Council Member Schulman questions DOE on screen time exemptions and 3K device use

Okay, we'll talk more about that probably at a later date, but I want to thank you.

I want to turn it over to Councilmember Shulman and to start our member questions.

Thank you very much, Chair.

Dinowitz and Krishna, and appreciate this really important hearing today.

I have a couple of questions.

First, I want to acknowledge I have a constituent here, Kate Mulvaney, who represents a number of parents in my district, and I want to thank her for being here for her advocacy.

So I have a couple of questions to ask.

One, parents are reporting that their schools have not changed any device use because of the many caveats in the new AI and screen time rules.

When is the DOE going to issue a clear list of what is and is not exempt from the screen time regulations, and how is the DOE vetting this list?

Thank you for the question.

You know, today's day four of schools, and our, you know, so we know that the policy dropped, you know, right before our schools came back, and we saw immediately our superintendents, their teams, and our principals jump into action.

There are ways that they're leading.

With what they know, they're leading through what they're waiting for.

And so we've been keeping a pulse on some of those.

We know there are some like, can you tell me specifically, can I use this or not?

We are working through some of that for them.

We're working with our vendors to also confirm if there is generative AI or not in the product.

And if not, then it would just be subject

to the screen time limits rather than the moratorium.

And so we are pulling through all of that and getting those

answers out into the field as soon as we can.

And so we're working through that.

In the meantime, I've met with a teacher, a principal, a superintendent, and even in their, I'm not sure, so how are you leading through this?

How are you teaching through this?

Well, where I'm not sure, I'm just not using it right now.

And they have been talking and sharing stories about going back, you know, with their full arms around the print-based materials to the extent possible.

Parents with children in 3K have reported that their children have been given teacher cell phones and are being shown movies to occupy them during nap time when they are not napping.

What is the DOE doing to ensure 3K programs are providing appropriate activities for children?

In the first four days of school?

Well, these are what parents intend.

Yep.

So that's important feedback.

That is not the vision for time that we would want, especially our littlest, to be spending during precious school time.

And so if, you know, that would be a great opportunity to provide clarity on the early childhood guidance, which has always been in place.

Early childhood has had a restriction on device use before our policy.

Our policy mostly complements it and doubles down on their own policy within the Division of Early Childhood Education.

So that's an important story, and we'll work with the Division of Early Childhood and our schools to make sure.

that that is not happening.