Lower Merion's school board will hold its Monday, Aug. 17 business meeting entirely on Zoom after disruptions at two recent meetings and threatening comments posted on social media, the district announced Friday.
The meeting, which begins at 7 p.m., includes the full board vote on the district's controversial K-12 technology use policy. No in-person attendance will be permitted. Residents can join at bit.ly/LMSDZoom (password: 323254) or watch a livestream at lmsd.org/zoom-live.
The district's announcement cited two reasons: disruptions that caused three recesses across two recent meetings and threatening comments posted on social media pages. The district did not identify the specific threats or the platforms where they appeared.
The two disrupted meetings appear to be the Aug. 3 policy committee session and the June 16 full board meeting. At the Aug. 3 meeting, board President Dr. Kerry Sautner limited public comment to 45 minutes. When parent David Smyth walked to the podium to speak after time was called, the board recessed, never returned to the room and finished the session remotely via Zoom after technical difficulties, according to Broad + Liberty.
"When you are disrupting a public meeting, you are actually breaking the law," Sautner said during that Aug. 3 session, as reported by the Philadelphia Inquirer.
At the June 16 full board meeting at Lower Merion High School, the board summoned security after interruptions from the crowd.
Monday's vote requires five of nine board members to approve the new policy. The policy committee advanced it 3-1 on Aug. 3. If adopted, the rules would take effect for the 2026-27 school year.
Under the proposed policy, K-2 students would receive no individual devices. Third and fourth graders would use shared classroom carts. Fifth and sixth graders would be assigned devices but not take them home unless families request it. Seventh and eighth graders would have devices as a default but could opt out without penalty. Families cannot decline technology entirely.
The parent group Pencils Over Pixels, co-founded by Merion Elementary parent Yair Lev, has organized opposition to the policy. As of June, more than 800 parents had signed a petition asking for the right to opt out of one-to-one devices, according to organizers.
How to watch Monday's meeting:
- When: 7 p.m., Monday, Aug. 17
- Zoom link: bit.ly/LMSDZoom
- Password: 323254
- Livestream: lmsd.org/zoom-live
