Lower Merion parents who want to see what their children browse on school-issued laptops can sign up for a monitoring tool the district rolled out before the Sept. 8 first day of school.

Superintendent Dr. Frank Ranelli told families in an Aug. 24 letter that the district is deploying two new tools under the technology policies the Board of School Directors approved Aug. 17 in a 7-2 vote. Teachers will use Securly Classroom to monitor and control district devices during class. The parent-facing piece, Securly Home, is optional and gives families two capabilities: viewing their student's browsing history while the child is at school, and setting time limits on district devices when the student connects to the home Wi-Fi network.

How to sign up

Parents opt in through a form in the PowerSchool Parent Portal. After enrolling, they receive a welcome email from Securly with a link to create their account. The district posted step-by-step setup directions on its Technology Use page.

No enrollment deadline has been announced.

The form has been available since Aug. 24, and the school year begins Tuesday, Sept. 8.

Which students get devices

The new policy, which followed months of community debate and a petition signed by more than 800 parents through the group Pencils Over Pixels, sorts device access by grade band:

• K–2: No individually assigned devices; technology not used for routine instruction.
• Grades 3–4: Limited, teacher-directed access; devices stay in the classroom.
• Grades 5–6: Students issued devices and may bring them home but are not required to use a computer at home.
• Grades 7–8: Devices issued for instructional use; students carry them to and from school.
• Grades 9–12: Individual devices assigned for use throughout the day and at home.

Securly Home applies to any district device a student brings home, making it most relevant for families with children in grades 5 through 12.

Board context

The board approved Policy 141 (K-12 Technology Use) and Policy 142 (K-12 Technology: Safety, Monitoring and Privacy) at its Aug. 17 meeting, held via Zoom after disruptions at two prior sessions prompted a shift to virtual-only format. Board members Sarah Thomas and Abby Rubin voted against the policies.

Board member Jason Herman, who voted in favor, said at the Aug. 17 meeting that the policy "incorporates parents' concerns" and "reduces technology in the classroom." He added that all policies are works in progress and that the district will continue to review and revise the rules as implementation moves forward.

The next regular board business meeting is Monday, Sept. 28. The Policy Committee meets Monday, Sept. 14, at 7:30 p.m.