CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. — Parents in Chesterfield County are pushing school leaders to overhaul how technology is used in classrooms, calling for fewer devices, stricter screen time limits, and a return to paper-based learning.
The effort is being led in part by Amber Rhodes, a former teacher and mother of three children in Chesterfield County Schools.
Rhodes created a petition that has gathered more than 1,000 signatures and brought it, along with 71 written comments, to a meeting with Chesterfield Superintendent John Murray.
"I have a son who's going into second grade, and they do use their laptops almost every day," Rhodes said.
Rhodes said a conversation with her own child is what first motivated her to act.
"My six year old came home and said, 'Hey, my classmate shared this Google Doc with me that has all these unblocked games on it,' and I was just like, 'How is this happening in first grade already?'" Rhodes said.
Parents are specifically asking the school district to remove devices from kindergarten through second grade, set specific screen time limits for each grade level, and encourage paper assignments and physical textbooks.
The push also comes amid concerns about students accessing YouTube, social media, and games on school devices.
Parents and teachers say stronger security measures are needed to prevent students from bypassing the network to reach those platforms.
Several parents voiced their concerns directly at a recent school board meeting.
"My child is about to enter kindergarten. When I picture that experience, I don't imagine a screen at the centerpiece," said parent Taylor Butler.
Emily Matis, whose children are in second, fourth, and sixth grades, echoed those concerns.
"We need to be pro-childhood. When we hand a third grader a Chromebook for the entire day, it is the equivalent of handing them the keys to a car before they can reach the pedals. It is a disservice to our educators," Matis said.
Parent Linnea McGrawl also addressed the value of traditional learning materials.
"I'm aware of the high cost of physical books, but there is value in holding a book. There is value in writing on a piece of paper. There is value being skilled at figuring out a problem on paper rather than assistance from a computer," McGrawl said.
Rhodes said her meeting with Superintendent Murray offered some encouragement, though details remain unclear.
"He has communicated thus far that he's met with district leadership about the topic already, and that they're making moves to hopefully move in the right direction, whatever that means," Rhodes said.
A spokesperson for Chesterfield County Public Schools responded to the concerns, saying in part:
"As part of that commitment, CCPS has already been engaged in work to examine how best to achieve balance in the use of technology across our classrooms, and that work continues. Technology should be used intentionally to enhance student learning and outcomes.
Currently, we have a work group that is discussing how best to achieve balance in the use of technology in all of our classrooms. This spring, CCPS also surveyed parents, teachers and administrators about digital learning and technology. The feedback from the Speak Up survey is another important source of data that will help inform our approach to instruction."
The statement went on to point out additional information surrounding the use of technology in the classroom.
From a CCPS spokesperson:
- "CCPS provides enough Chromebooks to support a 1:1 instructional model, but use and take-home practices differ by grade level.
- In elementary school, devices are available for student use, but schools have significant latitude in determining when Chromebooks are used during the school day and whether they are sent home. There is not currently a divisionwide standard requiring elementary students to take devices home each day.
- In grades 6-12, Chromebooks are assigned to individual students and are expected to go home nightly. At these grade levels, devices support classroom instruction, approved digital resources, assignments, research, writing, assessments and other school-related work."
Rhodes hopes speaking out will encourage other parents to do the same. The next school board meeting is Aug. 11, and Rhodes is asking as many people as possible to sign up for public comment.
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