The pilot program is set to begin Monday and is designed to help students get a good night's sleep by taking a break from technology between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.
"We think it's going to be beneficial for our students and their families," said James Cassidy, District 153′s administrator of instructional technology.
The district notified families of its Internet Pause program this week, emailing families of about 1,200 students in third through eighth grades. Someone shared a screenshot of the message in a social media group and prompted a range of reactions.
"For my junior high daughter, I think it's awesome," a mother wrote. "We generally make her do her homework when she gets home from school. That way she can have her evenings relaxing."
Initially, some parents failed to grasp that the policy only affected younger children in elementary and middle schools. Some parents of older teens mistakenly believed the policy would affect students at Homewood-Flossmoor High School.
Some protested that many high school students work part-time jobs after school and would be challenged to complete their schoolwork by 10 p.m. Other parents clarified that the policy would only affect younger children.
Some parents said their younger children participate in youth sports and other after-school activities and occasionally need Internet access past 10 p.m. to finish homework. Many kids spend afternoons and early evenings at games, practices and other events.
"They get home (and) need to eat and shower and finally do homework," a parent wrote. "It's very rare they get their homework done before 10 p.m."
Student-athletes shouldn't be "punished" by having their late-night Internet access taken away, some said.
"Some of our kids need sports to help relieve some of the stresses and build up of energy throughout the day," another parent wrote.
Some parents sounded as if the overnight restriction on Internet access to district issued laptops was an infringement upon personal freedom. Others disagreed.
"'Sports obligations are a priority,' said no teacher ever," a parent wrote. "Sports or other extracurricular activities are not a valid excuse."
Several agreed parents should require younger children to turn off electronic devices for eight hours a night, especially on school nights.
"It is reasonable to believe that students should be done with their school related activities and tasks by 10 p.m. each night," a mother posted.
District 153 communications director Shelley Peck said the district would seek feedback from parents when the pilot program wraps up in late May.
"What we really want to do is promote healthy learning habits," she said. "Getting a good night's sleep is a very important factor in how our students perform."
Sleep deprivation can negatively affect health, especially among younger children.
"Teachers see it," Peck said. "Kids come in, they haven't had a good night's sleep and they're falling asleep at their desks."
Some parents in the online discussion noted that the district was restricting access to devices that should only be used for school work. Families were free to buy laptops, tablets and phones for kids and allow them to unrestricted access to personal devices, some said.
District 153 representatives said they were eager to test enhanced features that came with newly acquired Internet filters this year.
"It's just a pilot program," Cassidy said. "We want to do it for the last seven or eight weeks of school to get some feedback and see if it's something that's going to be beneficial and something our community wants."
I think the pilot program sounds like a great idea. The program offers a range of opportunities for children to learn lessons that have nothing to do with technology.
For starters, there's nothing like a deadline to motivate people. The need to finish homework by 10 p.m. ought to inspire procrastinators to begin their assignments earlier. The Internet Pause program may teach some children about self-discipline and time management.
This lesson has real-world applications that will benefit children well into adulthood. When they become adults in a few years, today's kids are going to have to file their income taxes by April 15 every year. They'll have to renew driver's licenses and pay bills on time or face penalties or other consequences.
Uncle Sam is not going to buy the excuse that you couldn't file your taxes on time because you had a ballgame or gymnastics tournament. The sooner kids learn that, the better.
Perhaps more importantly, the policy addresses the notion of balance. Children — and adults — need to devote time every day for work, play and rest. We all make choices about how to use the time we have.
Time is a precious commodity. You can never get it back once it's gone. We should all spend time every day getting sufficient amounts of sleep, exercising, eating well and doing other healthy habits.
Many adults compulsively check emails and other messages on work-issued devices during odd hours of the night. American employees in particular seem conditioned to accept unreasonable productivity expectations. For many, the work-life balance is out of whack.
District 153′s Internet Pause program seems like a good opportunity to teach children about how to use their time wisely.
Ted Slowik is a columnist with the Daily Southtown.
©2022 The Daily Southtown (Tinley Park, Ill.). Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
