Petition to Keep Chromebooks at School

Concern:

Parents at Carson Elementary are concerned about the amount of time young students spend on non-school activities when using their Chromebooks at home. While parents try to monitor usage, current parental controls are limited, making it difficult to keep students focused on their task. By keeping the devices at the school, we can ensure that they are used exclusively for educational purposes and don’t contribute to excessive screen time.

Why This Matters:

• A survey of 170 Carson parents found that 53% of students use Chromebooks for non-educational purposes, including social media and non-school websites.
• Carson is one of the only elementary schools in the district that sends Chromebooks home.
• Improved filtering softwares are being rolled out, but many families will still struggle with setting appropriate boundaries for both content and screen time

Proposed Solution:

1. Default to a policy of student Chromebooks staying at school
   1. Families may make individual arrangements to bring them home should they so choose
2. Utilize charging stations—other schools have done this successfully, and the Carson PTA has set aside funds to help with the purchase of storage solutions
3. Improve content management and teach digital citizenship lessons

Request to School Leadership:

We ask that Carson Elementary align with the majority of the district and keep Chromebooks at school. This change will support better learning, reduce distractions, and ensure technology is used responsibly. DPS's recently passed bond initiative also specifically dedicates funds to Carson for classroom charging carts.

Children only have a short time to be young and Carson can continue to help support their well-rounded character offline, as well.