at the school board meeting on June 18th to provide public comment. Well Wired invites parents, caregivers and educators to speak up and share their concerns and stories about problematic technology distractions for students in schools. This includes kids playing video games, watching sports and movies, even elementary school kids watching pornography, kids filming fights and kids being cyberbullied – all on school grounds and during class time on school-issued iPads and student phones.
“Relying on iPads to teach subjects like reading and math stunts the development of important skills like handwriting, creativity, critical thinking and interpersonal connections,” the group said.
Additionally, they argue that research has shown the iPad curriculum to be ineffective and that the district has failed to show improved test performance in Bend-LaPine schools. Finally, WellWired states that current research provides clear evidence that addictive technology use increases the likelihood of poor mental health. According to Mental Health America, Oregon ranked 50th out of 50 states for youth mental health in 2023.
“Children spend too much time in front of screens at home and at school and too little time interacting with peers in person, playing outdoors, and getting the in-person experiences that help them develop into healthy, thriving adults,” the organization said in a news release.
“Bend la Pine Schools must recognize that addictive technology is contributing to the youth mental health crisis and consider how education through addictive technology contributes to distraction and shallow learning. Schools have a duty to protect, support and better educate our children.”
Well Wired, Dr. Kate Broadman, and our community of health professionals are calling for collaboration and consultation with the school district on technology policy reforms to improve the mental and physical health of children in Bend La Pine Schools. Below are some of the proposed and recommended technology policies:
- We will phase out iPads for early elementary school students.
- Set age-appropriate screen time limits for your students during class.
- Remove YouTube and other addictive, gamified programs from school iPads.
- Wherever possible, pencil and paper learning will be preferred.
- iPads should only be used when they clearly add depth to learning or to introduce skills that cannot be taught effectively in other ways (e.g. coding), and should be stored away from students’ desks when not in use.
- Create and enforce stronger policies regarding cell phone use in schools, ideally instituting a district-wide “No Cell Phone Schools” program, as many other school districts across the country have done.
Since its launch in Fall 2023, Well Wired has built a database of over 500 parents, teachers, and medical professionals in Central Oregon, registered over 600 for five “Healthy Tech Talks” hosted by elementary school PTOs, surveyed 1,000 BLP parents (of which 93% would prefer no cell phones in the classroom), presented to Bend La Pine School District Superintendent Cook, Vice Superintendent Nordquist, and the district’s technology leadership team, and presented to the House Education Committee at a recent informational hearing in support of Oregon Congressman Emerson Levy on a possible school cell phone ban bill.
