7 Parents Sue 8,500-Student Lower Merion District Over Mandatory Student Internet Use
Updated
Updated · The Washington Post · Aug 31
7 Parents Sue 8,500-Student Lower Merion District Over Mandatory Student Internet Use
3 articles · Updated · The Washington Post · Aug 31
Summary
Seven parents sued Lower Merion School District in federal court after it scrapped a longstanding opt-out that had let families refuse internet-connected school devices.
The 8,500-student Pennsylvania district adopted a new Aug. 17 tech policy that delays school-issued laptops and iPads until fifth grade but still requires internet use, which parents say violates their rights over their children’s education.
The complaint cites risks from addictive online content, pornography and violent videos, including one child allegedly becoming compulsive about an online poker game on a school device.
Lower Merion denied the allegations and noted only three of the seven families currently have children enrolled; one family has already moved its children to private school.
Experts called the case unusual, saying courts rarely let individual families override district instructional policy, even as broader pressure grows for schools and states to curb student screen time.