Education Week - February 7, 2024 - 2

200-Plus Districts
Sue Social Media
Companies
More than 200 school districts have now sued major
social media companies over the youth mental health
crisis.
What started as a single lawsuit filed by Seattle
public schools a year ago has morphed into an all-out
offensive against the social media platforms that adolescents
spend multiple hours a day using.
It is still the early stages of this legal saga, but experts
say it could prove to be highly consequential for K-12
education-win, lose, or settle.
" Most of these [lawsuits] are as much about legal
success as they are about shaping issues and winning
in the court of public opinion, " said Chris Thomas, an
assistant professor of educational leadership and policy
at the University of Florida. " That is part of the strategy
around the lawsuits, even if they have tough hills
to climb legally. "
The plaintiffs represent a diverse swath of districts
from California to Pennsylvania, united in what they say
is a mental health crisis largely driven by social media.
In a nutshell, the lawsuits allege that social media
companies have designed highly addictive products
that are harmful to mental health and that they have
marketed them to youth who are in a developmental
stage that makes them uniquely susceptible to manipulation.
Those practices, critics of social media companies
argue, come at a time when school districts have
been forced to devote substantial resources to addressing
students' deteriorating mental health. Many of the
lawsuits are asking for money and for social media
companies to change their practices-such as the design
of their algorithms.
Social media is making students more anxious and depressed,
and causing them to act out, said Nancy Magee,
the San Mateo County superintendent of schools in California,
which oversees 23 local school districts south of
San Francisco. It's been a significant drain on school
resources, Magee said. The San Mateo County school
board filed a lawsuit against the companies that own
YouTube, Snapchat, and TikTok in March 2023.
San Mateo schools have had to hire more staff and
provide special training in addition to just having to
devote more time during the school day to addressing
behavioral problems.
" It can manifest as a student who is sleeping in class a
lot-you may find that the kid is gaming all night along
and in an addictive pattern for gaming-to conflicts
that happen among students because there is bullying
going on in social media platforms, " Magee said.
Here Are the Four Finalists
For National Teacher of the Year
A science teacher in Alaska who encourages students to
become stewards of natural resources. A music technology
teacher in Georgia who teaches students how to create podcasts.
An English-as-a-second-language teacher in Tennessee
who builds bridges between cultures. A history teacher in New
Jersey who guides his students to research and celebrate their
own identities.
These are the finalists for the 2024 National Teacher of the
Year, the top national honor for teaching.
The Council of Chief State Schools Officers last month announced
these top contenders for the national award, which
honors teachers for their work inside and outside the classroom.
The four educators were selected from a pool of 55 state
teachers of the year, representing states, territories, the District
of Columbia, and the Department of Defense Education
Activity.
The winner will be granted a yearlong sabbatical to represent the
profession and advocate for an issue of choice. The finalists are:
* Joe Nappi, a high school history teacher in Tinton Falls, N.J.;
* Missy Testerman, an English-as-a-second-language specialist
and program director in Rogersville, Tenn.;
* Christy Todd, a middle school music technology teacher in
Fayetteville, Ga.; and
* Catherine Walker, a science and career and technical education
teacher in Anchorage, Alaska.
" Teachers nationwide have met the moment by responding
to students' individual needs in the face of myriad challenges
from recent years to ensure students succeed, " said CCSSO
chief executive officer Carissa Moffat Miller. " From rural Appalachia
to the glacial slope of Alaska, these finalists represent
the best of infusing creative approaches and building excitement
for learning by students of teachers across the country
whom CCSSO is honored to celebrate through the National
Teacher of the Year Program. "
A selection committee, made up of 16 representatives from
education groups, chose the finalists based on their written
applications, and will pick a national winner this spring based
on interviews with each of the finalists. Typically, the national
winner and the other state teachers of the year are honored in
a White House ceremony in the spring.
On Strike
Teachers on strike
in Newton, Mass., rally
alongside supporters
on Jan. 30, 2024,
outside Newton
City Hall. Contract
negotiations between
the local teachers'
union and the city's
school committee
were continuing as
of the end of January,
while students who live
in the Boston suburb
missed multiple days
of school.
White House to Principals:
Talk About Gun Safety With Your Communities
Can principals play a larger role in the divisive debates over
access to firearms and gun safety? The Biden administration
thinks so.
" We cannot come to you with unrealistic expectations. But
as a principal, you have the unique ability to communicate
with the school community. You are the messenger, " Education
Secretary Miguel Cardona said at a White House town
hall event late last month. His remarks, delivered to a roomful
of school principals, could have applied to any number of topics,
like academic recovery, behavior management, or school
improvement. But the focus was squarely on principals' roles
as guardians, and their sobering duty to keep kids safe.
Cardona, who was joined by first lady Jill Biden, urged principals
to leverage their role as leaders in their communities
to spark a conversation with parents about safe firearms storage.
The White House also released resources to help principals,
including a letter template addressed to parents with tips
about storing ammunition and trigger locks.
Over a third of gun-owning parents don't lock up their firearms,
and another third store their firearms loaded, according to a surBRIEFLY
STATED CONTRIBUTORS: Olina Banerji, Mark Lieberman, Arianna Prothero, and Madeline Will. Edited by Lesli A. Maxwell.
2 | EDUCATION WEEK | February 7, 2024 | www.edweek.org
vey conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation. Guns acquired
from home or homes of relatives and friends, the officials said,
make up 70 to 90 percent of the guns used in school shootings,
unintentional shootings, and youth firearm suicides.
Greg Johnson, the principal of West Liberty-Salem High
School in Champaign County, Ohio, has experienced a shooting
in his school-a 2017 incident in which he and a colleague
talked down a student shooter who'd already critically injured
a fellow student. He said he supports the Biden administration's
efforts but acknowledged that any conversation involving
guns can be a sensitive one.
" People in my own community have different opinions on
gun reform, " he said. " But we have to find common ground to
make kids safer. The topic of gun storage is a step in that direction.
It can still be a divisive topic but I hope we don't avoid it. "
Steven Senne/AP

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Education Week - February 7, 2024

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