Warren County Schools will restrict the use of digital devices in K-5 classrooms to instances where there is a clear educational benefit.
Director of Schools Dr. Grant Swallows said the district is adopting the model policy to comply with a new state law regarding instructional technology for younger students. Swallows said the policy requires the Director of Schools to provide specific guidance to staff and communicate with parents about what technology is being utilized at the K-5 level.
“We are using that for our i-Ready and for our benchmarks, and what we said to the teachers this morning that needs to be a supplement to the material that they’re covering in their classroom and not the explicit instruction,” Swallows said.
Swallows said the policy also includes a ban on social media use for students in those grade levels. The district is currently compiling information to share with guardians in August or September regarding the specific technology used in schools, Swallows said.
“Basically all that means is is that we know technology is going to be used, but it needs to not be in place of effective instruction,” Swallows said.
Swallows said the Director of Teaching and Learning will monitor the digital instruction process to ensure it complies with the state framework. The policy includes some exceptions for virtual school students, though Swallows said the district does not currently have any K-5 students enrolled in Warren Connect.
“And I just want it to be clear for those watching that it’s not like what some would say that they’re just in a classroom on Chromebooks all day, that’s not what’s happening,” board member Jarvis Johnson said. “They are learning the fundamentals and this is only being used as a tool, so I’m glad that we’re passing this.”
Swallows said he would check with individual schools to see if sending devices home is a current practice before adding a strict prohibition to the policy. Swallows said he would prefer to leave that decision to building principals so they can grant exceptions for unique situations, such as a student being absent for a significant amount of time.
Swallows said other large districts in Tennessee have recently passed similar policies where school-issued devices are not sent home as a standard practice. Swallows said the district will continue to ensure that unique situations and emergencies are taken care of as they work through the new guidelines.
