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St Clair County Schools expands elementary 'No Tech Tuesdays' pilot to reduce screen time
Summary
Elementary staff reported a pilot to limit in-school screen time on Tuesdays, citing attention-span and mental-health concerns; the board discussed reducing 1:1 devices for K–4 to shared grade-level sets while maintaining devices for upper elementary and secondary grades.
Staff presented and the board discussed an elementary pilot called "No Tech Tuesdays," in which teachers put away individual Chromebooks for at least one day per week and rely on low-tech strategies such as flashcards and paper-and-pencil activities.
A staff member described the pilot as teacher-driven and designed to address concerns about student attention spans and mental health related to excessive screen time. "We put our Chromebooks away, and we're going old school and we're getting out flashcards and paper pencil tasks," the staff member said.
Board discussion covered how the pilot might scale: administrators said they are considering moving away from a 1:1 device model in grades K–4 and instead using grade-level device sets that teachers can reserve for lessons and testing, while continuing devices in grades 5–6 and at the high school level to prepare older students for secondary expectations.
A high-school representative noted the high school will not adopt 'No Tech Tuesdays' at this time, citing past student-behavior incidents associated with other scheduling proposals. Board members said the elementary pilot will be monitored and adjusted based on teacher feedback and student outcomes.
Next steps: staff will monitor the pilot, collect teacher feedback and return updates to the board as the district plans registration and curricular alignment for the next school year.
