HARRISBURG – State Senator Lisa Boscola has issued a co-sponsorship memo for legislation she plans to introduce limiting classroom screen time for young students in the commonwealth. The senator’s efforts are a response, in part to Pennsylvania’s declining English Language Arts PSSA scores.
Boscola states, “Since COVID, we have seen millions of dollars spent on school-issued devices, some of which are sent home with children as young as five years old. We must ask ourselves: is it responsible to routinely send a young child home with an internet-capable device that can cost taxpayers hundreds of dollars to purchase and maintain?”
The legislation would affect students in kindergarten through second grade. While it would not fully prohibit these students from using the technology, “it will restrict K-2 students from taking home school-issued devices and prevent schools from relying on daily one-to-one device use as a substitute for foundational early learning.”