Krishnan poses key questions for DOE and calls for action
Krishnan asks whether DOE is committed to overhauling technology reliance, auditing tech companies, and protecting students from predatory big tech. He calls for concrete plans and mandates, thanking council staff for their work.
While this policy is a good and necessary first step, I believe we must do more, and parents, teachers, and advocates have far more unanswered questions.
The reality is this.
The problem of screens in our schools, in our society, is pervasive, and it is simply outpacing current solutions.
This moment requires more than recommendations.
We need mandates across our schools to protect our students and to support our teachers.
Today, we will learn what led the DOE to lay out their specific screen time recommendations.
Is the DOE committed to overhauling technology reliance in our schools?
Will they audit these technology companies that store our children's data and distract them from learning?
And is the DOE prepared to protect our students from the predatory big technology companies in our schools?
More than a decade after we've invited screens into our schools, the DOE needs to ensure that they have a concrete plan to address the rapidly rising concerns of screen time use that we as parents and teachers have.
We collectively need to tackle the increased use of big tech programs before it is too late.
Now is the time to act to ensure we are giving our future generation the best shot possible.
to be the generation that finds scientific breakthroughs, writes the next great novels, and becomes the best version of themselves.
And so much of that does not happen on a screen or with YouTube or with gamified apps.
It happens off of all of those things.
We will not let the greed of big technology companies get in the way of our children's future or our students'ability to succeed.
Before I conclude, I would like to thank the following council staff for their work on this hearing.
Our O&I committee staff, Nicole Cata, Erica Cohen, Alex Yablon, and Owen Katowski, and Oversight Investigation Division staff, Kevin Frick and Ryan Parkin.
Education Committee staff, Alejandro Carvajal, Chloe Rivera, Katie Selena, Andrew Lane Lawless, and Grace Samato.
And of course, my staff, Chanel Martinez, Hunter DeVine-Gracia, Victoria Opperman, and everyone working here to make this hearing run as smoothly as possible.