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New Berlin board tables student screen‑time dashboard, will pursue pilot and board goal instead
Summary
After questions about cost, teacher impact and vendor functionality, the board rescinded immediate approval of a screen‑time dashboard policy and directed the administration to pilot the dashboard with Securly and return with a revised recommendation as a board goal.
The Board of Education discussed a proposed student screen‑time dashboard intended to track screen time on district‑issued devices and provide parents with insights. Board members raised concerns about vendor functionality, cost estimates and classroom impacts; the board voted to rescind immediate approval and to pursue the initiative as a board goal with a pilot instead.
A board member explained the proposal would allow the administration to systematically track screen time and provide parents with optional notification thresholds. The presentation noted the district already subscribes to Securly (veil/Reveal modules) and that Securly is developing a parent dashboard product. A vendor synopsis cited an estimated high‑end cost of about $55 per student, though presenters said final pilot costs are undetermined.
Board members asked practical questions: who the vendor is (Securly), whether the district had collaborated internally on the proposal, how custom parent notifications would affect teachers if parents set different daily thresholds, and whether the dashboard could distinguish device use by class or location. Administration said Reveal can drill into screen time by time of day and class and that more granular reporting may be possible, but the parent dashboard is still in development.
Several board members supported the concept as a transparency tool for parents; others worried about teacher burden and the need to define baseline expectations to avoid hundreds of individualized alerts. The administration recommended piloting the dashboard and working with Securly to develop functionality and usability before adopting policy. A motion to rescind the policy-as-presented and to incorporate the work into upcoming board goal setting passed; the administration will return with a revised proposal and possible pilot arrangements.
What comes next: the administration will explore pilot opportunities with Securly, seek to define costs and implementation timelines, and present a refined recommendation for board goal-setting or policy consideration at a future meeting.
