RICHMOND, Va. — Two large Virginia school divisions are placing new limits on classroom screen time and digital homework for elementary students.
Henrico County Public Schools has introduced grade-based limits on technology use and eliminated digital homework for elementary students. School-issued devices will generally remain in classrooms instead of traveling home with younger children.
The division’s guidelines allow up to 15 minutes of screen time per day for preschool students. The recommended limits increase with grade level, reaching as much as 90 minutes for students in third through fifth grades.
The limits apply primarily to instructional screen use and are intended to reduce passive activities while allowing teachers to use technology when it adds educational value.
Henrico has also restricted student access to YouTube at the elementary and middle-school levels, according to local reports.
Chesterfield limits devices for early grades
Chesterfield County is implementing a similar change for kindergarten through second grade. Students in those grades will not take Chromebooks home, and classroom use will be limited to activities educators consider necessary.
The policies follow petitions and public comments from parents concerned that school-issued computers were replacing handwriting, printed books, direct instruction and face-to-face interaction.
More than 2,700 people signed petitions seeking formal screen-time policies in Henrico and Chesterfield, Cardinal News reported.
Supporters argue that technology should assist teachers instead of becoming the default method for every lesson. They also cite concerns about student attention, sleep, online safety and the amount of recreational screen use children experience outside school.
Potential model for other divisions
Digital devices became more central to public education during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many school systems retained one-device-per-student programs after classrooms reopened.
The new policies represent a shift toward more selective technology use rather than a complete rejection of digital learning.
Other Virginia school divisions may watch the results as they review their own device policies. The issue could eventually prompt statewide guidance, but screen-time decisions currently remain largely under the control of local school boards.
