Baltimore County Public Schools is offering new details on a major policy shift that will reduce young students’ access to laptops next school year.

The school system announced last week on social media, without explanation, that it is changing the way devices will be given to students, following up on emails that parents at individual schools received weeks earlier.

Elementary schools will have a reduced number of devices in class and those devices will stay at school, the system posted on Facebook. Middle schools will discontinue the practice of students taking devices home. High school students will see no change.

The 300 comments left under the post included questions about how the change will impact inclement weather days and at-home assignments, and whether school budget challenges influenced the decision.

For years, each student from pre-K through 12th grade had a school-issued laptop to take home. Reducing access in class and at home marks a significant shift from the school system’s approach to technology being widely available and equitable, even at home.

After telling The Baltimore Banner this week that no one from the school system was available to explain the major policy shift, Gboyinde Onijala, a school system spokesperson, offered answers Wednesday.

Why the change?

Saving money is part of the calculation. The school system is looking for cost savings after the Baltimore County executive refused to fully fund Superintendent Myriam Rogers’ budget request.

The amount of damages caused to the take-home devices was another reason, and so was feedback from the community that included concerns over technology use.

Onijala also noted that the change will alleviate stress for students who lugged laptops to and from school. And research supports their attempt to reduce time with technology for young learners, she added.

Who is affected?

Although previous communications suggested all elementary students will see a reduction in available devices, the policy shift applies only to students in pre-K through second grade, Onijala said.

“Schools will have a process for elementary and middle school students to check out a device for home use when needed,” she wrote in an email.

It’ll be up to the individual schools to decide how to use the devices. Emails shared with The Banner show some schools warned parents about the upcoming changes before the school year ended.

Each school will have a specific process for checking out devices to take home and will communicate those policies to families, if they haven’t already, Onijala said.

What about Amira?

Assignments, like using the artificial intelligence learning program Amira, which has been credited with boosting reading scores in the district, won’t be impacted, Onijala said.

“There will be no disruption to their Amira work in school,” she wrote, “and at home assignments were optional.”

Schools will adapt their learning plans if necessary, she said.

Is remote learning over?

When it comes to inclement weather days, Onijala noted that the school system has three days built into the school calendar for bad weather. Students aren’t expected to learn on those days. If there’s a fourth inclement weather day, students will have to learn virtually.

“Virtual learning days for our youngest learners have always been tailored to meet student needs,” she wrote. “So a day of learning for them would have included instructional packets, reading assignments, worksheets, etc. That would continue to be the case even with this shift.”

About the Education Hub

This reporting is part of The Banner’s Education Hub, community-funded journalism that provides parents with resources they need to make decisions about how their children learn. Read more.