Madison County School Board members are considering a policy that would limit screentime in the classroom.
In May, former student school board representative and now graduated senior Ryleigh Gordon presented her Blue Ridge Virtual 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 this month.
The draft policy limits screentime to 20 minutes per the school day or one hour per week for students in pre-K through second grade. 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 math and reading 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 are also not to have individually assigned devices and should instead work in shared stations.
Students in third through fifth grade would be limited to 45 minutes of screentime per day or 225 minutes per week, excluding time spent on writing assignments. That limit would increase 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. 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 draft policy also includes a movement and physical wellness commitment, reiterating other school division policies which ensure specific amounts of physical education and recess.
School board member Nita Collier said she especially likes the idea of leaving school-issued devices at school.
“I love that they’re not taking them home,” she said, noting that 80% of the discipline cases she sees in a neighboring school division is related to technology use at home.
“We are not alone on this,” board member Greg Martz said. “Lots of schools are looking at scaling back.”
The policy is currently only a draft and will be discussed at next month’s board meeting.
