A new policy being considered by the Hamilton County Board of Education would prevent elementary and middle school students from being assigned one-to-one devices to take home.
“This is arguably one of the most impactful policies we can discuss because it is so far-reaching with both the way educators educate and children learn,” school board member Ben Daugherty, R-Signal Mountain, said.
The proposed policy is the result of a new state law — sponsored by state Rep. Michele Reneau, R-Hixson — requiring school districts that serve kindergarten through fifth grade students to adopt a policy that governs their digital device use.
Under the law, which takes effect July 1, the policy must prioritize teacher-led instruction and nonelectronic materials as the main type of instruction for elementary students, as well as prohibit elementary students from accessing social media platforms during the school day. It does not prevent school staff from using devices for instruction or other professional purposes.
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Hamilton County Schools’ policy is still in its early stages, but the first draft prompted a brief conversation at the school board meeting Thursday. Further discussion is expected to happen at the next policy committee meeting June 8.
The proposed policy sets rules around both device access and usage.
Kindergarten through second grades should use devices rarely, the policy said, and devices would be available in limited quantities to support instruction when appropriate. Third through eighth grades would have access to classroom device sets, with allowed usage increasing as the students get older. High school students would be issued a device to take home.
If enacted as written, the policy would mark a significant change from the school system’s current “one student to one device” program. Middle and high school students are assigned a device to take home, according to the district website, while elementary students are provided a device that remains at school.
School board member Ben Connor, D-North Chattanooga, said he supports restricting elementary students’ device use but had concerns about no longer assigning middle school students a device.
“I’m not saying that I’m dead against that,” he said. “I’m not saying I’m dead for it. I’m saying that there’s a lot of conversation that needs to be had there.”
He suggested loosening the proposed policy to allow principals to make decisions on a case-by-case basis, particularly in situations where it would save the district money. Utilizing a computer properly is something that makes students future-ready, Connor said.
“We equally don’t need to handcuff our kids so that they’ve never used Canvas, they’ve never used all these devices in ways that they’re going to do in high school,” he said. “There’s so many things that come at them fast in ninth grade, going into that first year of high school. Us not letting them know how to utilize a computer for their homework and for their syllabus … is doing them a disservice.”
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School board member Karitsa Jones, D-Chattanooga, said she supports the policy as it is. While she supports principal autonomy, she said, it sometimes means people go rogue.
“Oftentimes we know that leaders will just do what they want to do and ask forgiveness rather than permission,” she said. “That being said, I think we have to figure out what that balance looks like, so that while we are trying to ensure that our children are prepared as the technology wave continues to roll that they’re not overstimulated.”
Under the proposed policy, parents of elementary and middle school students would be allowed to request a device for use at home. The ability to check out a device would be dependent on availability.
School board member Jill Black, D-Chattanooga, said she was worried about access. It’s a learning process in middle school to teach students to be responsible for keeping up with their own assignments, she said.
“That’s my real concern,” she said, “is for the families who don’t have devices at home where they can access Canvas and do homework and complete assignments and get things turned in under the supervision of and encouragement of a parent to help keep them in line and on track with their education. … I want to make sure that our kids who need digital access still have it.”
Contact education reporter Shannon Coan at scoan@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6396.