Editor's Note: The following Letter to the Editor was submitted by verified Highline Public Schools parent Lauren Schmidt

Highline Public Schools has put a $48 million tech levy (Prop 2) on the ballot this November. At the same time, district leadership has avoided adopting a cell phone policy, refused to acknowledge critical issues in its early literacy program[1], and consistently missed academic targets that were already set shockingly low[2]. Voters should ask: why trust our district leaders with more money when they can’t even deliver on these basic policies?

Highline leadership has had two years to put together a cell phone policy[3] and yet they are still “waiting to see what comes from the state to help inform next steps.” When 69% of districts[4] and all our neighboring districts[5] have cell phone policies, it is unacceptable to push this burden onto individual schools and educators. This is not leadership; it is inaction. We need clear, evidence-based policies for current classroom technology before taxpayers are asked to fund more. These should include:

  • Setting clear, age-appropriate proposals on technology use by grade band.
  • Policies to protect student data privacy.
  • Elimination of advertising and access to inappropriate content (YouTube) within educational apps for students.[6]

When parents raise issues around academics, safety, and school leadership decisions, the district should be able to respond honestly and with transparency. Supporting our public schools does not mean funding them with zero accountability. True loyalty requires high expectations and honest scrutiny, not blind devotion. 

And since the district has decided to "wait and see" on basic policies like cell phones, voters can also "wait and see" if the district can commit to real policy changes for tech and academics before approving more funding.

References:

  1. Highline’s ELA program, ARC Core, and associated leveled assessment, the IRLA, was built around balanced literacy principles and three-cueing in kindergarten and 1st grade. The district has made no public policy changes or announced any plans regarding changes to early literacy and its ELA program, despite a formal complaint that was filed last year.
  2. Highline’s Strategic Plan goals for ELA and Math are that 60% and 55% of students show 1 year of growth. This is the same as assuming 40% and 45% of students will not make a year of growth, and will thus fall behind. And for students already behind, 1 year of growth does not get them to grade-level. The district still failed to meet these targets for the past 3 years. The strategic plan goals were renewed in June 2026, with no attention raised around this issue.
  3. OSPI issued guidance in August 2024 for all districts to develop cell phone policies by the fall of 2025.
  4. Per OSPI, 31% of responding school districts do not have a policy in place.
  5. Seattle, Tukwila, Federal Way, Renton, and Kent all have district-level cell phone policies in place.
  6. These are all goals set by DC Schools Beyond Screens, which is a District-based group of parents and educators working to reduce screen use in DCPS.

Note From the Editor: Letters to the Editor reflect the views of their authors and do not necessarily represent the opinions of The Highline Journal. To submit a letter, article, story idea, or photo for consideration, email info@thehighlinejournal.com.

Share this article
The link has been copied!