Bernards Township schools restrict K–5 Chromebook take-home, shift to 2:1 devices for early grades

Bernards Township School District announced policy changes for the 2026–27 school year that will keep district-issued Chromebooks in classrooms for students in kindergarten through fifth grade and delay take-home Chromebook use until sixth grade. The district also said kindergarten and first-grade classrooms will operate on a 2:1 device ratio rather than providing a device for every child.

"Students will no longer be taking Chromebooks home in fifth grade," a district presenter told parents during a community session, adding that Chromebooks will "begin taking them home in sixth grade in middle school." The presenter said the adjustments respond to district monitoring of device time and teacher observations about attention and social skill impacts.

Officials described the change as district policy rather than a disciplinary action: devices will remain available for classroom instruction but will not routinely leave school buildings at the K–5 level. The presenter said the district uses software that provides a 90-day lookback at usage on district-issued devices and plans to expand reporting to grade- and potentially student-level app usage to better understand both in-school and out-of-school device time.

District leaders framed the shift as an attempt to make classroom device use "intentional" and reduce passive consumption. They emphasized coordination with families and community partners and said the move will be implemented for the next school year.

No formal vote or board action was recorded during the presentation; officials presented the change as a planned operational policy and invited questions during the session’s Q&A.