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Kids have been in school for the past couple of weeks (or just a couple of days [ [link removed] ] if your school had a mold issue). But parents statewide, especially in Henrico County, have been anxious this summer about their children returning to school and about screen time in the classroom. Amber Rhodes, a former teacher in Central Virginia, led an online petition [ [link removed] ] that secured 1,000 signatures in a month. Across petitions in Henrico, Chesterfield, and Richmond, the total is now over 3,000 signatures. Let’s Address This.
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Addressing Screen Time in the Classroom
In 2000, then-VA Governor Jim Gilmore (Republican) proposed an SOL technology initiative, which the General Assembly approved. This initiative sent school divisions annual grants to wire buildings and buy hardware so students could take SOL tests online. They had a target of one computer for every five students.
One reason for this shift was to expedite test scoring, since so much of our system relies on test results. The Commonwealth created a policy on multiple devices in classrooms, and the industry got them to buy into a one-device-per-student model.
In 2001, Henrico became the first county [ [link removed] ] in the nation to give a laptop to every high schooler.
In 2011, we saw the emergence of Chromebooks [ [link removed] ]. This tool was cheaper than a personal computer and easier for schools to administer. When parents learned that the tech sector had rolled out a solution for their children, it generated goodwill toward those companies. All the while, few asked why private companies were entering the public school system and targeting children. Meanwhile, the founders of tech companies are famous for restricting the products for their kids [ [link removed] ].
After all, the US spent more than $30 billion on laptops and tablets for schools in 2024 alone. Because these companies aren’t compassionate — they’re predatory. Now, we’re paying an even higher price.
The tools experts use to make their lives easier
are not the tools children should use to learn how to become experts.
- Jared Cooney Horvath, neuroscientist
Give grace to Gen Z and Gen Alpha
While all generations struggle with their own unprecedented moments, this doesn’t mean we should ignore the seismic shifts impacting these two generations. They have struggled through massive infrastructure changes during COVID that directly impacted their education. Tech devices and AI were introduced far too early — both of which are stalling and reversing cognitive capabilities. [ [link removed] ] This doesn’t just impact our children now, but impacts the future of our nation.
Half of teachers report [ [link removed] ] that their students use education-related technology between 1-4 hours a day. While a single data point like this doesn’t provide the whole story, it is important to note that increased use of digital screens reduces reading comprehension [ [link removed] ]. Before adopting educational technology, Dr. Horvath recommends [ [link removed] ] “mandat[ing] validation studies before transitioning high-stakes assessments from paper to digital formats.”
That should have happened from the start.
Let's Address Virginia is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
3 things you can do
If you’re in Central VA, sign/share one of the petitions for intentional technology use in schools. These petitions propose policy ideas to limit screen time in classrooms. Not in the area? Check out the petition and borrow it for your own area! Once that’s up, share a link in the comments so we can add it to this post.
Read this bill from Virginia Delegate Lindsey Dougherty to put a priority on textbooks in the classroom - in line with point 7 in the petition. If you like it, reach out to your state delegate and encourage them to sign on to it as a co-sponsor or supporter. It’ll be heard in January 2027.
Join us on Friday [ [link removed] ], September 11 at 10:45 AM for a live chat with Delegate Sam Rasoul, chair of the VA House Education Committee. Delegate Rasoul is especially concerned about AI and screen time in the classroom. We’ll dive into this topic.
Onward and upward,
Salaam
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