By admin 
Technology has never been more integrated into how students learn in South Carolina classrooms. But is that always a good thing?
Read more Buying a home in Horry County? How to find out if it is at risk of flooding
The State asked candidates running for the Lexington 1 school board whether or what restrictions on classroom technology are needed.
Election Day for school board candidates will be from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 3. Early voting runs Monday through Saturday from Oct. 19 to Oct. 31.
The Issue
Should there be limits on how much technology is used in the classroom, and at what age groups?
Crystal Baker
Technology can be a valuable educational tool, but it needs to match the age level of the student using it, Baker said.
“I believe we must find a healthy balance that supports academic achievement while protecting students’ attention, social development, and overall well-being,” she said. “Technology should be used with purpose, not simply because it is available.”
Younger students need technology the least, while older students can be introduced to technology that supports creativity, research and digital literacy. Those students preparing to graduate need the most familiarity with technology as they prepare to enter “an increasingly digital world.”
“Teachers should also have a voice in determining how technology is incorporated into their classrooms,” Baker said.
Dana Homesley
Homesley said younger students need tighter limits on how much screen time they get in school.
Elementary school students need to focus on learning basic skills, while even older children should learn to use technology within boundaries. “Students need to think independently and learn when to put the screen away,” Homesley said.
“As a board member, I would ask how much screen time students have, what it is being used for, and whether it is helping them learn,” she said. “Technology should support good teaching, and accommodations for students who need assistive technology should be protected.”
Joy Jordan
Jordan said Lexington 1 should have a “structured, age-appropriate framework for every school,” but sounded skeptical of the effectiveness of digital-assisted learning.
“We have been told for years that more screens mean more progress,” Jordan said. “But let’s look at the reality. While technology can be a powerful tool for creation and discovery, we have allowed passive screen time to replace genuine, human-centered learning.”
He believes students will do better with fewer screens and more book-based learning, which will allow them to develop the depth and focus that learning requires.
“Our schools should be sanctuaries for the mind, not extensions of Silicon Valley,” he said. “It is about protecting the mental health, the attention spans, and the brilliant potential of the next generation.”
Jack Lundeen
Lundeen said teachers need to have the flexibility to decide how much technology use is appropriate for their classroom.
“A kindergartner and a high school senior have very different educational needs,” he said. “Younger students need opportunities to develop foundational skills without depending on a screen, while older students may benefit from greater technology use… I don’t believe a single districtwide screen-time limit would adequately address those differences.”
Read more Racist DMs to Miami football player lead Florida Bar to put employee on leave
The district should look at how much time students are spending on their devices, and whether those uses can be tied to better educational outcomes, Lundeen said.
Katie McCown
McCown said Lexington 1 needs to adjust its policies to allow students to spend less time on screens.
“I believe it is time to reevaluate our approach to one-to-one devices, particularly in elementary and middle school,” McCown said. “We should examine student achievement, teacher feedback, instructional outcomes, and current research to determine whether our investment in technology is producing measurable educational benefits.”
Getting “back to the basics” would in some cases improve student performance, McCown said.
“I would make this one of my priorities for the next four years: establishing a research-based, developmentally appropriate technology framework for Lexington One that puts student learning ahead of screen time,” she said.
Chris Rice
Rice said K-5 students should spend less time on screens “and more time invested in basic skills like reading books, handwriting, drawing, and physical activity.”
“These are the formative years so they need more human interaction with both their teachers and other students to develop vital social skills,” Rice said.
Older students in middle and high school are already spending much of their free time online, he said, “so I think we need to prioritize school-based screen time based on the actual educational value being delivered to students in those age groups.”
Chris Shealy
“Technology is not going away, and students at every grade level need to learn how to use it appropriately and responsibly,” Shealy said. “Its use should enhance student learning as one part of a comprehensive lesson plan, not replace the teacher or be used without a clear educational purpose.”
Younger students can use technology in a limited capacity for specific purposes, Shealy said, while older students can use more for research and preparing for college or the workplace.
“Regardless of grade level, students’ use of technology should continue to follow sound, research-based guidelines,” he said. “Lexington One’s Technology Family and Support Hub outlines the District’s current approach across grade levels. That approach should be reviewed regularly and adjusted to ensure technology use remains aligned with student outcomes and District goals.”
Shelton Yonce
Yonce supports more limits on screen time, but said state requirements make that more difficult.
“From kindergarten up, most of the screen time is required by the state,” he said. “Students take the iReady test on a computer three times a year, and starting in 3rd grade they also take SC Ready in the spring. We don’t get to opt out of those.”
Lexington 1 makes adjustments where it can, he said. Where the state recommends 90 minutes a week of digital learning, Lexington 1 sets the limit at 20-minute sessions for K-2 students and 30 minutes for grades three to five. “That means our youngest students may spend as little as 30 minutes a week on it,” he said.
He would go further and eliminate any technology not required by the state through second grade, and would support teachers who want to limit its use in third through fifth grade, he said.
“Right now our 3K and 4K classrooms use no technology,” Yonce said. “Those years are about talking, playing, reading together, and learning how to be part of a classroom.”
Read more Three inmates charged after alleged shank attack at Alvin S. Glenn