Virginia Beach school leaders have drafted a policy that would eliminate Chromebook use for pre-K and first grade students and restrict it for second graders beginning next school year. The proposal follows parent surveys and school board discussions about screen time in early childhood classrooms.
One parent’s comment to News 3 captured the concern plainly: any time a student is on a Chromebook, something else is not happening. Not reading, not hands-on play, not interacting with other students. The school board chair noted that even a leading survey showed parents preferred less device use in early grades.
The broader conversation happening in Virginia Beach — about what technology belongs in classrooms, at what age, and under what conditions — is exactly the kind of policy decision that Virginia Code 22.1-20.2:1 is designed to support. Divisions that understand what tools they have in place, and what governance structures govern them, will be better positioned to make these decisions with clarity rather than in reaction to a problem already in progress.