Beginning next school year, the Avon Lake City School District plans to pilot a classroom-only Chromebook model starting in first grade.
Instead of taking devices home, students would use Chromebooks stored on classroom carts, keeping the technology at school.
Assistant Superintendent Jack Dibee said the shift comes after extensive feedback from families and staff who questioned how necessary take-home devices are for younger students.
“We’ve had a lot of feedback that they’re really not needed at home as much in the elementary levels,” Dibee said during a Jan. 20 school board meeting.
If the first-grade pilot is successful, the district plans to expand the classroom-only model to second grade the following year, eventually rolling it out through fourth grade.
Officials emphasized that Chromebooks already distributed to families will not be collected as part of the change.
Alongside the pilot, the district plans to introduce digital citizenship lessons for elementary students, as well as in media and innovation classes.
Those lessons would be completed on Chromebooks during the school day and focus on appropriate, responsible technology use.
District leaders said the changes address both educational and financial concerns.
Board members acknowledged ongoing community discussions about screen time and the impact of constant device use on younger students. The goal, officials said, is to refocus elementary instruction on core academic skills without requiring students to be in front of a screen as often.
“There’s been some talk amongst our communities about kids spending too much time in front of a screen,” one administrator said. “To get back to teaching those core skills without having to be in front of a screen, we’re going to pilot to see what that looks like.”
Cost is also a factor.
When districts first adopted one-to-one Chromebook programs, devices typically cost around $250 each. Today, replacements are closer to $700 per unit.
Because newer devices are lasting longer, the district is also considering extending its Chromebook replacement cycle from four years to six years, a move officials said would help manage rising costs while remaining fiscally responsible.
©2026 Advance Local Media LLC. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
