The biggest crowd I have seen at a Hamilton Southeastern School Board meeting packed into a large room at Fishers Junior High School to watch the board approve the iPad rollout this fall for grades kindergarten through 4th grade, with some special provisions included in the final plan. In grades K-2, parents can choose whether to have there child bring the iPad tablet home. There will also be rules implemented not allowing iPad use during recess, lunch or on the school bus, in a move to limit screen time in the lower grades. No iPad use for gaming will be allowed.
A long procession of parents and educators signed up to speak for and against the proposal. In the end, the board unanimously voted to support the administration’s recommendation. The final version of that recommended rollout plan was not totally complete until about 2 hours before the meeting began, according to board members.
Part of the approved plan will create 3 parent advisory boards to monitor the progress of the iPad K-4 rollout. HSE School Superintendent Allen Bourff told the board and the assembled crowd the HSE21 plan is not about iPads, it’s about learning. The tablets are just a tool to achieve learning.
Parents will receive updates from the school on what apps are being used on the iPad devices.
The plan approved by the board will reduce iPad rental costs from $125 to $90 and calls for a reduction of textbook and other fees.
This was not a compromise at all. The cost should be on the school ,the board voted this in without a survey to parents on if they even wanted this. ( not what they promised us 4 years ago when this all started.) They kids were already not supposed to being using them during recess,bus trip,or lunch so no change there. And reduction in book rental for my family has not happened yet.
Oh and Doctors still say 2 hours max on the screen for elementary students.
And Eye Doctors are finding even 2 hours hours interrupts their sleep patterns. Meaning not as much REM sleep which leads to a lot of other issues.
I don’t find this responsible or a Need for every child to have their own . They had a chance to at least compromise but yet again public officials have refused to listen and tredge on doing what they want at our cost of course.
I wish every person who has interest in this issue, on either side, would go observe a pilot classroom. Everyone has been invited numerous times. Being in an elementary as a volunteer over the last 2 years has changed my perspective. We have great teachers in great schools, and I trust that no matter the outcome of this, our teachers will still teach and our kids will still learn.