Lower Merion families are fighting on two fronts over the school district's new technology restrictions, with a federal lawsuit and widespread student complaints pulling in opposite directions.
The school board voted 7-2 on Aug. 17 to approve Policies 141 and 142. The K-12 framework eliminates individual devices for students in kindergarten through fourth grade and deploys Securly monitoring and filtering software on school-issued laptops. It also sets the stage for a full-day cellphone ban at the high school level by the 2027-28 school year. Board members Sarah Thomas and Abigail Rubin voted against the policy, according to Patch.
The Aug. 17 meeting was held entirely on Zoom. Board President Kerry Sautner said the virtual format resulted from "threats to our school district administrative team and our board" and repeated disruptions at earlier meetings, the Merionite reported. Two parents had been barred from in-person meetings for a year. District solicitor Kenneth Roos described their conduct as "disruptive and bullying behavior."
Rubin questioned the decision to go virtual. She said at the meeting that she had not seen the alleged threats and that her input was not sought before the shift, according to Main Line Media News.
Under Policy 141, students in grades K-4 no longer receive individual devices. Fifth and sixth graders keep theirs, but parents decide whether devices go home. Students in grades 7-12 retain individual laptops. Policy 142 introduces Securly Classroom, letting teachers view student screens and control tabs in real time.
Nine days after the vote, seven families filed a 116-page federal complaint in Philadelphia. The case, Lev v. Lower Merion School District, alleges the district violates parents' 14th Amendment rights by requiring students to use internet-connected devices with no opt-out, The 74 reported. The complaint characterizes the district's technology environment as a "digital free-for-all," according to the Merionite.
Lead plaintiff Yair Lev, a cardiologist and professor at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, has two children at Cynwyd Elementary. He helped organize the parent group Pencils Over Pixels. The lawsuit names Superintendent Frank Ranelli and the seven board members who voted for the policy, according to Education Week. Only three of the seven plaintiff families still have children enrolled in the district.
The district denied the allegations. In a September court filing, it accused the parents of "fearmongering," 6abc reported. Spokeswoman Amy Buckman noted that not all plaintiffs have students in LMSD schools.
Students describe a different problem entirely.
A Merionite survey of more than 110 Lower Merion High School students found only four viewed the new policy as completely necessary. Students reported that Securly blocks teacher websites, college application portals, study tools and class assignments. Daniel Zheng, Class of 2027, told the Merionite: "My laptop went from a tool to a brick."
The federal case is pending in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
