Bonnie Kallis, 67, of Crawfordsville is seeking a North Montgomery School Board seat.
The retired middle school teacher and mother of three is affliated with the American Solidarity Party. Her memberships include: volunteer with the Indiana AID, St. Stephen Orthodox Church and past fellow and teacher consultant for the National Writing Project.
“Education is consistently changing and evolving, and our current era is no different,” Kallis said in her written position statement. “Today, more and more Hoosier parents are opting out of the public school model and choosing homeschooling or even unschooling. But these options are not available to every family — public schools are essential for the education of all our citizens.
“In my conversations with North Montgomery families, two factors stand out — bullying and screens. Since COVID, computers have become a dominant feature of classroom instruction — even the youngest students carry tablets to and from school daily. Is this the ideal way to educate children? Many parents say no.”
Furthermore, Kallis cites social psychologist Jonathan Haidt, author of “The Anxious Generation.” He argues that rising screen time, paired with declining face-to-face interaction, has fueled an epidemic of anxiety and depression — particularly as children reach adolescence. His research has helped drive the growing movement toward phone-free schools.
“Kids need time to interact with their environment and with each other,” Kallis states. “That is how they develop the social skills that prevent bullying and build genuine human bonds. The technological arms race in our classrooms has hurt attention spans and increased student anxiety. I advocate for a human-first approach — where technology supplements, but never replaces, hands-on learning and face-to-face mentorship.
“Beyond screens, I believe our schools should cultivate the whole person, offering civic virtue and the arts alongside core academics, and building a school culture emphasizing intelligent friendship — the kind of deep, face-to-face connection that protects our children from isolation and prepares them to be good neighbors and citizens.
“Our students cannot learn if they are in crisis. I will work to make North Montgomery schools a sanctuary — safe, human-focused, and worthy of the communities they serve.”
