Is Tennessee banning classroom digital devices for K-5 students? Not quite.

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Tennessee elementary schools could limit classroom digital devices under new legislation aimed at minimizing screen time for young students, even on educational electronic devices.

The General Assembly this week finalized legislation that will require schools serving kindergarten through fifth grade to develop a policy to limit the use of electronic devices and block any students from accessing social media during school hours.

Senate Bill 2310 was significantly dialed back from its original form, which sought to totally ban digital educational devices like Chromebooks for young students except in special circumstances, such as in individualized education programs for students with disabilities.

Some lawmakers and educators raised concerns about instructional tools already deeply integrated into the classroom, such as digital whiteboards. The legislation that passed would allow schools to set their own policies while prioritizing “in-person, teacher-led” instruction.

The Tennessee legislation, which still has to be signed into law by Gov. Bill Lee, gives local districts broad discretion to continue using devices as long as they believe the device serves an “instructional purposes for which such use provides a clear educational benefit.”

The pending law is part of a growing national backlash to educational technology that comes after an earlier push to ban recreational screen time for students. Last year, Tennessee required schools to enforce smart phone bans, though many school systems already had restriction policies in place.

Concerns about the effects of screen time for children have also coincided with a national decline in reading and math achievement in recent years, sparking a flurry of public debate about the use of educational technology inside the classroom.

Melissa Brown is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Contact Melissa at mbrown@chalkbeat.org.