Alyssa East testifies on ed tech exemptions for students with disabilities
Alyssa East, parent and co-leader of Distraction-Free Schools NY, criticizes the blanket exception for students with disabilities in DOE's screen time guidance, arguing ed tech is not assistive technology and excessive screen time exacerbates attentional issues for neurodivergent children.
Good afternoon, Chair, members of the committee.
Thank you for convening this hearing and the opportunity to speak.
My name is Alyssa East.
I'm a parent of a Carter case child, a member of the AIM Coalition, and co-leader of Distraction-Free Schools New York, the state chapter of a national grassroots education policy program
seeking to restore learning by realigning school approaches to technology with child development.
Senator Gunardi's FOCUS Act was drafted from our model bills.
So it's been pretty well established here today that children are uniquely vulnerable to persuasive technologies, excessive screen exposure, manipulative design features, and artificial intelligence systems.
Their cognitive, emotional, and social capacities are still developing, making them more susceptible to distraction, dependency, and behavioral impacts.
Schools have adopted these technologies without consistent standards for safety, educational effectiveness, developmental appropriateness, privacy protection, or procurement integrity.
This gap leaves children exposed to risks that research has repeatedly documented as problematic.
These exposures are particularly challenging for families of children with disabilities.
The public-facing language around the DOE guidelines calls for a generic exception for students with
disabilities, implying that AI and screen limit guidelines are for gen ed kids alone, not for students with disabilities or English language learners.
As Assemblymember Simon testified, the world of students with disabilities is wide and deeply nuanced.
Guidance around students with disabilities should reflect the beauty and diversity of this community and its varying needs.
EdTech is not sped tech.
EdTech is also not assistive technology.
But many students with disabilities are given excessive amounts of ed tech, either in the classroom or assigned as homework for remediation purposes.
It's about 15 seconds.
One in five children have ADHD, and many more have ADHD-like symptoms.
Why is the DOE creating a blanket exception, given that we know that screen time exacerbates attentional issues for all children and is especially harmful with regard to one of the most common forms of neurodivergence?
Thank you.
Thanks so much.