Parents of a Philadelphia school district have rallied together to get pencils back in their children’s hands and writing on paper again after seeing the damage of learning on Chromebooks.

At least 200 parents of the Lower Merion School District (LMSD) have signed an ongoing petition to opt their children out of a one-to-one electronic device program, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

The petition claimed several teachers at LMSD support the refusal of technology-based learning after seeing the harms of devices such as Chromebooks, iPads, and MacBooks cause in real time.

Technology can harm students by distracting them, exposing them to cyberbullying and inappropriate online content and weakening their socialization skills, the complaint noted.

Despite concerns, administrators said that children can’t opt out of having a computer, according to the outlet.

‘We can’t have a room for 20, 30 kids that want to opt out, and the rest of the school is operating differently,’ Superintendent Frank Ranelli said at a policy committee meeting on Monday.

‘Public schools are not just an open forum for whatever any kid needs that does not have an IEP,’ said the superintendent, referring to individualized educational programs.

Administrators are also planning to revise a policy that frustrated parents are asking them to enforce.

The petition seeks that the district honor Administrative Regulation 137.

‘Policy 137 makes clear that if a parent or student declines to participate in the 1:1 Electronic Device Initiative by refusing to sign the device agreement, the building principal is responsible for making accommodations so that the student’s education is not adversely affected,’ reads the petition.

However, Megan Shafer, Lower Merion’s assistant to the superintendent for district administration, told the inquirer that the policy is outdated.

Shafer said that the rule was implemented 15 years ago when the district first introduced one-to-one devices.

It was an option for parents who did not want their child to have a computer, but ‘it’s simply not an ability we have any longer, to say there would be an equivalent experience for a child that opts out,’ said assistant to the superintendent.

She added that the updated policy ‘will need to be adjusted to reflect the current status of how we deliver curriculum and instruction in our classrooms.’

The petition also requested the school to ‘offer an equal and meaningful lower tech or device reduced educational option for interested students,’ as well as, ‘hold a follow-up community meeting to discuss next steps, including how LMSD can support families seeking to opt out of 1:1 devices.’

Yair Lev, a parent who started the petition, told the Inquirer that parents won’t let the district say no.

‘We know the current situation with Chromebooks and sending them home is detrimental to our children,’ Lev said.

‘By September, we will opt out. It’s not about if they say no. It’s happening.’

LMSD recently voted to purchase iReady, a math curriculum that includes physical books as well as a digital component.

The Daily Mail has reached out to the Lower Merion School District for commen