Seven parents in a Philadelphia suburb sued their school district in federal court for not allowing families to opt their children out of using the internet. This is a new phase of the 'techlash'. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Associated Press.

Parents pushing back against technology in the classroom have so far directed their anger toward major corporations like Google and Curriculum Associates, the company behind the widely used i-Ready platform. But the 'techlash' took a turn last week when seven parents in a Philadelphia suburb sued their school district in federal court for not allowing families to opt their children out of using the internet.

The 8,500-student Lower Merion School District adopted a new technology policy Aug. 17 that limits the use of devices in elementary school and doesn't assign laptops or iPads to students until they're in fifth grade. The policy tries to strike a balance between recognizing that 'families have different perspectives on student access to technology,' while still 'maximizing the educational value of technology resources.' But in June, the board repealed a longstanding policy that allowed parents to refuse internet-connected devices for their kids.

Citing research on the addictive nature of online sites and the harmful effects of social media, the parents accuse the district, Superintendent Frank Ranelli and seven board members of creating 'an environment that is unhealthy, unsafe and invasive for students.' The complaint argues that the policy denies parents' rights to make decisions about their children's 'upbringing and education' and puts kids at risk of accessing online pornography and violent videos. One child, according to the lawsuit, began 'compulsively playing an online poker game on his school device.'

In a statement, the district said it 'denies the allegations and will respond further through the judicial process.' But officials also noted that not all of the parents have students in the district. Of the seven families bringing the lawsuit, just three have students still enrolled. The rest have children described as 'eligible to attend' this fall. One family enrolled their kids in a private school, according to the complaint.

The case is the latest move by the EdTech Law Center, led by a husband and wife legal team in Texas, to force districts to significantly restrict internet use. Andrew and Julie Liddell, who are working with a Philadelphia firm representing the parents, also have several active cases against ed tech vendors, including IXL, an online learning platform, and PowerSchool, a student information system. In a statement, Andrew Liddell said he believes the case 'is the first of its kind.' It's not typical, experts say, for disputes between parents and districts over tech use to end up in court.

'This is an unusual lawsuit,' said Stacy Hawthorne, board chair for the Consortium for School Networking, a professional organization. It's difficult, she said, to bring a constitutional challenge over a school board's policymaking authority. 'Courts generally have not given individual families a veto over a district's instructional or technology policies.'

The lawsuit comes about a week after Education Secretary Linda McMahon said during a CNN interview that parents should have the right to request something different if they think an ed tech tool, especially one using artificial intelligence, is not right for their child. During an interview with CNN's Dana Bash Aug. 23, Education Secretary Linda McMahon said she's opposed to allowing students to have 'recreational screen time' at school.

In response to parents' concerns and warnings from researchers about the effects of too much screen time, several states are limiting the use of devices. Last week, New York lawmakers introduced legislation that would make paper-and-pencil tasks the predominant means of instruction in elementary school.