By Charlotte Matherly, contributor
The Rockingham County School Board is aggressively pursuing a policy to limit school-sanctioned technology use for kids during the instructional day.
Sara Horst, the board chair, said the move is based not on a whim but on a growing mountain of evidence that technology adversely impacts learning.
“This isn’t just some random pet project of several moms on the school board,” Horst said at Monday’s meeting. “This is really grounded and rooted in what’s best for kids and being driven by research.”
She’d asked Superintendent Larry Shifflett — who the board reappointed on Monday — to draw up a draft late last month in an effort to have something in place before the next school year. Shifflett was all in.
“One of the things that I think all of us have been sort of sold was this idea that [educational] technology was going to make learning better for students and that kids could learn more deeply and more meaningful and do it in a more, maybe in a quicker fashion. It would get to the finish line sooner,” Shifflett said. “What we really started learning is the brain wasn’t created or wired for that.”
The draft policy outlines “expectations” that technology should be used only when it “enhances or extends learning beyond traditional methods” or provides exclusive access to resources. Teachers should prioritize classroom discussion, writing and other non-digital learning activities, it says.
It creates a tiered system for technology use based on grade level.
The youngest students would not get their own devices and could only use them for assessments and one 30-minute computer science lesson each week.
Starting in third grade, students would use their devices for research and an online learning platform called IXL, though total device time is limited to an hour. Sixth and seventh graders could get their own assigned device to write papers and build presentations, but they wouldn’t be permitted to take them home until eighth grade.
Restrictions would be the loosest in high school, with no limit on the time spent on devices and permissions for home use, papers, presentations, research and assessments.
Board members underscored that they’re open to teacher feedback. Shifflett said he plans to distribute a survey. But the board members also said they are keen to limit all unnecessary technology use during the school day.
Hilary Irons, who recently joined the board, called it an “equity issue.” Some parents don’t restrict technology, she said, even for young children, and they don’t build focus and other skills necessary to succeed in school.
“We owe it to all of the students in this county to provide a screen-free experience,” Irons said. “It’s what’s best for them.”
Changes to the county’s grading policy are imminent as well. The grading committee is synthesizing its ideas, Shifflett said, with a proposal set to come before the school board on June 1. The new system could address the county’s unpopular practice of yearlong grades, create more consistency and better reflect student performance.
Shifflett to stay on for four more years
Shifflett and the school board unanimously agreed to extend his contract for another four years, until summer of 2030.
Horst called Shifflett a “steadfast and visionary leader” with a focus on educational outcomes and supporting the district’s employees. For example, he picks an employee with perfect attendance each month and does their job for a day, giving them a day off.
Shifflett has served in his role since 2023.
“I am a product of Rockingham County Public Schools, you know, born and raised in this valley, and I love it very much,” Shifflett said. “It’s done a lot for me and my family, and so I just want to be able to serve our community, and I wanted to leave Rockingham County in a better state than how I found it.”
Better pay for bus drivers?
County school bus driver Marlin Carr asked the school board to reevaluate the salaries of its drivers, which fall between $13,079 and $21,770 annually. Drivers work three and a half hours each day.
Bus delays occur daily in Rockingham County, which is the third largest district in the state and short 10 drivers.
“I think salaries need to be looked at for what we’re dealing with on the roads, what the conditions are up there for drivers,” Carr said. “It just seems like we’re not keeping up with times. I think it’s a concern we need to look at — otherwise, drivers are going to continue to move on, and you’re going to be working with what remains.”
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