Haddonfield district to develop K–5 teacher guidance after presentation on classroom screen time

Assistant Superintendent Dr. Priolo told the Haddonfield School Board on June 4 that the presentation delivered a data baseline on K–5 ed‑tech use and that the district will use the summer to draft teacher guidance for the 2026–27 school year.

“Tonight is kind of the baseline. This is where we are,” Dr. Priolo said, framing the presentation’s purpose as diagnostic rather than prescriptive. He explained the district separated “core” curriculum programs (board‑approved instructional programs such as Lexia and I‑Ready) from productivity tools (Google Docs, slide tools) and described intended limits by grade: district estimates ranged from about 14 minutes per day in kindergarten to roughly 52 minutes per day in grade 5 for core‑program screen time (the presentation reported about 262 minutes per week for grade 5 when aggregated).

Dr. Priolo said the next steps are to convene teacher focus groups this summer, seek parent feedback and present an initial teacher‑guidance document for board review in July. The guidance will include not‑to‑exceed daily screen‑time recommendations by grade, recommended classroom practices for hand‑writing versus typing, and a clearer policy on whether Chromebooks should routinely leave school.

Those proposals follow data the district displayed on student benchmarks and program usage. The presentation cited local and national measures — including reported improvements tied to specific programs — and stressed that the district intends ed‑tech to “supplement rather than replace high‑quality human instruction.”

Public commenters urged a faster or firmer response. Conor McArthur, a local parent and co‑founder of DBT Labs, said he was “encouraged by the direction” but asked for stronger classroom limits and clearer purposive use. Lauren Zonies, representing a local chapter of Schools Beyond Screens, asked to be included in focus groups and said parents report unmonitored Chromebook access during indoor recess and other non‑instructional periods. Several parents asked whether a full opt‑out from Chromebook use for homework would be considered.

District staff told the board they currently lack the reporting tools to isolate in‑school device usage precisely and that limiting take‑home devices could improve fidelity of classroom telemetry; staff noted such technical enhancements would carry additional cost. Dr. Priolo said the district will balance data, research and community values when finalizing recommendations and indicated the July board meeting will present an initial draft for public review.

The board did not adopt policy language at the meeting; it approved a schedule for summer focus groups, continuation of data analysis, and planned presentation of draft guidance to the board in late July.