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Parents, teachers and a student urge Chesterfield school board to curb classroom screen time
Summary
Dozens of parents, teachers and a student pressed the Chesterfield County School Board to restrict Chromebook use in early grades, present an edtech review process and block noninstructional sites; the superintendent said a work group will meet to explore policy changes.
Dozens of parents, teachers and students told the Chesterfield County School Board on June 2 that classroom screen time has gone too far and asked the district to adopt concrete limits for younger learners.
At public comment, Amber Rhodess, a former teacher and parent who organized a petition of 1,000 signers from every district, asked the board for five immediate steps: stop issuing personal devices in pre-K through second grade; block YouTube, gaming and social media on student accounts; ban screens during unstructured time (recess, lunch, passing periods); expand professional learning on developmentally appropriate technology; and create a parent–teacher edtech review committee. “We’re not asking you to study it or to start thinking about it. We’re asking you to act,” Rhodess said.
The student speaker, sixth grader Will Anger, described daily barriers to access at his middle school and asked for modest, practical fixes. “Waiting and needing an adult to operate the lift has caused me many delays and is an inconvenience to teachers and aids,” he said, urging unsupervised stair-lift access testing and more curb ramps and cafeteria seating for wheelchair users.
Other speakers linked device use to academic and social harms. Jonathan Maring said his son, a rising first grader, told him he looked forward to “playing video games on his school-issued Chromebook.” Emily Matus, a parent with students across elementary and middle grades, cited national studies and urged the district to “return to physical textbooks, paper notebooks, and face-to-face instruction.” Several teachers and a child psychiatrist who addressed the board asked for enforceable, grade-level limits and independent review of edtech products.
Board members and Superintendent Dr. Michael Murray acknowledged the concerns and described next steps. Murray said he had met with petition organizers and that a work group would convene “early next week” to review evidence and identify district responses. “If technology is not enhancing and furthering what the tangible cannot do, then we shouldn’t be substituting the tangible for a digital replacement,” Murray said.
The board did not take a vote on a districtwide screen-time policy at the meeting. Members encouraged additional community input and follow-up discussions with staff; Dr. Murray and the board said they will report back after the work group meets.
What’s next: the superintendent said the work group will meet shortly and that the administration will bring recommendations to the board for consideration in the coming months.
