Template · Make your ask
Letter to the editor
When to use this
Local papers often limit letters to around 200 to 250 words. Check your paper's rules and word limit before you send. Timely letters, tied to an upcoming board vote or a recent article, are more likely to run.
About 10 minutes to personalize
Template text
[Highlighted] text is yours to fill in.
Headline suggestion: Let our youngest students learn by hand
To the editor:
[Hook tied to the news, for example: As the [District name] school board prepares to discuss technology policy on [date], I hope members will think about what our youngest students need most.]
I'm the parent of a [grade] grader at [school]. Like many families, I've watched screens become a common way to teach reading and math, sometimes starting in kindergarten. Teachers aren't to blame. Many are required to assign a set amount of time on learning apps.
Technology has a place in school. Kids should learn to type, research, and stay safe online, ideally in a class built for that. But research gives reason for care. Across dozens of studies, students tend to understand what they read somewhat better on paper than on screens. That doesn't mean every screen is harmful. It means paper, books, and hands-on work should be the default for core learning.
Other Oregon districts are acting. Medford is reducing devices in the earliest grades, and Lake Oswego is keeping elementary devices at school.
I urge the board to [your ask], while fully protecting assistive technology and accommodations for students who need them.
[Your name]
[City]
Keep the accessibility line. This request never applies to assistive technology, AAC devices, or accommodations under IEP and 504 plans.
Tips
- One idea per letter. Save the rest for the next one.
- Include your full name, city, and phone number for verification. Papers won't print anonymous letters.
- Ask two or three other parents to send their own letters in the following weeks, each in their own words.