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Broward school board approves parental access to in-class ‘screen time’ data, schedules AI policy workshop
Summary
The School Board of Broward County approved two related items to give parents access to aggregated information about students’ in-school screen time and to advance district AI and digital-use guidelines, with staff planning workshops in June to roll out privacy, ethical and implementation details.
The School Board of Broward County on April 7 approved two measures that will give parents dashboard access to information on how much time students spend on district devices and advance a districtwide set of policies and trainings on artificial intelligence and digital use.
Board members unanimously passed item B1, a broader technology and AI framework, and B2, which directs staff to provide parents with access to aggregated screen-time data used in classrooms. Superintendent Dr. Howard Hepburn said staff plan a two-part rollout in mid‑summer, including a June workshop and a June 16 presentation to the board outlining policy considerations and implementation timelines.
“Parents will be able to see how screen time is being used,” Trey Davis, the district’s chief information officer, told the board, explaining the district’s LineWise/ClassWise toolset and a parent dashboard option the team is evaluating. “We can denote screen time used on our network and provide aggregated data on application usage.”
Board members pressed staff on what the raw numbers would mean and on how the district would distinguish between instructional time and testing. “If you see four hours on a device, what does four hours mean?” Board member Rebecca Thompson asked. Davis and other administrators said staff will prepare explanatory materials and an implementation plan so families can interpret the figures.
The district also confirmed plans for broader AI and digital guidance. Dr. Kohn and other academic leaders said the June workshops will include recommended ethical-use policies, teacher training, age-appropriate guidance and parent tracks. “We will roll out a major teacher convening and a parent track on AI in early June,” Dr. Kohn told the board.
Supporters said the measures are intended to improve transparency and parental engagement without restricting teachers’ use of technology. Some board members asked staff to return a clear action plan and budget implications; administrators said they will return with cost estimates and pilot data ahead of school-year rollout.
The board’s approval came after multiple public speakers raised concerns about young students’ screen time and testing pressures. The superintendent said the aim is to provide parents useful context—not to institute blanket restrictions—while the district develops age‑appropriate curricula and ethical safeguards.
What’s next: staff will present implementation details at a June workshop, including sample dashboards and the district’s plan to separate instructional, testing and noninstructional screen time for parent review.
