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Parkway teacher urges board to fund classroom management tools to limit Chromebook distraction
Summary
A Parkway orchestra teacher told the board Chromebooks have become a major classroom distraction and urged funding for teacher‑control/classroom‑management software used by neighboring districts.
Clay McKenna, an orchestra teacher at Central Middle and a Parkway resident, used public comment time on June 10 to urge the board to fund software that would give teachers real‑time oversight and control of student Chromebook screens.
McKenna said Chromebooks “have become the ultimate distraction” for middle‑school students and argued that tools already exist to let teachers intervene in the moment. He named classroom‑management products in use in neighboring districts and said the district already uses two filtering/security services that offer classroom‑management modules. “I implore the board to approve and fund better tools for oversight and teacher control of Chromebook screens,” he said.
Why it matters: McKenna framed the request as both pedagogical and behavioral — he said teachers need the ability to address misuse in‑the‑moment rather than relying on punitive after‑the‑fact responses. He cautioned that removing devices would also remove a large portion of the curriculum and presented the software option as a way to preserve instructional access while reducing off‑task behavior.
Board staff did not take an immediate vote; McKenna’s comment was entered into the record during public comment and the item was noted by the administration for follow up with appropriate departments.
