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Board approves $165,400 Chromebook purchase over trustee objections about screen time
Summary
The board approved a $165,400 purchase of student Chromebooks for 2026–27, 4–1, after IT staff said newer devices support security and state testing; one trustee opposed citing concerns about elementary screen time.
The Rockport-Fulton ISD board approved the purchase of student Chromebooks for the 2026–27 school year March 19 by a 4–1 vote.
IT presenter Sina Smith told trustees the purchase is part of the district’s refresh plan to maintain device health, ensure network security and support online state testing. "This helps us ensure that the devices are secure on our network with our filtering systems ... and also these devices support all the testing around the district that we do," Smith said.
Trustees asked about students bypassing filters and accessing inappropriate content. IT staff explained that maintaining current device models is important to support security tools, monitoring dashboards and remote management; teachers are also expected to monitor student activity.
Trustee Burton moved to approve the purchase totaling $165,400; Trustee Ramos seconded. Trustee Jack (recorded in the meeting as opposing) questioned the return on investment and raised concerns about screen time for elementary students, saying "there is data out there that shows screens in the classroom are detrimental at the elementary level." Dr. Austin and other trustees acknowledged the concern but noted state testing requirements and district plans to limit non-instructional screen time at lower grade levels.
Vote: motion carried 4–1.
What’s next: The district will implement the device roll-out and continue to use monitoring tools and teacher oversight to manage student device use.
