Hundreds of parents and community members have signed onto a letter asking Alexandria City Public Schools leaders to put limits on students using school-issued tablets and laptops.
The parent-led petition, addressed to the Alexandria City School Board, Acting Superintendent Grace Taylor and incoming Superintendent Jharrett Bryantt, called for “age-appropriate screen time and tech limits” and blocks on gaming, video streaming and social media platforms. The petitioners propose eliminating devices for Pre-K through grade 2, with exceptions for accessibility and individualized education needs, and phasing out devices for computer labs and carts.
Other demands in the petition are creating a procedure for students and families to opt out of device use, regularly communicating how and how long students spend on their devices, and banning student generative AI use through grade 8 and requiring an opt-in for high school.
The petition is spearheaded by Schools Beyond Screens – Alexandria, a parent initiative advocating for changes to technology use policies.
Currently, ACPS students in kindergarten receive a tablet for learning, and students from grades 1 to 12 receive Chromebooks. ACPS said Pre-K students do not currently have access to devices.
Caroline Renzulli, co-chair of Alexandria’s Schools Beyond Screens, told ALXnow a social worker recently came into her child’s kindergarten class to read. But although ACPS has physical copies of the book, Renzulli said the class watched a YouTube video of the book reading.
“Speaking with other parents, I realized this wasn’t uncommon,” Renzulli said. “It’s a practice called ‘video read-alouds,’ and it’s happening because ACPS has no meaningful limits on screens, devices and technology in its classrooms. If YouTube is reading books to my child, we have lost the plot.”
Renzulli called restrictions for younger students “an important starting point,” noting neighboring Arlington and Fairfax County school districts have adopted these for the youngest students.
“ACPS students as young as five years old are spending precious classroom minutes glued to devices instead of engaging in hands-on learning or meaningful interactions with peers and teachers,” Renzulli said.
Changes to the student technology use policy aren’t off the table at ACPS.
Over the summer, ACPS launched an Educational Technology Advisory Group to provide feedback to leaders on current technology use and future priorities.
“The goal of this group is to ensure our decisions reflect the diverse perspectives of families across Alexandria,” ACPS Chief Information Officer Emily Dillard told ALXnow in an email. “Recommendations based on the work of the group, including any potential adjustments in device allocation, will be presented to the School Board this spring.”
According to Dillard, daily device usage averaged less than five minutes in kindergarten, less than 10 minutes in grade 1 and less than 12 minutes in grade 2.
Image via JEaLiFe Pictures/Unsplash
