Alexandria Parents Group Petition Asks ACPS To Cut Screen Time In Schools

ALEXANDRIA, VA – A group of Alexandria parents has organized a petition asking the city school board to reevaluate screen time and educational technology's role in city schools and to eliminate device use entirely through second grade.

The group, Schools Beyond Screens Alexandria, has published a petition and open letter to the school board, arguing that research shows excessive use of screens and digital technology harms children, impedes the development of actual thinking skills and is correlated with lower test scores.

“Welcoming a new superintendent presents a critical opportunity to reassess technology’s role and drive stronger educational outcomes,” the letter states. “While ACPS took an important step by restricting smartphones, this policy leaves daily reliance on devices, ed tech and screen time unaddressed from pre-K through 12.”

The English-language petition had 312 signatures as of 1 p.m. Friday; a Spanish-language version had three.

The Alexandria City Public School District says it uses devices and educational technology software as “targeted tools for learning, not as a replacement for rich, in-person classroom instruction.” ACPS says teachers use digital tools to enhance or extend what students can do without them, with choices tailored to age groups.

In the district, students in kindergarten are assigned a tablet, students in first through fifth grade are assigned a Chromebook, and devices are stored at school. In grades six through 12, students are assigned a Chromebook and are expected to bring it to class fully charged each day. The devices are used “as needed to complete coursework, collaborate on projects, and access educational technology tools when directed by the teacher.”

The petition claims that in the district, “five- and six-year-olds encounter screens throughout the school day, from YouTube videos replacing physical books to screen time in physical education, art and music class.”

In August, the school district launched a multi-year advisory group to guide how technology is used in Alexandria public schools.

Schools Beyond Screens describes itself as a coalition of parents, educators and Alexandrians advocating for tech use policies grounded in independent research, public accountability and developmentally appropriate practice. The organization was launched in Los Angeles and says it has dozens of chapters around the country.

It is a project of the Tech-Safe Learning Coalition, an organization with a stated mission of preventing cyberbullying and other harms facilitated by school-issued and other devices.