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Board debates draft screen-time limits, asks administration to refine Section 4
Summary
Committee reviewed a draft screen-time policy aiming to limit daily device time and restore physical textbooks; members requested an administrative rewrite of specific time limits and a technology audit linking platforms to student outcomes.
The policy review committee discussed a draft policy that would set limits on student screen time and encourage reinvestment in physical textbooks and core instructional materials. General Counsel Madalena Gupta described the draft as part of a wider conversation around technology, learning, and literacy.
Chair Alfred Sheree Brooks said the policy is intended to protect literacy and the learning environment, noting he is open to refinement of specific time limits. "I want this policy to give some parameters... I also don't want us to dig too deep. I would like to have flexibility for administration to do what they do best," Brooks said, adding that he favored developmental distinctions (for example, different guidance for K–2, 3–5, and secondary grades).
Board members raised several approaches including daily minutes per grade band, weekly aggregates, and percentage-of-class proposals. A student representative, Brooke Smith, suggested setting class-percentage targets (for example, 30% of a 90-minute class), and members asked administration to conduct a tech-audit to map platforms to student outcomes before the policy is finalized.
Because Section 4 (specific time limits) drew extensive questions about operational feasibility and unintended consequences for scheduling and testing, the committee asked administration to take Section 4 back for reworking and agreed to continue the conversation at a future policy meeting.
