Alabama Governor Kay Ivey has appointed several educators, including two from Tuscaloosa, to the Governor’s Commission on Screen-Based Instruction. The commission will study the use, risks, and benefits of screen-based instruction in Alabama’s K-12 classrooms and provide evidence-based recommendations on its use.
Commission Goals
The commission’s mission is to ensure responsible use of classroom screen time, which Governor Ivey considers a top priority. She stated that children’s overexposure to screens is a barrier to classroom learning and the acquisition of critical emotional and social skills. The commission will submit its findings to the governor, legislature, and state Board of Education by December 1st of this year.
The Alabama Legislature has already passed laws to address screen time in classrooms, including the FOCUS Act, which prohibits cell phones in classrooms and requires local school boards to adopt internet safety policies. The Healthy Early Development and Screen Time Act limits the amount of screen time for children in kindergarten classrooms and childcare facilities.
The commission members from Tuscaloosa include Laren Hammonds, a middle school teacher; Chris Jenks, Technology Director at Tuscaloosa City Schools; and Dr. Cailin Kerch, Clinical Associate Professor of Early Childhood Education at the University of Alabama.
Original reporting: The Tuscaloosa Thread — read the source article.
