A parent’s challenge in Lexington-Richland 5 could have removed the district-issued Chromebooks over concerns about what her children could access online using them.
“Even with SafeSearch enabled, students are able to access inappropriate and developmentally unsuitable content through Google Search, Google News and Google Images, including explicit headlines cached language, and image previews,” Elizabeth Huff wrote in an email to Superintendent Akil Ross challenging the accessibility of the devices. She also said students using the Chromebooks have access to AI platforms such as ChatGPT.
“If the district is unable to ensure that our children are not exposed to these dangerous search results, then the only acceptable solution is to remove the devices from the possession of children,” Huff said.
While the devices survived a narrow vote of the board, other changes to the device’s device policy are coming. Prior to Monday’s hearing, the school district administration announced that AI platforms other than Magic School would be restricted, allow parents to opt out of their children bringing Chromebooks home from school, and that K-5 students would no longer be issued Chromebooks to take home.
That raised concerns from teachers who spoke out at Monday’s school board meeting. They told board members that access to Chromebooks are essential for modern lesson plans, especially for loading assignments for students who may not otherwise have home Internet access.
Several spoke at Monday’s school board meeting about what they saw as the benefits of students having access to Chromebooks, and managed to change one aspect of the policy.
Ross, the superintendent, also said Monday that in response to comments during the meeting that he would allow K-5 teachers to decide when and under what circumstances they would need their students to take their Chromebooks home to complete assignments.
Brooke Bridges, a kindergarten teacher at Piney Woods Elementary School, said she’s seen her students regress since the COVID pandemic shut down in-person learning for close to two years. “Children talk less, and they don’t want to speak in groups,” she said. Digital lessons have allowed those students to shine.
The board was told clicking on links could be disabled, but that the district couldn’t control displays that come up in a Google search. Ross said the only way the district could comply with Husk’s request would be to remove access to the Chromebooks.
For years, schools have issued digital devices to students for completing work assignments, but the use of technology expanded immensely during the pandemic, when almost all students were required to learn remotely.
Board members were skeptical that removing students’ access to online learning was worth the benefit of keeping questionable search results out of sight.
“We were at Seven Oaks Elementary School this morning receiving an award from [State Superintendent] Ellen Weaver for the extraordinary performance of our kids on math tests, and we’re going to tell them tomorrow we’re taking away the tools that helped you get that?” said board member Kevin Scully.
Board member Catherine Huddle said she wanted the district to take a closer look at its device policy and when usage might be appropriate.
“I’ve heard from teachers who do want them gone,” she said of the Chromebooks. “Maybe not a majority, but that’s another perspective.”
Some members also questioned why the challenge was brought under the district’s media policy, which has previously been used to remove controversial books from school libraries. In this instance, the challenged media was seemingly both the web search results and the devices used to access them.
In the end, the school board voted to deny the parent’s request 4-3, with Scully, Scott Herring, Mike Satterfield and Kimberly Snipes voting against the request, and Huddle, Elizabeth Barnhardt and Jason Baynham voting in favor.
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