Who we are:

Schools Beyond Screens Elmhurst is a local coalition of families and educators advocating for evidence-based guidelines around technology in our D205 schools, from pre-K through high school.

What we believe:

1) Start later

Eliminate one-to-one devices for students pre-K to second grade (unless there is a compelling reason, such as serving students with special needs). Upper grades should have daily screen time limits based on developmental readiness.

2) Prioritize Paper

Our kids should read physical books, they should write essays on paper, and practice math on paper. Even though all of these activities could be completed on their iPads, we believe in the cognitive value of completing them on paper.

3) Skills & Relationships over Screens

Our students learn best when they are engaged with their teachers, their classmates and the world around them. Screen time should not replace recess and read-alouds. 

These beliefs inform the requests we've put into our petition for the D205 school board. 

Why we care:

Research shows that learning through 1:1 devices is less effective than teacher interaction,  physical books, pencil, and paper.  Along with having a negative effect on learning, device usage can negatively impact development and behavior.

See our Resources page for links to articles, books & research on the topic.

How you can join our movement:

Sign our petition

Show your support for this movement by signing our petition on Change.org

Talk to your neighbors

Many of our community members support a balanced, common sense approach to technology use in schools. Start conversations with your friends and neighbors and spread the word about our petition.

 Join our Facebook group

Our Schools Beyond Screens Facebook page will share information on upcoming initiatives and offer a way to contact our organizers.

Meet with your School Principal

Schools Beyond Screens provides a list of starter questions to begin the conversation, and we encourage you to share the requests from our petition to get your principal's feedback.

Join us at a school board meeting 

Share your perspective with our local school board by giving a public comment. Dates of upcoming meetings are published on the D205 district website.