Kansas lawmakers are considering another bill that would aim to reduce the amount of time students spend on digital devices in school.
The bill would limit how much time students can use school-owned devices in the classroom each day. It would also require districts to purchase more physical textbooks and printed materials, without any additional state funding.
Under the bill, students in kindergarten through fifth grade would not be allowed to use any digital devices, such as laptops or tablets, in the classroom. Instruction and tests would have to be print-based or hands-on.
Students in sixth through eighth grade would be limited to one hour of device use per day, but they would not have their own, individual devices. Instead, they could use devices shared across classrooms.
High schools could give students individual devices, but students would still be limited to an hour-and-a-half per school day.
It’s unclear how the state would expect schools to manage screen time across classrooms in each student’s individual schedule.
Leah Fliter, assistant executive director of advocacy and governmental relations for the Kansas Association of School Boards, said the group opposes the bill, saying screen time policies should be addressed at the local level.
“We all agree that screen time is a concern, and it is something that is being addressed through a number of policies in schools across the state,” she said. “The state doesn’t need to insert itself into this.”
The proposal is part of a recent push to reconsider how screen time affects the developing minds of students. It comes as state lawmakers are also considering a ban on students using their cell phones during the school day.
The bill would also outline that all textbooks used in grades K-8 need to be physical. It would allow high school classrooms to use digital textbooks when there is no alternative.
That would create additional costs for both local school districts and the state.
Most districts would have to spend more on textbooks and printed materials.
“Acquiring those new educational materials to replace the devices would be substantial,” Fliter said, “and the cost would obviously be ongoing.”
If students use devices, schools would also be required to teach them about media literacy, including potential harms associated with excessive screen time and social media use.
Students currently take state assessments on computers, beginning in third grade. That means Kansas education officials would have to create new, printed exams for grade levels required to take tests on paper.
“The current assessment has been offered electronically for over ten years and the [Kansas State Department of Education] does not have a reference to estimate the cost for a paper-based statewide assessment,” reads a fiscal note from the Kansas Division of the Budget.
The bill would allow parents to opt out of any digital device issued to a student.
The bill would not apply to any virtual schools.
The Senate Committee on Education is set to host a hearing on the bill on Tuesday.
