The Iowa City Community School District is inching closer to tightening its device policy in response to the Iowa Make America Healthy Again law, a series of sweeping public health and educational reforms enacted by Gov. Kim Reynolds.
Part of the legislation requires Iowa school boards to adopt written technology policies for K-5 students that limit digital instruction time to no more than 60 minutes per day, with some exceptions.
The latest “Screentime Results Survey” was presented to the ICCSD board on Tuesday, June 23, revealing that both teachers and families want a more balanced approach to educational technology access and less screen time for elementary students.
The key takeaways: widespread concerns about student distraction, excessive device use, and the impact of screen time on students’ social development and well-being.
Classroom screentime use rising, teachers support reform
More than 700 teachers participated in the survey, emphasizing the importance of Chromebooks for in-class personalized learning. They also noted difficulty monitoring non-school work-related use.
Staff recommended that the district revisit its 1:1 device model, perhaps by returning to Chromebook carts or computer lab time, keeping school devices at school, banning recreational use during the school day, more screen time monitoring, and adopting a clearer policy on instructional vs. non-instructional use.
At the secondary school level (grades 7-12), 31.5% of staff reported that students spent less than an hour on Chromebooks during class time during a normal week, and 28.3% reported between one and two hours of Chromebook use.
The computers are most commonly used for research, in-class Canvas assignments, exams and quizzes.
At the elementary level, students generally have less screen time. Staff reports that 35.4% of students spend between 30 minutes and an hour on Chromebooks during a normal week, and 14.1% report that screen time is between one and two hours. Students at the elementary school level mostly use Chromebooks for adaptive learning programs and educational resources like Bookflix, a digital reading program, and PebbleGo, a digital learning and research platform designed for elementary school students.
ICCSD families support digital literacy, with limits
More than 1,600 families participated in the survey, with 32.9% reporting they were unaware of how much time their child spends on a Chromebook during the school day, while 34.1% said they knew how much time was spent.
Notably, families want to continue the district-wide digital literacy instruction, but also want to see more traditional learning methods.
Iowa City CSD committee to guide future screen time policy changes
The ICCSD board of directors did not take formal action on Tuesday, but the presentation marks a step toward potential policy changes.
In May, the board discussed tightening its cell phone policy, with a specific emphasis on the middle school level, a year after the district implemented a partial cell phone ban, requiring middle and high school students to silence and stow personal devices during instructional time.
A committee of district and building staff and community members will guide policy changes likely to be implemented during the 2026-27 academic year.
Jessica Rish is an entertainment, dining and education reporter for the Iowa City Press-Citizen. She can be reached at JRish@press-citizen.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @rishjessica_
This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: Iowa City CSD weighs stricter computer rules under MAHA law
Reporting by Jessica Rish, Iowa City Press-Citizen / Iowa City Press-Citizen
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By Jessica Rish, Iowa City Press-Citizen | USA TODAY Network
