Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Technology In Schools topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Parents demand tighter Chromebook controls; district points to screen-time committee work
Summary
Multiple parents urged Williamson County Schools to limit Chromebook functions and block open browsers for younger students, while the superintendent described a year-long committee that recommends narrower, instructional-only device use and next steps for training and monitoring.
Parents told the board May 18 that Chromebooks and classroom internet access are exposing young students to sexualized content, nonconsensual photos and other inappropriate material and called for stricter controls or an opt-out for families.
"There is an ever expanding body of data showing that these devices actually hinder learning instead of helping it," parent Ally Lipsey said, describing incidents in which a five-year-old received images and other students used device cameras to take nonconsensual photos. Lipsey asked the district to limit early-grade device access to a small set of evidence-based apps and to provide a formal opt-out option if the district cannot guarantee safety.
Another parent, Jackie Tularmaris, urged a strict "away-for-the-day" cell-phone policy and described students using proxy sites and VPNs to bypass filters. She also warned that easy access to AI tools is undermining academic integrity.
Superintendent Jason Golden said a screen-time committee has worked for more than a year and recommended guidance emphasizing that technology be used "only when it enhances student learning." Golden said the district has already stopped sending devices home with the youngest students, plans professional-development for principals and teachers, and expects the committee to continue providing feedback; he also said the district may recommend a policy that goes further than recent state legislation for K'0 guidance.
District staff (Dr. Allen) described plans to monitor progress by tracking real-time student screen time data in the fall and to include training during district professional-development days. The administration said the committee will remain active and report at least twice a year.
What happens next: The board will consider a formal policy informed by the committee's guidance; administrators said training and monitoring plans will be part of implementation and that the district will take additional family feedback.
