Parents, teachers urge Knox County Schools to limit screen time and rethink 1‑to‑1 device use

Several parents and former teachers used the public forum at the Knox County Board of Education’s May 7 meeting to press the board to restrict classroom screen time, especially for early elementary grades, and to demand more transparent tracking of device usage.

Margo Kern, who said she is a mother of three in Knox County, pointed to a recent Tennessee law requiring districts to create a policy to reduce screen time in kindergarten through fifth grade and urged the board to consider a broader district policy. “These laws respond to growing evidence that 1‑to‑1 computers are harming students’ learning and well‑being,” Kern said, and asked the board to eliminate routine device use in kindergarten through second grade, use laptop carts or computer labs for third through fifth grades, and provide paper‑based homework options by grade.

Erin Pate, a former Knox County teacher and current parent, said the 1‑to‑1 rollout during COVID was appropriate then but should be rethought now: “When we know better, we do better,” she said, describing research that she said links heavy screen‑based learning to reduced attention and lower academic performance for young learners.

Amanda Regel, a former KCS teacher, and Chris D’Angelo, a Knox County parent, echoed those concerns, citing attention, social interaction and learning‑process issues and urging the district to shift technology to a supporting role rather than the default instructional platform.

Erica Zubair, who identified herself as a technical professional specializing in data science and AI, said she is not anti‑technology but urged a data‑driven approach to device integration, suggesting phased, targeted use of devices for advanced or special‑needs instruction and proposing that a phase‑out could free funds for textbooks and hands‑on materials.

Speakers requested that the district regularly track and report student screen time by grade and by application, prohibit using screen time as a reward or during indoor recess, and notify parents when generative AI tools are provided to students.

The board did not record a response to these requests in the meeting transcript; the public forum concluded and the board adjourned.