Middle school students in the Tigard-Tualatin School District could lose their take-home iPads and access to YouTube under a set of screen time restrictions presented to the school board on Friday, Aug. 14.
The proposals, developed by a work group of parents, teachers and administrators, would also eliminate iPad use for early elementary students except during assessments and special education instruction. If adopted, the changes would affect more than 10,700 students across the district's 19 schools before classes begin in early September.
What would change
The work group's key proposals include:
- Blocking YouTube on district-issued devices through middle school, and possibly through high school.
- Replacing individually assigned iPads for middle schoolers with Chromebooks stored in classroom carts, accessible only with teacher approval. Students would no longer bring devices home.
- Eliminating iPad use for early elementary students entirely, except for assessments, special education needs or other pre-approved instructional purposes.
- Banning screen time as a reward for good behavior or finishing assignments.
- Creating districtwide standards for which websites and online resources students may access, replacing the current classroom-by-classroom patchwork.
Patterson noted that cutting device access gets more complicated starting in second grade, when students "start to need to use the device and to learn how to use the device" in preparation for online state-mandated assessments that begin in third grade.
What comes next
The proposals are not yet policy. Jordan Mills, the district's director of communications, said work group members will present their recommendations in more detail at the Monday, Aug. 31 board meeting.
A team of teachers and administrators will then lead implementation planning in consultation with the Tigard-Tualatin Education Association, the district's teachers union.
Board vice chair Tristan Irvin said the district needs to be deliberate so changes are applied consistently across all schools rather than left to individual classrooms. He compared the goal to Oregon's statewide ban on student cellphone use during school hours, which replaced a patchwork of local rules.
District principals and other administrators have already signaled willingness to move forward, according to Patterson.
The Aug. 31 board meeting is the next opportunity for families to hear the full details. Tigard-Tualatin School District board meetings are typically held at the district Training Center, 9550 SW Murdock St., Tigard, and are live-streamed on the district's YouTube channel.
