Powhatan parents ask school division to limit student screen time

Powhatan parents ask school division to limit student screen time

RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) - A growing group of Powhatan parents is raising questions about how much time their kids are spending on screens in the classroom. They are asking the school division to put a new policy in place with enforceable limits.

Margaret Roszel has two kids in Powhatan County Public Schools. She is one of the parents leading the charge for the school division to adopt a new screen time policy.

“Everyone agrees technology is a necessary part of education. But I think many of us parents feel like it’s swung too far in the wrong direction,” Roszel said. “I think that they would be less distracted and more focused if there were more hands-on activities that they were doing.”

A petition circulating in Powhatan includes what parents would like to see in that policy.

Those requests include:

1. Eliminate devices for the youngest students.

2. Set specific, enforceable screen time limits by grade level.

3. Reduce 1:1 device programs in elementary school.

4. Block non-educational platforms on district devices.

5. Ban device use during unstructured time.

6. Provide parents with transparency and meaningful opt-out r...