Greenville County Schools, the largest school district in South Carolina, has made significant strides in reducing student screen time in classrooms. The district recently introduced a new administrative rule outlining parameters for students’ use of devices and artificial intelligence. This rule accompanies the district’s revised policy on AI and educational technology, which was updated in February.
Responsible Technology Use
The new rule ensures the responsible use of technology to advance student achievement, support quality instruction, and promote engaging learning environments within the district. District administrators developed the administrative rule over the course of the 2025-26 school year using stakeholder input, data analytics, research, and a needs assessment. Feedback was collected from the district’s principals, administrators, teachers, instructional coaches, parents, students, community members, and others.
Susan Stevens, associate superintendent for academics, explained that the administrative rule follows recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics, which promotes a balanced approach to technology use and screen time in educational settings. Age-appropriate device guidelines are outlined in the district’s new administrative rule by grade level. Elementary school teachers are directed to focus on interactive learning experiences for students, including small groups, peer-to-peer interaction, and hands-on learning.
Device Guidelines and Security
Kindergarten through first-grade classrooms will be given three to five devices for small-group activities. Device use in these primary grade levels will be restricted to required assessments, literacy activities, and specific student needs. In comparison, students in second through fifth grade will have access to a one-on-one device to use for required assessments and district-approved educational applications. All educational apps used by students must go through a rigorous review process.
The administrative rule also outlines the security requirements to prevent the unauthorized disclosure of students’ personally identifiable information on these platforms. The district recently reevaluated the 30 applications used within the district, reapproving only 14 applications as supplementary instructional tools. The district discontinued 14 other applications, and three are undergoing further evaluation in the 2026-27 school year.
Parental Support and eLearning
Katie Haitz, a GCS parent and co-founder of Upstate Unplugged, praised the school district’s efforts to reduce student screen time in the classroom. Upstate Unplugged advocates for low-technology environments in schools, homes, and throughout the community. The advocacy group consists of parents, educators, caregivers, health professionals, and other community members.
Greenville County Schools is an approved eLearning district, allowing students to participate in remote, online learning when schools are closed due to inclement weather or other emergencies. Every school will have enough inventory of Chromebooks to deploy one-on-one devices to students in case of an emergency. The district plans to study the requirements for eLearning, specifically at the primary grade levels, which consist of kindergarten through first grade.
Original reporting: Greenville Journal — read the source article.
