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Trustees debate Chromebook use, e-learning minutes and digital-literacy standards
Summary
District academic leaders reviewed e-learning requirements, digital-literacy standards and Chromebook usage data; trustees and parents raised concerns about screen time, keyboarding instruction, accessibility for special-needs students and unmonitored AI tools.
Lexington County School District Five officials reviewed the district’s instructional-technology practices and state e-learning requirements at the Aug. 25 board meeting, prompting questions from trustees and parents about device use, keyboarding instruction and artificial-intelligence access.
Chief Academics Officer Tina McCaskill described state requirements for e-learning days, saying instruction must provide a minimum of 200 minutes of direct instruction (video, audio or live meetings) and additional engagement time by grade: 130 minutes for K–8 and 260 minutes for grades 9–12. She also called trustees’ attention to the South Carolina Computer Science and Digital Literacy Standards and emphasized that digital literacy should be “authentically intertwined into instruction.”
McCaskill said district Chromebook-usage analytics show an average of 21 minutes per day in elementary classrooms and 48 minutes in secondary classrooms, and she demonstrated a parental analytics tab that shows which resources students used and how long they were active.
Trustees and parents voiced concerns about young children’s device time, handwriting and keyboarding skills. Trustee Miss Huddle and others said they worried kindergarten and early-grade students had not been taught structured keyboarding; several trustees asked whether keyboarding instruction or dedicated lab time could be restored. McCaskill said schools offer weekly related-arts sessions and support staff who provide keyboarding practice, and that some schools use touch-screen Chromebooks or iPads for special-needs students under IEP decisions.
On AI and third-party tools, a parent asked whether ChatGPT is blocked. McCaskill said the district does not currently block ChatGPT but could monitor usage. Trustees discussed practical limits on device use and the need to limit distractions (elementary YouTube access has been restricted). Board members asked administration to continue monitoring classroom device use, keyboarding instruction and accessibility for students with special needs.
