Madison County School Board members have approved a policy limiting screentime in the classroom.
In May, former student school board representative and now graduated senior Ryleigh Gordon presented her Blue Ridge Virginia Governor’s School project regarding the effects of screen use on primary school students. Gordon defined screentime as anytime students were independent using any type of screen or electronic device on their own time. She did not include teachers using screens as teaching tools. The World Health Organization, Gordon said, recommends 60 minutes of healthy screen use per day. Anything over is considered to be unhealthy. Gordon focused on physical, emotional, social and mental effects of screen use. She found that students who exceed healthy screen use times have more physical and mental issues such as immobility and reading levels decreasing. Utilizing a Google form in which teachers filled out how much time students spent on a device, Gordon found the average screen use was 68 minutes.
The project prompted a large conversation on screentime in classrooms. Board member Chris Wingate said he was interested in developing a policy regarding screentime in the classroom. A draft policy was presented in July. That draft was then approved, with some tweaks, during Monday’s board meeting.
The policy limits screentime to 40 minutes per the school day for students in pre-K through second grade. Originally, the draft policy limited screentime to 20 minutes per school or one hour per week. The policy also states that screentime for students in those grades should be limited to activities directly aligned with the Virginia Computer Science standards and may also be used to support the development of foundational core content skills. Teachers are encouraged to use live demonstration and teacher-led modeling in place of individual student devices. Students in pre-K through second grades have individually assigned devices, but don’t take them home and should work in shared stations. This shouldn’t prohibit students to work at individual instructional levels on individual assignments as needed.
Students in third through fifth grade are limited to 45 minutes of screentime per day or 225 minutes per week, excluding time spent on writing assignments. That limit increases to 20 minutes per class with usage adjusted based on needs, not to exceed 100 minutes per class total per week. Originally, the draft limited screentime in middle school to 90 minutes per day or 450 minutes per week in grades six through eight, with collaboration and coordination among teachers to not exceed that limit across all classes. Board members felt the limits should be class-based instead of cumulative among a student’s entire courseload. Chromebooks or other school-issued devices would not be allowed to be taken home. Teachers would be encouraged to balance technology with traditional learning experiences and offer non-screen alternatives during free time. Screentime use for writing assignments, assessments and accommodations specified in a student’s individualized education plan (IEP) or 504 plan would not count toward limits.
At the high school, screen use would not be limited, but would be strategic, intentional and used sparingly with teachers regularly integrating off-screen activities in the classroom to ensure balance.
The approved policy also includes a suggestion from board members that students learn how to type while at Waverly Yowell Elementary School, although it is not specified as to when or how. The policy also includes mention of the school division’s wellness and health policies that state students in pre-kindergarten should receive 250 minutes of movement or play weekly, kindergarten 275 minutes of PE or recess weekly, first and second grade 200 minutes; third through fifth grades 90 minutes of PE over a six-day period and 25 minutes of daily recess; and grades six through eight 20 minutes of daily recess and 73 minutes of PE every other day. School board member Nita Collier said movement is equally as important as decreased screentime. She said she continues to hear that students are having recess taken away as a disciplinary measure.
“I disagree with that wholeheartedly,” Collier said. “In most cases these kids need to move and that’s why they are misbehaving. They aren’t getting enough movement.”
Superintendent Anna Graham said teachers are being very mindful and careful to not take away recess for something like a student not completing their homework. However, she said if a child has already had their recess in the classroom by being disruptive around the room at the expense of others, they may lose a portion of their recess.
Wingate said he originally had a more “draconian” approach to decreasing screentime but felt the policy represents a good compromise.
“I think it’s reasonable,” he said. “The overarching idea is to be mindful when you put a child in front of a computer.”
Graham said discussing the policy has already caused staff members to be more mindful.
“This policy has allowed everyone to be more thoughtful of how they’re using classtime,” she said.
And even though mandated remediation time is not included in the policy, Graham said “in no school and in no situation is there a child sitting in front of the computer all day.”
The board members approved the policy unanimously.
